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Damon Lopez

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Damon Lopez
Personal information
Born (1968-08-15) August 15, 1968 (age 56)
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
High schoolCardinal Hayes
(The Bronx, New York)
College
NBA draft1991: undrafted
Playing career1991–1999
PositionCenter
Career highlights and awards

Damon Anthony Lopez (born August 15, 1968)[1] is an American former basketball player known for his collegiate career at Fordham University between 1988 and 1991, where he was the Patriot League's first-ever player of the year in 1991. He also had a professional basketball career for eight years following college. Lopez played the center position and set a number of Fordham records for blocks. In 2015 he was selected to the Patriot League Men's Basketball 25th Anniversary Team.

Playing career

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A native of the Bronx, New York City, Lopez attended Cardinal Hayes High School.[2] He stood 6'1" and was cut from the basketball team in both his junior and senior years.[2] His uncle encouraged him to stick with it, and Lopez wound up attending Garden City Community College in Garden City, Kansas, where he redshirted his freshman season.[2] Lopez then transferred to Westchester Community College back in New York and played one year there. Between a huge growth spurt that saw him reach 6'7" and him "catching up" to his new physique, Lopez dominated competition.[2] At the national junior college tournament, scouts from many NCAA Division I programs attended to check out Lopez.[2] He chose to play for Fordham University, which was located 20 blocks away from his childhood home and was also the first NCAA program to express interest in him.[2] By the time he suited up for Fordham he stood 6'9" and weighed 240 pounds.[2]

Lopez began his collegiate career with the Fordham Rams as a redshirt sophomore in 1988–89.[2][3] That year he averaged 5.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game.[3] The following season, Lopez increased his averages to 11.4 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks, while also grabbing 1.6 steals a game.[3] The Rams finished in third place in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) North Division with a 10–6 conference record, and Lopez was named to the All-MAAC Second Team.[4][5]

Fordham left the MAAC prior to the start of Lopez's senior year in 1990–91 to join the Patriot League, which had formed in 1986.[6] He started 32 of 33 games (both career highs) and averaged 17.7 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.0 blocks, and 2.0 steals per game.[3] He tied his own school single-game blocks record of 10, set the single-season blocks record of 100, and set the career record of 252 blocks in just three seasons played (since surpassed by Bryant Dunston, who played four years).[3] Fordham went 11–1 in Patriot League games, were crowned regular season champions, and went on to win the 1991 Patriot League tournament where Lopez was named the tournament MVP.[6][7] He was named to the All-Patriot League First Team and won the Patriot League Player of the Year award, which was the first time it was awarded in league history.[5] In 2008, Lopez was inducted into Fordham's Athletics Hall of Fame, and in 2015 he was honored on the Patriot League Men's Basketball 25th Anniversary Team.[5][8]

Following college, Lopez went undrafted in the 1991 NBA draft.[5] He had tryouts for the Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets but was never signed, so he instead played professionally in various international countries for the next eight years.[5][6] He also had a stint playing in the United States Basketball League before retiring.[5]

References

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  1. ^ "Damon Lopez Gallery". tcdb.com. Trading Card Database. 2021. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Rammin' Ahead: Late bloomer Lopez is uplifting Fordham". New York Daily News. February 10, 1991. p. 61. Retrieved December 29, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Damon Lopez college stats". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  4. ^ "1989–90 Fordham Rams roster & stats". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Damon Lopez (2008) – Fordham Hall of Fame". FordhamSports.com. CBS Sports Digital. 2008. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  6. ^ a b c "One On One With Damon Lopez (FC '91)". ReboundersClub.com. Fordham University Rebounders Club. October 28, 2018. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  7. ^ "1990–91 Patriot League season summary". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  8. ^ "Damon Lopez Named to Patriot League Men's Basketball 25th Anniversary Team". Fordham News. Fordham University. August 21, 2015. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
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