Zach Randolph
From Hoopedia
Zach Randolph (born July 16, 1981 in Marion, Indiana) is an American professional basketball player currently with the New York Knickerbockers of the NBA.
Randolph grew up in Marion, Indiana and attended Marion High School. As a sophomore he helped lead the Marion Giants to the class 4A championship game. As a senior, he again led his team to the state championship game in which Marion High School won its seventh state basketball championship. He finished second in Indiana's 'Mr. Basketball' voting that year, closely behind Jared Jeffries, who coincidentally played for the team that the Giants beat in the state championship game that year.
As a senior, Randolph agreed to attend and play basketball for the Michigan State University Spartans. After his freshman season, he decided that he was ready to go professional and entered the NBA Draft.
He was drafted by the Blazers in the first round (19th overall) in 2001. He plays the power forward position and has talent, size, mobility, and good rebounding skills. In 2004 he won the NBA's Most Improved Player award, after which he signed a 6-year, 84-million dollar deal with the Blazers. Of the $84 million, it is rumored that $30 million is to be paid as part of deferred payments after the six years of the contract have passed.
Randolph has proven himself as a talented scorer and rebounder. Randolph has averaged 23.7 points and 10.1 rebounds per game in the 2006-07 season, which was cut short in March due to a hand injury. He is not a great defender or passer, but those skills have improved as well as his offensive performance since he was drafted at 19, through a strong work ethic. Randolph worked with former assistant coach John Loyer after his rookie year, taking about 300 to 500 jump shots a day to improve his perimeter shooting that now complements his low-post game. Current coach Nate McMillan has noted a greater willingness to pass the ball out of the post when double-teams come.
Randolph's tenure has been somewhat controversial, in part due to the Trail Blazers' past history with players having off-the-court issues. He punched teammate Ruben Patterson in the face during a practice scuffle in 2003, an act which earned him a two-game suspension.
In 2004-05, his production dropped somewhat; although he was injured for much of the season, some critics pointed a finger at Randolph for the Trail Blazers' troubles that year. In fact, late in the season Randolph announced that he would miss the remainder of the season due to a knee injury, for which he later had microfracture surgery. He played the next season, posting averages of 18 points and 8 rebounds per game, but his work ethic was sometimes called into question by coach Nate McMillan, who had been hired in the 2005 offseason.
On June 8, 2006, Randolph ran into further legal trouble when two vehicles, both registered in his name, were pulled over by the Portland Police for racing in a 20 mph speed zone. In August 2006, a sexual assault complaint was filed with Portland police over an incident with a stripper; after a month-long investigation, the Multnomah County district attorney declined to prosecute Randolph, citing lack of evidence. Randolph is facing a civil suit related to that case.
