A.J. Slaughter
Encyclopedia
A. J. Slaughter was a guard for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball team.
on August 3, 1987. His father, Tony Slaughter, played basketball at Murray State from 1980 to 1981. His older sister, Toni, played basketball at the University of Louisville
, and his younger sister, Antonita, will play for Louisville in 2010.
AJ is currently in Belgium playing professional basketball.
, Slaughter started every game of his high school career and averaged 14.5 points per game, 3.3 rebounds per game, 3.3 assists per game, and 2.7 steals per game over the course of it. In his sophomore year, his 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game average helped lead the Rockets to 16 wins and a district championship, as well as being named the District's Most Valuable Player and a First-Team All-Region. Slaughter continued to improve in his junior year, posting averages of 18.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 3.0 steals per game and led the Rockets to a 22-7 year and a district title. He received an honorable mention All-State by the Louisville Courier-Journal in addition to being inducted to the First-Team All-Region, and was honored as a member of the region and Coca-Cola Classic All-Tournament group. His senior year was also his finest; Slaughter shot an average of 19.7 points per game, grabbed 4.3 rebounds per game, completed 3.9 assists per game, and stole the ball 3.7 times per game, propelling Shelby County to the Sweet 16 of the state while finishing 31-4. This performance led to his selection as Louisville Courier-Journal's Player of the Year and a position on the First-Team All-State.
Slaughter received scholarship offers from Vanderbilt
, Western Kentucky
, and West Virginia
. He chose Western Kentucky and signed his letter of intent
on August 26, 2005. He was the first verbal commitment of the 2006 Western Kentucky recruiting class. Scout.com
awarded him a three-star rating and stated that Slaughter was not only "wired to be a scorer" but an overall "sound player who hustles and can hit from behind the arc."
on November 11, 2006. In a 93-83 defeat of Florida Atlantic University
on December 30, he was held scoreless for the only time that season, yet he passed five assists, a season best. He was inserted to the starting lineup in a January 11, 2007 game against Florida International University
after Courtney Lee
injured his ankle, and subsequently started two more games that season. The Hilltoppers defeated FIU 86-74, aided by Slaughter's six points and two rebounds. He scored in double digits three times later in the season: 14 points in a 71-69 loss against the University of Arkansas, Little Rock on January 17, 12 points in a 77-67 win against Denver
on January 21, and 10 points in a 65-53 win against Middle Tennessee State
on February 10.
The season ended on a relatively disappointing note for the Hilltoppers, who lost in the semifinals of the 2007 Sun Belt Men's Basketball Tournament
on March 5 to Arkansas State
, with a score of 80-73, five of which were from Slaughter. They failed to receive a berth in either the 2007 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
or the 2007 National Invitation Tournament
. Slaughter appeared in all 33 games, played an average of 15.9 minutes per game, and grabbed a per-game average of 1.7 rebounds. He also made 32 assists and as many steals, ranking third of the team for the latter. His 6.1 points per game average was the seventh best on the team. For freshmen at Western Kentucky, Slaughter's 200 total points were the tenth highest ever.
, Western Kentucky received a bid to the 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
.
As a twelve seed, Western Kentucky upset fifth-seeded Drake
on March 21 to advance to the second round, winning 101-99 in overtime off a desperation three-pointer by Slaughter's teammate, Ty Rogers. While playing 18 minutes, Slaughter recorded 10 points, four rebounds, and four assists, tying his season high. The Hilltoppers beat 13 seed San Diego
on March 23 by a score of 72-63, with Slaughter scoring four points and grabbing a rebound. On March 27, Western Kentucky fell to top-seeded UCLA in the Sweet Sixteen 88-78. Late in the second half Slaughter missed a three-pointer that would have cut UCLA's lead to one, but he still put up seven points, three assists, and two steals.
in the NBA Summer League
in 2010
.
Slaughter has signed a professional contract with Angelico Biella of Lega Basket Serie A, Italy's highest-level league of professional basketball.
Early life
Slaughter was born in Louisville, KentuckyLouisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
on August 3, 1987. His father, Tony Slaughter, played basketball at Murray State from 1980 to 1981. His older sister, Toni, played basketball at the University of Louisville
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville is a public university in Louisville, Kentucky. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains. The university is mandated by the Kentucky General...
, and his younger sister, Antonita, will play for Louisville in 2010.
AJ is currently in Belgium playing professional basketball.
High school
At Shelby County High SchoolShelby County High School
Shelby County High School can refer to:*Shelby County High School *Shelby County High School...
, Slaughter started every game of his high school career and averaged 14.5 points per game, 3.3 rebounds per game, 3.3 assists per game, and 2.7 steals per game over the course of it. In his sophomore year, his 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game average helped lead the Rockets to 16 wins and a district championship, as well as being named the District's Most Valuable Player and a First-Team All-Region. Slaughter continued to improve in his junior year, posting averages of 18.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 3.0 steals per game and led the Rockets to a 22-7 year and a district title. He received an honorable mention All-State by the Louisville Courier-Journal in addition to being inducted to the First-Team All-Region, and was honored as a member of the region and Coca-Cola Classic All-Tournament group. His senior year was also his finest; Slaughter shot an average of 19.7 points per game, grabbed 4.3 rebounds per game, completed 3.9 assists per game, and stole the ball 3.7 times per game, propelling Shelby County to the Sweet 16 of the state while finishing 31-4. This performance led to his selection as Louisville Courier-Journal's Player of the Year and a position on the First-Team All-State.
Slaughter received scholarship offers from Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
, Western Kentucky
Western Kentucky University
Western Kentucky University is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA. It was formally founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a quarter-century earlier....
, and West Virginia
West Virginia University
West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...
. He chose Western Kentucky and signed his letter of intent
Letter of intent
A letter of intent is a document outlining an agreement between two or more parties before the agreement is finalized. The concept is similar to a heads of agreement...
on August 26, 2005. He was the first verbal commitment of the 2006 Western Kentucky recruiting class. Scout.com
Scout.com
Scout.com is an integrated sports publishing company that produces both an Internet and print product. Scout has more than 2.1 million visitors...
awarded him a three-star rating and stated that Slaughter was not only "wired to be a scorer" but an overall "sound player who hustles and can hit from behind the arc."
Freshman year
In Slaughter's collegiate debut, he registered 20 minutes and scored a year-high 18 points in a 96-55 defeat of Kennesaw StateKennesaw State University
Kennesaw State University, also referred to as KSU, Kennesaw, or Kennesaw State, is a public, coeducational, comprehensive university that is part of the University System of Georgia. The university's main campus is located in Kennesaw, Georgia, United States, approximately north of Atlanta...
on November 11, 2006. In a 93-83 defeat of Florida Atlantic University
Florida Atlantic University
Florida Atlantic University, also referred to as FAU or Florida Atlantic, is a public, coeducational, research university located in , United States. The university has six satellite campuses located in the Florida cities of Dania Beach, Davie, Fort Lauderdale, Jupiter, Port St. Lucie, and in Fort...
on December 30, he was held scoreless for the only time that season, yet he passed five assists, a season best. He was inserted to the starting lineup in a January 11, 2007 game against Florida International University
Florida International University
Florida International University is an American public research university in metropolitan Miami, Florida, in the United States, with its main campus in University Park...
after Courtney Lee
Courtney Lee
Courtney Lee is an American basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the NBA. He was drafted by the Orlando Magic with the 22nd pick overall in the 2008 NBA Draft...
injured his ankle, and subsequently started two more games that season. The Hilltoppers defeated FIU 86-74, aided by Slaughter's six points and two rebounds. He scored in double digits three times later in the season: 14 points in a 71-69 loss against the University of Arkansas, Little Rock on January 17, 12 points in a 77-67 win against Denver
University of Denver
The University of Denver is currently ranked 82nd among all public and private "National Universities" by U.S. News & World Report in the 2012 rankings....
on January 21, and 10 points in a 65-53 win against Middle Tennessee State
Middle Tennessee State University
Middle Tennessee State University, commonly abbreviated as MTSU, is a public university located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, United States....
on February 10.
The season ended on a relatively disappointing note for the Hilltoppers, who lost in the semifinals of the 2007 Sun Belt Men's Basketball Tournament
2007 Sun Belt Men's Basketball Tournament
-Bracket:...
on March 5 to Arkansas State
Arkansas State University
Arkansas State University is a public university and is the flagship campus of the Arkansas State University System, the state's second largest college system and third largest university by enrollment. It is located atop on Crowley's Ridge at Jonesboro, Arkansas, USA...
, with a score of 80-73, five of which were from Slaughter. They failed to receive a berth in either the 2007 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
2007 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2007 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 NCAA schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2006–07 basketball season...
or the 2007 National Invitation Tournament
2007 National Invitation Tournament
The 2007 National Invitation Tournament was a single-elimination tournament of 32 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I teams which did not participate in the 2007 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament...
. Slaughter appeared in all 33 games, played an average of 15.9 minutes per game, and grabbed a per-game average of 1.7 rebounds. He also made 32 assists and as many steals, ranking third of the team for the latter. His 6.1 points per game average was the seventh best on the team. For freshmen at Western Kentucky, Slaughter's 200 total points were the tenth highest ever.
Sophomore year
Slaughter's sophomore year was characterized by higher scoring than his freshman year; he scored in excess of 10 points on 12 occasions. He opened the season on November 9 with a 96-61 routing of Kennesaw State; Slaughter contributed a three-pointer in 15 minutes of playing time. On November 23, as part of the Great Alaskan Shootout, the Hilltoppers took on #14 Gonzaga, and Slaughter added 13 points, shooting 6-of-11. Gonzaga narrowly won by a score of 71-64. Slaughter's season-high 17 points were scored on January 31, 2008, when UALR was demolished 71-47. However, he never led the team in scoring until his 12 points put the Hilltoppers ahead of FIU 69-54. The February 27 matchup also featured four rebounds and one assist from Slaughter, who shot 6-of-12 from the field. After defeating Middle Tennessee 67-57 on March 11 to win the 2008 Sun Belt Men's Basketball Tournament2008 Sun Belt Men's Basketball Tournament
-External links:*-References:...
, Western Kentucky received a bid to the 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2007–08 basketball season...
.
As a twelve seed, Western Kentucky upset fifth-seeded Drake
Drake University
Drake University is a private, co-educational university located in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. The institution offers a number of undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and pharmacy. Today, Drake is one of the twenty-five oldest law schools in the country....
on March 21 to advance to the second round, winning 101-99 in overtime off a desperation three-pointer by Slaughter's teammate, Ty Rogers. While playing 18 minutes, Slaughter recorded 10 points, four rebounds, and four assists, tying his season high. The Hilltoppers beat 13 seed San Diego
University of San Diego
The University of San Diego is a Roman Catholic university in San Diego, California. USD offers more than sixty bachelor's, master’s, and doctoral programs...
on March 23 by a score of 72-63, with Slaughter scoring four points and grabbing a rebound. On March 27, Western Kentucky fell to top-seeded UCLA in the Sweet Sixteen 88-78. Late in the second half Slaughter missed a three-pointer that would have cut UCLA's lead to one, but he still put up seven points, three assists, and two steals.
Pro career
Slaughter will play for the Detroit PistonsDetroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
in the NBA Summer League
NBA Summer League
The NBA Summer League is a period during which NBA teams come together to try out different summer rosters instead of their regular season line-ups. Typically, there is a mix of rookies and some of the younger bench players to see how well some players work with others...
in 2010
2010 in basketball
Tournaments include international , professional and amateur and collegiate levels.-Men's tournaments:* 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey** ** All-tournament team:*** Kevin Durant, *** Linas Kleiza,...
.
Slaughter has signed a professional contract with Angelico Biella of Lega Basket Serie A, Italy's highest-level league of professional basketball.