Rashad Phillips
Encyclopedia
Rashad Keith Phillips is an American former professional basketball player. In eight years playing professionally, Phillips competed in more than eight different countries for more than ten different teams. He is 5'10" tall, weighs 162 pounds and played the point guard
position. Since retiring from basketball he has started and continues to run "Skills Unlimited", a training and mentoring program for children that uses basketball as a vehicle to help them overcome their obstacles.
at college, Phillips said, "I thank God every day for giving me a father who did the things he did for me... I've seen a lot of people fall victim to the streets, but that was never an option for me. I always had a gym to go to. What my father has done has saved so many lives."
In the fall of 1992, Rashad Phillips entered Ferndale High School
in Ferndale, Michigan
as a freshman
. At first he was told he was too small to be a basketball player, but he quickly proved he could play despite his stature and ended up becoming one of the first four-year varsity starters in school history. By the time Phillips was a senior in 1995–96 he had only grown to . Phillips, however, still averaged approximately 25 points, seven assists and four steals per game en route to being named Oakland County
's best player. He was also invited to play in the Magic Roundball Classic, an annual all-star high school basketball game where the best players in the country are selected to participate. The game was held at The Palace of Auburn Hills
in Detroit and Phillips earned the game's Most Valuable Player
(MVP) award after out-performing Kobe Bryant
. Bryant was the number one high school recruit at the time and would be a first round draft choice in the 1996 NBA Draft
just three months later. Phillips' performance caused him to become a heavily-recruited prospect, but by then he had already committed to play at the University of Detroit Mercy
.
's (MCC) Newcomer of the Year. The Titans were conference regular season champions behind a 12–2 MCC record and earned a berth into the 1998 NCAA Tournament
. After upsetting St. John's
in the first round, Detroit lost in the round of 32 to a strong Purdue
squad, ending their year with an overall record of 25–6.
During his sophomore
season in 1998–99
he increased his average to 15.7 per game, which would be the first of three consecutive years in which he led Detroit in that category. The Titans repeated as regular season champions and also won the MCC Tournament
, which gave them an automatic berth into the 1999 NCAA Tournament
. Phillips played a big role in 12th-seeded Detroit's upset over 5th-seeded UCLA
, 56–53, during the opening round game. Just like the season before when they scored a major upset to open the tournament, Detroit then found itself on the losing end in the round of 32, this time at the hands of 4th-seeded Ohio State
. At the end of the 25–6 season, Phillips was named to the All-MCC First Team.
As a junior
in 1999–2000, the Titans failed to qualify for any postseason tournaments since they only finished with a 20–12 (8–6 MCC) record. Phillips' scoring average, meanwhile, rose to a career-best 23.0 points per game while also finishing in the top 10 in the nation. His average led the Midwestern Collegiate Conference while his 735 total points is still the fourth-highest single season mark in school history. He repeated as both an All-MCC First Team selection as well as an All-Defensive Team selection. Phillips was named the MCC Men's Basketball Player of the Year
, becoming the first Detroit Titan ever to be honored as the league's Newcomer of the Year and Player of the Year during his career.
In 2000–01
, the Titans finished in second place in the MCC behind Butler
with a 10–4 record. Phillips averaged 22.4 points per game, tops in the MCC, while leading the school a fourth place finish in the 2001 National Invitation Tournament
– their highest-ever finish in a major postseason tournament. After losing to Alabama
in the semifinals, Detroit then played Memphis for the NIT Third Place game but also fell short in that game, placing fourth. On the year, Phillips set still-standing single season school-records of 785 total points and a 91.6% accuracy from the free throw
line. Additionally, he finished with the fourth-highest free throw percentage in all of NCAA Division I. Phillips also set many school top ten records that season, including a career-high 41 points against UW–Green Bay in January. The Midwestern Collegiate Conference honored him with a third consecutive All-MCC First Team selection as well as his second straight MCC Player of the Year award. He became just the third player ever to lead the conference in scoring multiple times and he ended his collegiate career with a still-standing Detroit record 2,319 points. His 348 three-pointers
and 541 free throws both also top the program's record book.
Phillips garnered national acclaim for his season and career, not just conference awards. The Associated Press
named him as an Honorable Mention All-America
and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame presented him as the 2001 Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award
winner, given annually to the best Division I men's basketball player who is or shorter. He was chosen to play in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament
(PIT) after the school year ended. The PIT is composed of the top 64 recently graduated basketball players in the country and is an opportunity to showcase their talent heading into the National Basketball Association
(NBA) Draft
. At the 49th installment of the tournament, Phillips earned MVP honors after averaging 21.3 points and 5.3 assists per game in three games played.
, so he went unselected (years later, Kobe Bryant would claim that Rashad Phillips was "[t]he best player never drafted"). Then in November, the NBA Development League
began its inaugural season and held its first draft on November 1. The upstart league chose from a pool of players who were not under contract with any professional team at the time and had all competed collegiately in the United States at some point.
The Mobile Revelers
selected Phillips in the first round (7th overall) in the 2001 NBDL Draft
. He played the entire first season in NBDL history with the Revelers while appearing in 53 total games (including 27 starts). He averaged 12.5 points and 3.7 assists as Mobile finished with a 30–26 record, good for fourth place in the eight-team league. The Revelers lost in the playoffs, two games to one in a best-of-three format, to the North Charleston Lowgators
.
For the next seven years, Phillips became somewhat of journeyman
. He played in over eight leagues, both domestically and internationally, and rarely stayed with one team for more than a season. His stops included leagues in Australia, France, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Three different times he was his league's scoring champion and once was its MVP.
In 2009 Phillips retired from playing professional basketball. Since then he has been active in mentoring youth to help them prepare to achieve their goals. He says he would like to expand his Skills Unlimited training and franchise it so that he can reach more kids across the country.
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
position. Since retiring from basketball he has started and continues to run "Skills Unlimited", a training and mentoring program for children that uses basketball as a vehicle to help them overcome their obstacles.
Early life
Phillips, a native of the North Central section of Detroit, Michigan, grew up in a rough neighborhood. His father, Virgil, wanted to keep him off the streets, so he created a program called REACH (an acronym for religion, education, athletics, character and hope) where Rashad and others could go to play basketball and stay out of trouble. Later, when he was a seniorSenior (education)
Senior is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the 4th year of study .-High school:...
at college, Phillips said, "I thank God every day for giving me a father who did the things he did for me... I've seen a lot of people fall victim to the streets, but that was never an option for me. I always had a gym to go to. What my father has done has saved so many lives."
In the fall of 1992, Rashad Phillips entered Ferndale High School
Ferndale High School (Michigan)
Ferndale High School is a public high school in Ferndale, Michigan. It is under the jurisdiction of the Ferndale Public Schools school district...
in Ferndale, Michigan
Ferndale, Michigan
Ferndale is adjacent to the cities of Detroit to the south, Oak Park to the west, Hazel Park to the east, Pleasant Ridge to the north, Royal Oak Township to the southwest, and Royal Oak to the north....
as a freshman
Freshman
A freshman or fresher is a first-year student in secondary school, high school, or college. The term first year can also be used as a noun, to describe the students themselves A freshman (US) or fresher (UK, India) (or sometimes fish, freshie, fresher; slang plural frosh or freshmeat) is a...
. At first he was told he was too small to be a basketball player, but he quickly proved he could play despite his stature and ended up becoming one of the first four-year varsity starters in school history. By the time Phillips was a senior in 1995–96 he had only grown to . Phillips, however, still averaged approximately 25 points, seven assists and four steals per game en route to being named Oakland County
Oakland County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the 2010 Census, there were 1,202,362 people, 471,115 households, and 315,175 families residing in the county. The population density as of the 2000 census was 1,369 people per square mile . There were 492,006 housing units at an average density of 564 per square mile...
's best player. He was also invited to play in the Magic Roundball Classic, an annual all-star high school basketball game where the best players in the country are selected to participate. The game was held at The Palace of Auburn Hills
The Palace of Auburn Hills
The Palace of Auburn Hills, often referred to simply as The Palace, is a sports and entertainment venue in Auburn Hills, Michigan, a suburb on the northern outskirts of Detroit, Michigan, United States. Opened in 1988, it is the home of the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association...
in Detroit and Phillips earned the game's Most Valuable Player
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
(MVP) award after out-performing Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bean Bryant is an American professional basketball player who plays shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School, where he was recognized as the top high school...
. Bryant was the number one high school recruit at the time and would be a first round draft choice in the 1996 NBA Draft
1996 NBA Draft
The 1996 NBA Draft was the 50th draft in the National Basketball Association . It was held on June 26, 1996 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The draft was broadcast in the United States on the Turner Network Television...
just three months later. Phillips' performance caused him to become a heavily-recruited prospect, but by then he had already committed to play at the University of Detroit Mercy
University of Detroit Mercy
University of Detroit Mercy is a private, Roman Catholic co-educational university in Detroit, Michigan, United States, affiliated with the Society of Jesus and the Sisters of Mercy. Antoine M. Garibaldi is the president. With origins dating from 1877, it is the largest Roman Catholic university...
.
College
Phillips stood at 5'8" when he entered college. He averaged 10.0 points per game in his first season and was named the Midwestern Collegiate ConferenceHorizon League
The Horizon League is a ten school, NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose members are located in five of the Midwestern United States....
's (MCC) Newcomer of the Year. The Titans were conference regular season champions behind a 12–2 MCC record and earned a berth into the 1998 NCAA Tournament
1998 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1998 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 12, 1998, and ended with the championship game on March 30 at the Alamodome in San Antonio,...
. After upsetting St. John's
St. John's Red Storm men's basketball
The St. John's Red Storm men's basketball team represents the St. John's University in Queens, New York. The team participates in the Big East Conference. The men’s coach Norm Roberts was fired on March 19, 2010...
in the first round, Detroit lost in the round of 32 to a strong Purdue
Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball
The Purdue Boilermakers basketball team is a college basketball program that competes in NCAA Division I and is a member of the Big Ten Conference. Purdue basketball holds the record for most Big Ten Championships with 22, along with being the only program in the conference to boast winning records...
squad, ending their year with an overall record of 25–6.
During his sophomore
Sophomore
Sophomore is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the second year of study at high school or university.The word is also used as a synonym for "second", for the second album or EP released by a musician or group, the second movie of a director, or the second season of a...
season in 1998–99
1998–99 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
The 1998–99 NCAA Division I men's basketball season concluded in the 64-team 1999 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament whose finals were held at Tropicana Field in . The Connecticut Huskies earned their first national championship by defeating the Duke Blue Devils 77–74 on March 29, 1999...
he increased his average to 15.7 per game, which would be the first of three consecutive years in which he led Detroit in that category. The Titans repeated as regular season champions and also won the MCC Tournament
Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament
The Horizon League men's basketball tournament is held annually at the end of the men's college basketball regular season. The tournament has been played each year since 1980. The winner of the tournament is designated the Horizon League Tournament Champion and receives the conference's automatic...
, which gave them an automatic berth into the 1999 NCAA Tournament
1999 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1999 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 11, 1999, and ended with the championship game on March 29 at Tropicana Field in St....
. Phillips played a big role in 12th-seeded Detroit's upset over 5th-seeded UCLA
UCLA Bruins men's basketball
The UCLA Bruins men's basketball program, established in 1920, owns a record 11 Division I NCAA championships. UCLA teams coached by John Wooden won 10 national titles in 12 seasons from 1964 to 1975, including 7 straight from 1967 to 1973. UCLA went undefeated a record 4 times, in 1964, 1967,...
, 56–53, during the opening round game. Just like the season before when they scored a major upset to open the tournament, Detroit then found itself on the losing end in the round of 32, this time at the hands of 4th-seeded Ohio State
Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball
The Lucas Sapp men's basketball team represents The Ohio State University in NCAA Division I college basketball competition. The Buckeyes are a member of the Big Ten Conference. The Buckeyes won their only National Championship in 1960 and have made a total of 21 NCAA Tournament appearances...
. At the end of the 25–6 season, Phillips was named to the All-MCC First Team.
As a junior
Junior (education)
"Junior" is a term used in the United States to describe a student in their 3rd year of study . A Junior is considered an upperclassman...
in 1999–2000, the Titans failed to qualify for any postseason tournaments since they only finished with a 20–12 (8–6 MCC) record. Phillips' scoring average, meanwhile, rose to a career-best 23.0 points per game while also finishing in the top 10 in the nation. His average led the Midwestern Collegiate Conference while his 735 total points is still the fourth-highest single season mark in school history. He repeated as both an All-MCC First Team selection as well as an All-Defensive Team selection. Phillips was named the MCC Men's Basketball Player of the Year
Horizon League Men's Basketball Player of the Year
The Horizon League Men's Basketball Player of the Year is a basketball award given to the Horizon League's most outstanding player. The award was first given following the 1979–80 season—the first year of the conference's existence. Four players have won the award multiple times: Byron Larkin,...
, becoming the first Detroit Titan ever to be honored as the league's Newcomer of the Year and Player of the Year during his career.
In 2000–01
2000–01 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
The 2000–01 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 8, 2000, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 2001 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament Championship Game on April 2, 2001 at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in...
, the Titans finished in second place in the MCC behind Butler
Butler Bulldogs men's basketball
The Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team represents Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Horizon League, of which it has been a member since 1979...
with a 10–4 record. Phillips averaged 22.4 points per game, tops in the MCC, while leading the school a fourth place finish in the 2001 National Invitation Tournament
2001 National Invitation Tournament
-Semifinals & Finals:*Third Place - Memphis 86, Detroit 71...
– their highest-ever finish in a major postseason tournament. After losing to Alabama
Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball
The Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball program has a history of being among the best of the Southeastern Conference . It trails only Kentucky in basketball wins, SEC tournament titles, and SEC regular season titles in the 12-member conference. The team is coached by head coach Anthony Grant,...
in the semifinals, Detroit then played Memphis for the NIT Third Place game but also fell short in that game, placing fourth. On the year, Phillips set still-standing single season school-records of 785 total points and a 91.6% accuracy from the free throw
Free throw
In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points from a restricted area on the court , and are generally awarded after a foul on the shooter by the opposing team...
line. Additionally, he finished with the fourth-highest free throw percentage in all of NCAA Division I. Phillips also set many school top ten records that season, including a career-high 41 points against UW–Green Bay in January. The Midwestern Collegiate Conference honored him with a third consecutive All-MCC First Team selection as well as his second straight MCC Player of the Year award. He became just the third player ever to lead the conference in scoring multiple times and he ended his collegiate career with a still-standing Detroit record 2,319 points. His 348 three-pointers
Three-point field goal
A three-point field goal is a field goal in a basketball game, made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc radiating from the basket...
and 541 free throws both also top the program's record book.
Phillips garnered national acclaim for his season and career, not just conference awards. The Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
named him as an Honorable Mention All-America
2001 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans
The Consensus 2001 College Basketball All-American team, as determined by aggregating the results of four major All-American teams. To earn "consensus" status, a player must win honors from a majority of the following teams: the Associated Press, the USBWA, The Sporting News and the National...
and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame presented him as the 2001 Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award
Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award
The Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award is an annual college basketball award in the United States intended to honor shorter–than–average players who excel on the court despite their size. The award, named in honor of James Naismith's daughter–in–law, was established for men in 1969 and for women in 1984...
winner, given annually to the best Division I men's basketball player who is or shorter. He was chosen to play in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament
Portsmouth Invitational Tournament
The Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, or "PIT", is the United States' oldest amateur basketball tournament and the only postseason camp conducted for the top NCAA seniors only....
(PIT) after the school year ended. The PIT is composed of the top 64 recently graduated basketball players in the country and is an opportunity to showcase their talent heading into the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
(NBA) Draft
NBA Draft
The NBA Draft is an annual event in which the thirty teams from the National Basketball Association can draft players who are eligible and wish to join the league. These players are usually amateur U.S. college basketball players, but international players are also eligible to be drafted...
. At the 49th installment of the tournament, Phillips earned MVP honors after averaging 21.3 points and 5.3 assists per game in three games played.
Professional and later life
Despite his prolific college career, no NBA teams were willing to take a chance on the undersized guard in that year's draft2001 NBA Draft
The 2001 NBA Draft took place on June 27, 2001 in New York City, New York. Kwame Brown became the first high school player drafted with the first overall pick...
, so he went unselected (years later, Kobe Bryant would claim that Rashad Phillips was "[t]he best player never drafted"). Then in November, the NBA Development League
NBA Development League
The NBA Development League, or NBA D-League, is the National Basketball Association's official minor league basketball organization. Known until summer 2005 as the National Basketball Development League , the NBA D-League started with eight teams in the fall of 2001...
began its inaugural season and held its first draft on November 1. The upstart league chose from a pool of players who were not under contract with any professional team at the time and had all competed collegiately in the United States at some point.
The Mobile Revelers
Mobile Revelers
The Mobile Revelers were a National Basketball Development League team based in Mobile, Alabama. Playing their home games at the Mobile Civic Center, the Revelers was a charter franchise in the 2001-02 season and folded after the 2002-03 season...
selected Phillips in the first round (7th overall) in the 2001 NBDL Draft
2001 NBDL Draft
The 2001 NBDL Draft was the inaugural draft of the National Basketball Development League , which was later renamed the NBA Development League . The draft was held on November 1, 2001 before the 2001–02 season...
. He played the entire first season in NBDL history with the Revelers while appearing in 53 total games (including 27 starts). He averaged 12.5 points and 3.7 assists as Mobile finished with a 30–26 record, good for fourth place in the eight-team league. The Revelers lost in the playoffs, two games to one in a best-of-three format, to the North Charleston Lowgators
Florida Flame
The Florida Flame were a NBA Development League team based in Fort Myers, Florida. Its logo represents a basketball on fire moving at high speed....
.
For the next seven years, Phillips became somewhat of journeyman
Journeyman (sports)
A journeyman or journeywoman is an athlete or professional sports player who is technically competent, but unable to excel. In certain parts of the world the term has less negative connotations and the inability to excel is not needed for a player to be labelled thus.-Definitions:Alexandra Allred...
. He played in over eight leagues, both domestically and internationally, and rarely stayed with one team for more than a season. His stops included leagues in Australia, France, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Three different times he was his league's scoring champion and once was its MVP.
In 2009 Phillips retired from playing professional basketball. Since then he has been active in mentoring youth to help them prepare to achieve their goals. He says he would like to expand his Skills Unlimited training and franchise it so that he can reach more kids across the country.