David McCormack (basketball)

David Joseph McCormack (born July 2, 1999)[1] is an American professional basketball player for Olimpia Milano of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the Euroleague. He played college basketball at the University of Kansas where he won the 2022 National Championship.

David McCormack
No. 35 – Olimpia Milano
PositionCenter
LeagueLega Basket Serie A
EuroLeague
Personal information
Born (1999-07-02) July 2, 1999 (age 25)
Bronx, New York, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeKansas (2018–2022)
NBA draft2022: undrafted
Playing career2022–present
Career history
2022–2023Beşiktaş
2023Darüşşafaka
2023–2024Galatasaray Ekmas
2024–presentOlimpia Milano
Career highlights and awards

Early life

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McCormack was born in The Bronx, New York and moved to Virginia at age two. He grew up playing football and basketball, as well as taking part in shot put and discus throw.[2] McCormack played basketball for Norfolk Academy in Norfolk, Virginia before transferring to Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia.[3] He lost about 40 lbs (18 kg) in his first year at Oak Hill. As a senior, he helped his team achieve a 30–4 record and win the 9A state title.[4] McCormack competed alongside Armando Bacot with Team Loaded on the Amateur Athletic Union circuit.[5] He played in the McDonald's All-American Game and Nike Hoop Summit.[6]

A consensus four-star recruit, McCormack committed to playing college basketball for Kansas over offers from Xavier, NC State, Oklahoma State and Duke.[7]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
David McCormack
C
Norfolk, VA Oak Hill Academy (VA) 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 255 lb (116 kg) Sep 24, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 89
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 35  247Sports: 40  ESPN: 27
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Kansas 2018 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  • "2018 Kansas Jayhawks Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  • "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 24, 2021.

College career

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As a freshman at Kansas, McCormack averaged 3.9 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.[8] On December 14, 2019, he recorded a sophomore season-high 28 points and seven rebounds in a 98–57 win over UM Kansas City.[9] As a sophomore, McCormack averaged 6.9 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.[10] He became a regular starter in his junior season with the departure of Udoka Azubuike.[11] On January 12, 2021, McCormack posted 24 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks in a 75–70 loss to Oklahoma State.[12] In the NCAA Tournament, he scored 22 points and posted nine rebounds in a first-round victory over Eastern Washington despite playing through pain. As a junior, McCormack averaged 13.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, shooting 51.5 percent from the floor. After the season, he underwent surgery to repair a broken bone in his right foot.[13]

In his senior year, on January 4, 2022, McCormack scored 17 points and achieved a career-high 15 rebounds in KU's defeat of Oklahoma State.[14] On January 22, 2022, he got 15 rebounds against Kansas State, tying his personal best in rebounds. He averaged 10.6 points and 6.98 rebounds per game in his senior year. McCormack was named to the Third Team All-Big 12 as a senior.[15] On April 2, 2022, in the 2022 national semifinals against Villanova in New Orleans, McCormack scored 25 points and grabbed 9 rebounds (along with one assist and one steal), leading KU to an 81-65 victory, sending Kansas into the national championship game against North Carolina.[16] In the national championship game against North Carolina on April 4, 2022, McCormack scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds (along with one block and one steal), leading Kansas in the largest comeback in NCAA Tournament history.[17] McCormack was named to the all-tournament team for his play in Kansas' six tourney games, where he averaged 13.1 points a game.[18]

Professional career

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Beşiktaş (2022–2023)

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On July 28, 2022, McCormack signed with Beşiktaş Icrypex of the Basketbol Süper Ligi.[19]

Darüşşafaka (2023)

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On July 26, 2023, he signed with Darüşşafaka of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL).[20]

Galatasaray Ekmas (2023–2024)

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On 8 December 2023, he signed with Galatasaray Ekmas of the Turkish Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL) and the BCL.[21][22]

Olimpia Milano (2024–present)

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On August 3, 2024, he signed with Olimpia Milano of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA).[23]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2018–19 Kansas 34 13 10.7 .625 .600 3.1 .4 .2 .4 3.9
2019–20 Kansas 29 18 14.7 .529 .000 .813 4.1 .6 .4 .4 6.9
2020–21 Kansas 29 28 23.1 .515 1.000 .796 6.1 1.1 .7 1.0 13.4
2021–22 Kansas 40 37 21.9 .508 .000 .756 7.0 .9 .6 .8 10.6
Career 132 96 17.7 .527 .200 .760 5.2 .8 .4 .5 8.7

References

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  1. ^ "David McCormack Player Profile, Kansas - RealGM". basketball.realgm.com. Retrieved 2022-06-03.
  2. ^ Tait, Matt (February 20, 2019). "The David McCormack Transformation". KUSports. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  3. ^ Rubama, Larry (September 29, 2016). "Top recruiting target McCormack leaves Norfolk Academy for Oak Hill". The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  4. ^ "Five Things to Know: David McCormack". USA Basketball. March 26, 2018. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  5. ^ Bossi, Eric (July 31, 2017). "Bossi's Takeaways: Team Loaded lives up to name on last day in Vegas". Rivals. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  6. ^ Hawkins, Jamaar (16 January 2018). "Future Kansas Jayhawk among nation's best selected to McDonald's game". Ultimate Recruit. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  7. ^ Borzello, Jeff (September 24, 2017). "Top-50 prospect David McCormack commits to Kansas". ESPN. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  8. ^ Galloway, Matt (June 18, 2019). "David McCormack 'hands down' KU's most improved player, Bill Self says". The Hutchinson News. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  9. ^ Bedore, Gary (December 14, 2019). "'Awesome' David McCormack scores 28 points in limited duty as KU slams UMKC 98-57". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  10. ^ Galloway, Matt (November 17, 2020). "Much-improved David McCormack is KU basketball's 'best performer' this preseason". The Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  11. ^ Smith, Benton (November 16, 2020). "How KU junior David McCormack can fill the void left by Udoka Azubuike's departure". KUSports. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  12. ^ Smith, Benton (January 13, 2021). "The David McCormack we heard about before the season has finally arrived". KUSports. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  13. ^ Bedore, Gary (June 16, 2021). "Kansas forward David McCormack preparing for senior season". The Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  14. ^ Tait, Matt. ‘He played his butt off’ - How KU big man David McCormack responded to coming off the bench in the win over Oklahoma State, Lawrence Journal World, January 4, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  15. ^ Swain, Michael (March 6, 2022). "Ochai Agbaji named Big 12 POY as five other Jayhawks earn conference honors". 247 Sports. Archived from the original on March 7, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  16. ^ Tait, Matt. 'One more' - Behind big nights by Agbaji, McCormack Kansas rolls past Villanova and into Monday’s NCAA title game, Lawrence Journal World, April 2, 2022.
  17. ^ Tait, Matt. ‘We can do this’ How Kansas kept hope alive at halftime and powered its way to the 2022 national title, Lawrence Journal World, April 5, 2022.
  18. ^ Boyer, Zac. David McCormack's positivity, production lift Kansas in second-half comeback, Lawrence Journal World, April 5, 2022.
  19. ^ Skerletic, Dario (July 28, 2022). "Besiktas strengthens roster with rookies Jordan Usher and David McCormack". Sportando. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  20. ^ "Daçka'ya Hoş Geldin David McCormack!". darussafakabasketbol.com (in Turkish). July 26, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  21. ^ "Galatasaray signs David McCormack". Eurobasket. December 8, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  22. ^ "David McCormack Galatasaray Ekmas'ta" (in Turkish). www.galatasaray.org. December 8, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  23. ^ "Olimpia Milano officially signs David McCormack". Sportando. August 3, 2024. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
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