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User:Acdixon/Deandre Liggins

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Deandre Liggins
CollegeKentucky
ConferenceSEC
SportBasketball
PositionSmall forward
Jersey #34
ClassSenior
Career2008–present
Height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight210 lb (95 kg)
NationalityAmerican
Born (1988-03-31) March 31, 1988 (age 36)
Chicago, Illinois
High schoolFindley Prep

Deandre Liggins (b. March 31, 1988 in Chicago, Illinois)...

Early life

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When he tried out for the sixth grade basketball team at Esmond grammar school, Liggins already stood 6 feet, 2 inches tall.[1]

High school

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A summer league coach gave Liggins the nickname "The Big Ticket", after NBA star Kevin Garnett.[1] Widely regarded as the best sophomore in the Chicago Public League in 2006, Liggins helped Washington High School to the League championship game for the first time in the school's history.[2][3] Washington lost the championship to Derrick Rose's Simeon Career Academy team, and Liggins was held scoreless in the game.[3]

By the beginning of his junior year, Liggins held scholarship offers from Illinois, Iowa, and Virginia.[1] That year, he again led Washington to the League championship, and again they were bested by Rose's Simeon club.[4] For the year, he averaged 14 points, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds and was named first-team, All-State by the Chicago Tribune.[5]

Liggins played well in several spring AAU tournaments, but suffered a stress fracture in his left foot that kept him from participating in any summer tournaments.[6][7] Entering his senior year, he was ranked 18th in his class by Rivals.com and 26th by Scout.com.[6] In May 2007, he announced he had narrowed his list of potential colleges to Illinois, Memphis, Kansas, Kentucky, and Texas.[7] Following an unofficial visit to Kentucky in June, Liggins made a verbal commitment to play for the Wildcats.[8]

Later in the summer, Liggins announced he would transfer to Findley Prep in Las Vegas, Nevada for his senior year.[9] He averaged 13.6 points, 5.6 assists, 7.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals as a senior at Findley, but struggled to meet the NCAA's academic eligibility requirements.[10]

College career

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The transfer of junior Derrick Jasper left Liggins as one of three potential options at point guard for Kentucky, along with junior Michael Porter and incoming junior college transfer Kevin Galloway.[11] Porter gained the starting job, with Liggins coming off the bench as the backup.[12] After playing only two minutes in the first half of a game against Kansas State in the Las Vegas Invitational, Liggins refused to re-enter the game in the second half, forcing Porter to play 36 of the game's 40 minutes.[13] Coach Billy Gillispie chose not to punish Liggins by withholding playing time. In the tournament's championship game the following night, Liggins tied a career-high with 27 minutes, playing a key role in the Wildcats' win over the West Virginia Mountaineers.[14]

Liggins continued to improve following the Las Vegas Invitational. He set career highs in points (16) and rebounds (7) against Lamar; the next game, he bested his point total, scoring 18 against Miami, while matching his rebounding high.[15] Those back-to-back efforts led to his being named Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week.[15] He made his first start for Kentucky on December 29, 2008 against Central Michigan, tallying a career-high 8 assists.[16] It was his only start of the season.[17] After starting the season 16-4, the Wildcats finished the regular season with a record of 20-13, lost to LSU in the second round of the SEC tournament, and missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 17 years.[18] Kentucky was invited to the National Invitation Tournament, losing in the third round to Notre Dame. Liggins hit the first 3-pointer in Kentucky's history in the NIT.[17]

After the season, Gillispie was fired and replaced by John Calipari. Calipari did not play Liggins at all until the waning seconds of a lopsided victory over Indiana on December 12, 2009.[19] Calipari refused to say why Liggins did not play, telling the media "Once you get to know me, you'll know that I don't throw my kids under the bus."[19] From that point, Liggins began to contribute off the bench, and became the player Calipari most often used to defend the opponent's best player.[20]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Sakamoto, "Ticketed for big things"
  2. ^ Sakamoto, "Minutemen no longer second best"
  3. ^ a b Sakamoto, "Rose wows 'em"
  4. ^ Sakamoto, "Top team puts state on alert"
  5. ^ Sakamoto, "Sharing rock 'n' rolling"
  6. ^ a b Sun, "Wildcats hope to land Liggins"
  7. ^ a b Sakamoto, "Illinois in final 5 for Washington's Liggins"
  8. ^ Hagerman, "Recruiting guru says UK could have more top-ranked talent on way"
  9. ^ Tipton, "Summer Shows a Different Side of Recruits"
  10. ^ Tipton, "Liggins still working on academics"
  11. ^ Tipton, "Jasper leaves Kentucky"
  12. ^ Tipton, "Porter stays at point for the moment"
  13. ^ Tipton, "Benched Liggins refuses to play"
  14. ^ Tipton, "Liggins saluted for playing"
  15. ^ a b "Career highs help Liggins win SEC freshmen honors". Lexington Herald-Leader
  16. ^ Tipton, "Liggins relieved mistake is behind him"
  17. ^ a b "Player Bio: Deandre Liggins". UKAthletics.com
  18. ^ Clay, "Cats headed for NIT, the great unknown"
  19. ^ a b Clay, "Fierce return to the floor"
  20. ^ Tipton, "Calipari loving the new Liggins"

Bibliography

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  • "Career highs help Liggins win SEC freshmen honors". Lexington Herald-Leader. 2008-12-09.
  • Clay, John (2009-03-14). "Cats headed for NIT, the great unknown". Lexington Herald-Leader.
  • Clay, John (2009-12-23). "Fierce return to the floor". Lexington Herald-Leader.
  • Hagerman, Scott (2007-06-28). "Recruiting guru says UK could have more top-ranked talent on way".
  • "Player Bio: Deandre Liggins". UKAthletics.com. Retrieved 2011-04-12.
  • Sakamoto, Bob (2007-05-09). "Illinois in final 5 for Washington's Liggins". Chicago Tribune.
  • Sakamoto, Bob (2006-02-23). "Minutemen no longer second best". Chicago Tribune.
  • Sakamoto, Bob (2006-02-26). "Rose wows 'em". Chicago Tribune.
  • Sakamoto, Bob (2007-03-23). "Sharing rock 'n' rolling". Chicago Tribune.
  • Sakamoto, Bob (2006-12-08). "Ticketed for big things". Chicago Tribune.
  • Sakamoto, Bob (2007-02-25). "Top team puts state on alert". Chicago Tribune.
  • Sun, Victoria (2007-06-25). "Wildcats hope to land Liggins". The Kentucky Post.
  • Tipton, Jerry (2008-11-30). "Benched Liggins refuses to play". Lexington Herald-Leader.
  • Tipton, Jerry (2010-02-15). "Calipari loving the new Liggins". Lexington Herald-Leader.
  • Tipton, Jerry (2008-06-01). "Jasper leaves Kentucky". Lexington Herald-Leader.
  • Tipton, Jerry (2008-12-30). "Liggins relieved mistake is behind him". Lexington Herald-Leader.
  • Tipton, Jerry (2008-12-02). "Liggins saluted for playing". Lexington Herald-Leader.
  • Tipton, Jerry (2008-05-21). "Liggins still working on academics". Lexington Herald-Leader.
  • Tipton, Jerry (2008-12-01). "Porter stays at point for the moment". Lexington Herald-Leader.
  • Tipton, Jerry (2007-09-16). "Summer Shows a Different Side of Recruits". Lexington Herald-Leader.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Liggins, Deandre}} [[Category:1988 births]] [[Category:Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Sportspeople from Chicago, Illinois]]

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