Damian Lillard is on Instagram at damianlillard. Neither do we. The next year, Lillard came back and averaged 22.4 points while leading Oakland to 23 wins and the NorCal semifinals, its best season under Watkins until this one. Anthony Davis, who had missed the previous two games due to injury, scored 28 points in his return to the lineup for the Lakers. The first of Williams five second-half free throws was all the Wildcats could score for the first portion of the third quarter while Bullard flipped the game on an 11-2 run. The Blazers (29-31) moved into sole possession of 11th place in the Western Conference with the victory over the Rockets (13-47). What does THE DAILY CAMPUS1266 STORRS ROADSTORRS, CT 06269, USA860-486-3407. The Blazers shot 54.5% from the field while hitting on 20 of 39 threes (51.3%). Starting Point retold: Why not Drew Brees? The Trail Blazers rookie received unanimous rookie of the year honors as a result of his landslide victory in the 2012 season. A record-setting tradition continued in the locker room. Damian Lillard was largely overlooked as a high schooler. Yes, Damian Lillard started in high school. Damian Lillard doesnt think this a special day. Damian Lillard High School Career. One day after reminding his teammates of the need to raise the bar for the stretch run, Lillard stormed out of the gate with 16 first-quarter points, which included 3 of 5 from 3. Damian Lillards high school has another star,, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Chart: Bay Area rainfall totals for this week, Damian Lillards high school has another star, but it still cant get over the hump, CIF NorCal basketball regionals 2023: Quarterfinal schedules, No. Is he the greatest Trail Blazer of all time? Lillard made 22-of-38 shots, all 14 of his free throws, and 13-of-22 from 3-point range. Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said what stood out to him the most was how efficient Lillard was all night. I aint a punk, Lillard responds without missing a beat when asked how his hometown defines him. Anthony hit a buzzer-beater from halfcourt to give him 37 first-half points en route to a franchise high 62 points for the Knicks. The Blazers reported that Lillard had surgery to repair a core injury that was causing chronic abdominal pain, and the procedure was performed at The Vincera Institute in Philadelphia. Steve Dykes. The contest was the second of a back-to-back for the Trail Blazers and Lillard had just returned from a calf injury. Another pass led to a Thybulle 3-pointer. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! He added a driving layup and a free throw. We used to have to play right after school. Lillard was just 2 of 7 from behind the arc after hitting 13 treys against Houston to tie for the second most in NBA history. Weber State, High School: The force of his fourth-quarter dunk. Or write about sports? So, Lillard backed off from scoring. Note, this is done in an automated way, so we apologize for any errors, & please. One of the branches grew into the shape of a hoop. The East Oakland native ended up growing four inches after graduation, starring at midmajor Weber State University and was selected with the sixth overall pick in 2012 NBA draft by the Blazers. This offseason, Watkins says, he needs to learn when to avoid contact. According to the team, Lillard is eager to resume his career, but there is no timetable for his return. It just felt like something, Lillard said. Damian Lillard is not in the Hall of Fame. You couldnt tell me it wasnt going to happen.. I think that Dame played for an AAU with a bunch of other guards, and he was their main scorer. When we started to see stuff like that, I think thats when it started it got serious. Ever. The Trail Blazers guard isnt scared to drill 30 to 40 footers when the game is on the line, and he often does it with ease. His accomplishments speak for themselves, as he is one of the leagues most consistent players. Even when Im on the 580 freeway in the summer and drive past here, I always drive and look over, Lillard said. That places him third all time behind Kobe Bryant (five) and Wilt Chamberlain (32). And Lillard sat out when Portland won this season's first meeting, 106-95 on Nov. 10 in New Orleans. This is the second time Lillard has surpassed 60 points this season and the fifth time for his career. In San Francisco, Lillard had 19 points in the first half when Portland led by as many as 23 before taking a 65-48 halftime lead. Williams, who had only played AAU before this season, said I always knew I had the talent, but that playing at the varsity high school level required a new level of discipline. As a result, he was rated as the 20th-best recruit in California for the 2008 class and the 214th-best recruit in the country overall. The timing for Lillards speech was intentional. Its good for them to hear that.. While these arent the most eye-popping stats, Lillard was a three-star recruit out of high school and caught the attention of Weber State, where he excelled. In a performance that coach Chauncey Billups called a piece of art, Lillard scored a franchise-record 71 points, which included a Blazers-record 13 3-pointers, to help Portland beat Houston 131-114. We dont get the chance to experience things like this a lot, said Billups, who had a storied 17-year NBA career. While the Warriors play just two miles away, NBA success stories do not walk the city blocks of Brookfield. 8:01 am ET. They have been to the playoffs eight times, an excellent mark for Blazer fans. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Wednesday, March 1, 9:33AM. One game after the most prolific scoring output of his stellar career, Damian Lillard recorded his lowest point total in a game in more than five weeks. It brought me down from up here (places hand as far as he could reach above his head) to the floor.. Lillard was a three-time All McDaniel Highs TaKwain Montgomery is the epitome of Show Up, Work Hard and Be Kind. However, due to a lack of playing time, he transferred to Oakland High School. Though Houston Lillard, Sr., and Gina Johnson raised their children in an ocean blue bungalow a couple miles away, Damian spent many childhood days at his grandparents house in the heart of Brookfield. When we needed a basket, hey Dame, lets go to work. But I think bigger colleges were looking at him like hes too small, and hes not a facilitator. Williams needs not create a pretense to employ such a moniker. The Daily Campus is UConn's independent, student-run newspaper. Lillards efforts helped him be named the first player in Big Sky history to go All-American. They feel awful about it. Lillard scored a career-high 71 points to lead the Blazers to an 131-114 victory at the Moda Center. And I wanted to be respected beyond the fact that I am Damian Lillard. With that test behind him, Lillard said he couldnt believe it Sunday when he was told after the game he was again being tested this time a blood test. Besides, Lillard needed the practice if he was ever going to stop his shot from getting stuffed. We just havent been able to get over the hump.. So, they missed out. To Billups, it was the efficiency and the unselfishness. It was the full display of power, quickness and tenacity that has defined his 11-year career. He transferred from Oakland High School to Weber State as a junior and senior, where he excelled both as a junior and senior before earning a scholarship as a two-star recruit. Lillards 71 points is only the 13th game in NBA history of 70 points or more and ties for eighth-highest ever. Wilt Chamberlain set the NBA record with 100 points. After taking a 36-31 lead into halftime, Oaklands offense went silent to open the second half. Lillard was out with a season-ending abdominal injury when the teams played twice last season after the trade. For me, its the beauty in it for where we are as a team, for one, Lillard said. We just didnt execute down the stretch, Watkins said. #1. But to Lillard, the art of basketball is found in the abstract. He was never highly regarded as a youth, and as a sophomore in high school he was benched. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited. Lillard didnt do much in his first two seasons, so he transferred to Oakland High. Lillard left Weber State in 2012 to become the face of the university. He killed us on the glass.. So he enrolled at Saint Joseph Notre Dame. And (sometimes) Im looking at it at I dont even know what the hell that is (like) why is this an expensive piece of art?. He drew two charges Saturday night on defense but was called for as many on the other end. Oakland streets are no joke. He played college basketball for the Weber State Wildcats and earned third-team All-American honors in 2012. More recently, Lillard has gone back to his roots, raising money to improve his alma maters gym, music facilities and a new weight room. ), Position: It was Lillard paying homage to a former employee, longtime Blazers communications vice president Jim Taylor, who commemorated each milestone scoring mark with a re-creation of the Chamberlain shot. I know a lot of kids walked out of it like, Thats crazy.. I think its a story that has been told so many times, and people know how much I embrace my story and being an underdog. Once he told me I could be a Division I player, that was all I needed to hear, Lillard says. Despite playing for a relatively unknown high school, Lillard was a very good player and was recruited by several colleges. Damian Lillard made $39,344,900 in 2022. He made every right play, Billups said. Lillard had been tied with Michael Jordan and James Harden. Portland (29-31) moved into 11th place in the West, one-half game behind New Orleans and Minnesota for the final two play-in berths, and three games behind Phoenix for the fourth seed and home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The most unheralded of backstories turned into the most celebrated player in Blazers history. When the Blazers team bus pulls into Oracle this afternoon, Lillard will have already repeated countless times that its no big deal. Thats what he carries from Oakland in his game to the NBA now.. Coming up here, I knew there was going to be a lot of my people there enjoying the show and the students. I thought we lost trust in passing the ball.". He averaged 19.4 points as a junior and 22.4 points and 5.3 assists as a senior, earning First Team All-League honors both years. Copyright 2023 STATS LLC and Associated Press. Still, its a bit strange to hear Lillard describe his hometown as cool, when you consider that the body bag count makes it one of the most dangerous cities in America. But he had just six in the second half while hounded by multiple defenders and the Trail Blazers were outscored 75-40. He is a six-time NBA All-Star and a two-time All-NBA Team member. Everyone knew he was taking the shot at that point, but it didnt matter Lillard was too quick. The dunk was so powerful, so quick and so aggressive that maybe Lillard shouldnt have been so shocked about what was waiting for him after the game. TaKwain has earned a 3.95 GPA while playing point guard on Damian Lillard gives back to his Oakland, California, high school in a really big way. Damian Lillard is unrealpic.twitter.com/aD1Z14N3BB, CBS Sports (@CBSSports) February 27, 2023. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. The superstar point guard would have a real path to championship contention Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. Please contact damianlillardclassic@gmail.com if interested. The highlight of that night was when, in a tie game, Lillard dribbled the ball upcourt with 13 seconds left. The Trail Blazers Damian Lillard scored 41 points (12-25 FG, 5-12 3Pt, 12-12 FT), seven assists, and one block in 43 minutes in Portlands 113-111 overtime win over the Suns on Friday. So, I live for the moments when Im taking over and dominating games, but I dont live for the stuff that comes afterwards, Lillard said. And then, aside from that, they know that Im scared of needles.. You have moments where you're just trying to find your rhythm and confidence, and that's where we are.". Lillard said NBA players are given six drug tests a season four urine and two blood draws. (The back of his jersey, if it had a name, would say, Williams Jr.). Fearless, and competitive. To the more than 19,000 in attendance, it was so moving and so unmistakable that something special was happening that a palpable tension started building in the first quarter. We have to be unbreakable, Lillard said. The Blazers play at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Golden State. I was anxious. On Saturday, Lillard planted seeds throughout the team that its urgency needed to rise for the seasons final 23 games, and he was intent on showing the way. He didnt want us to lose. The football team wears black and the Hells Angels spawned here. That player was none other than Damian Lillard. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. He has averaged 20.5 points per game in his career, but he has never averaged more than 23 points per game. The game plan was keep me out of the middle, double-team me, make me go right, so I had to get my teammates involved, he said. Of course, the place lacked proper instructional tools, so Young pulled out bricks from the ground, covered with insects and dirt, and made the boys hold one in each extended hand while stooped low in a defensive stance. When a team presents that type of defense, accept it and embrace it and depend on teammates to take them out of that coverage, Lillard said. I was lazy in the classroom and was halfhearted with it. On top of that, he averages a career-high 32.3 points per game and has the potential to lead his team to the playoffs, where anything can happen. But I think the big takeaway for me, is the most fun Ive had and the thing I get the most emotional about is the journey. He played in 103 games, starting 98 of them. Damian Lillard averages 32.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game. Theres a lot of pain, lot of work and everybody feels a different way about what is happening and what they see .. and I would say that is art. I can remember back in seventh grade when I really started to care about when I won or lost and if somebody was better than me, Lillard says. Its crazy. He acted as a decoy on Bullards final possession, allowing Herod to drop free in the paint and score the game-winning bucket with about 7 seconds left. The Rockets were led with 17 points each from Alperen Sengun and JaeSean Tate. Lillard passed to Matisse Thybulle for a dunk. Williams started to generate buzz after he scored 35 against Oakland Tech last month, his highest of four 30-plus point performances, the latest coming in the Oakland Athletic League semifinals with 33 in a win over AIMS College Prep. The only reason that Damian Lillard has never won a scoring title is that he has yet to make a three-point shot. Evan Webeck is the San Francisco Giants beat writer for the Bay Area News Group. Center Jonas Valanciunas (calf) and guard Josh Richardson (quadriceps) are listed as questionable. July 15, 15 Sacred Heart Prep shocks Folsom, The Kings Academy survives Ygnacio Valley run, advances to NorCal D-III quarterfinals. While these arent the most eye-popping stats, Lillard was a three-star recruit out of high school and caught the attention of Weber State, where he excelled. Theres no doubt about it: Lillard has never been able to convert those three-point attempts. A tie game, Lillard responds without missing a beat when asked how his hometown defines him main.... The leagues most consistent players 103 games, starting 98 of them basketball is found in the summer drive. State, high school, Lillard is eager to resume his career, but he has been... Lack of playing time, he needs to learn when to avoid contact a driving and... 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