Derrick Rose Essay

Derrick Rose: A Great Start with a Hard Middle

Derrick Martell Rose was born on October 4, 1988, in Chicago, Illinois. Derrick was raised without a father in a rough part of Chicago called Englewood. Rose’s loving mother, Brenda, kept a close eye on him and his three older brothers to make sure they stayed out of trouble. Rose and his three older brothers, Reggie, Dewayne, and Allan, had a tight bond since they had the lack of a father figure.

At a young age Derrick rose show’d he had a knack for the game of basketball. In just the 8th grade he brought a large crowd to his games, some even recall saying he was the light of Chicago. Those early years of success gave him a great name in high school. It was so great that his senior year, he

was one of the most wanted high school prospects. College coaches salivated over landing Derrick rose on their roster. So when he decided to go to the University of Memphis, it was no easy choice. In college Rose left little time leaving his mark. He led Memphis to a 38 victories setting a record in NCAA history. This also led to the championship where they lost in overtime. Derrick Rose did not have a pleasant time in college. During his first year the NCAA launched an investigation on Memphis. this due to the fact that they payed on authorized travel fees for Derrick’s bother. This is not the only thing to go wrong, Rose allegedly payed someone to take his SAT. Shortly after this discovery he declared himself as available for the NBA draft.

Entering the draft, Derrick Rose was again highly wanted by all teams.

He went round one first pick for the Chicago Bulls, which he was highly excited about being home. In Derrick Rose’s first year he averaged 16.8 points a game, and 6.3 assists per game. Those great stats lead him to become Rookie of the Year and assisted the Bulls to another playoff spot. Over the next three years, he molded himself into one of the game’s best all around players. In the 2010-2011 season Derrick averaged an amazing 25.6 point per game earning the great title of league MVP. For Rose everything to fall in line, in fact, Rose lead his team, the Bulls, to the number one seed spot in the playoffs. Sadly, all things good must come to an end, Derrick Rose had succombed to a knee injury, forcing him to sit out for the 2011-2012 season. That off-season was hard, for Rose was forced into surgery and then therapy wasn’t an easy thing to bear. After months of hard work the MVP was back in the line for the 2012-2013 season. Things started to look up for Rose until he again had succombed to a knee injury just shortly after 10 games of play. Again, Derrick Rose entered therapy training for the 2014-2015 season, which he has now returned

to.
As great of a player Derrick is, he still had to play junior varsity as a freshman in high school.

He wore the number 25 for Ben “Benji” Wilson, a fallen star murdered by a gang member. Rose was not allowed on varsity due to his coach Bob Hambric’s, long standing rule - no freshmen on varsity rule. Even though Rose was on jv he still played in full gear. He averaged 18.5 points, 6.6 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game. The next year Coach Hambric retired, giving Rose the chance to be on varsity and shine. In Rose’s varsity debut he had 22 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals against Thornwood High School. One of Derrick’s greatest moments came when he lead his school to the class AA state championship and won as a junior. That year Rose was awarded with an All State Honorable Mention, EA Sports All-American Second Team, and a Parade All-American Team Mention. Entering Roses’ senior year, he was ranked as fifth in the nation by Sports Illustrated. At the end of Derrick Rose’s high school career, he had a record of 120-12. He was named as the decade’s 3 best point guard and also made All-American First Team. These high awards earned him a spot in the Jordan Brand All Star Game and an invitation to the Nike Hoop

Summit.

In conclusion Derrick Rose is a man who has faced many trials even after reaching his goal in making it to the NBA. Derrick has been hurt three times and yet he still tells himself “I will be better than what I was before I got hurt”, proving that he wants more than just to feel what being in the NBA has to offer he wants to be one of the greats. That is why I wrote about Derrick, he shows that being in the moment and staying in the moment mean two different things.