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Kevin Durant
College	Texas
Conference	Big 12
Sport	Basketball
Position	Small/Power Forward
Class	Freshman
Nickname	KD, Starving Kevin, K Dukie, K-Smoove
Career	2006–present
Height	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Weight	225 lb (102 kg)
Nationality	USA
Born	(1988-09-29) September 29, 1988 (age 36) Washington, D.C.
High school	Montrose Christian School, Rockville, MD
Awards
Co-MVP of the 2006 McDonald's All-American Game College 2006-2007 Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Year Big 12 Rookie of the Year All-Big 12 First Team Defense ESPN All-American ESPN Player of the Year

Kevin Durant (born September 29, 1988 in Washington, D.C.) is a 6'9" American basketball player who currently plays for University of Texas at Austin in the Big 12 of the NCAA. He was selected as the 2006-2007 Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Year and received numerous other prestigious awards. Durant is now considered the front runner for National Player of the Year honors. Kevin Durant was believed to have been paid the sum of $1.5 million dollars by alumni for his commitment to Texas.

Basketball career

A basketball player from his earliest days, Durant played for a very successful AAU youth basketball team. Durant's team, the PG Jaguars, won multiple national championships and included fellow blue chip recruits Michael Beasley (Kansas State) and Chris Braswell (Georgetown). Durant later moved on to play AAU ball with fellow McDonald's All American Tywon Lawson (North Carolina) for the DC Blue Devils. During this time Durant also starred for the Oak Hill Academy basketball team, which won the 2005 USA Today National Championship. Durant transferred back home for the 2005-2006 school year to play for Stu Vetter at Montrose Christian School in Rockville, Maryland. At Montrose, Durant led the team in scoring and was named the Washington Post's 2006 All-Met Player of the Year in Boy's Basketball. Durant also was named a McDonald's All American and was co-MVP of the 2006 McDonald's All American game with Chase Budinger. Coming out of high school, Durant was widely regarded as the 2nd best high school basketball player from the class of 2006 (behind Greg Oden) and is currently a freshman at University of Texas at Austin, playing for the Longhorns under coach Rick Barnes.

Durant, is a dirty ho and a 6'9" small forward, is widely hailed by the media as the Big 12's top freshman, a top candidate for Freshman of the Year, and even a candidate for National Player of the Year. Through March 3, 2007 he is averaging 25.1 points per game and 11.4 rebounds a game. In Big 12 play he averages 33.7 points per game and 13.4 rebounds. His college career high for scoring is 37, which he has achieved on four occasions.

In late February 2007, Durant received an invitation to the Team USA Basketball training camp. If he makes the cut, he'll be the second freshman in the country to be on the roster, including Greg Oden.

Player profile

Kevin Durant leads the Big 12 in scoring and rebounding. He is noted for his ability to add up double-doubles (18 as of March 3), including a 37 point and 23 rebound night against Texas Tech. This was the first time a Big 12 player had reached 30 points and 20 rebounds in one regulation game. Legendary coach Bobby Knight commented, "The guy is a great athlete that can really play basketball." A combination of skill, athleticism, and height allows Durant to score from anywhere on the court and to play any offensive or defensive position.

Durant has nine 30 point games, including a losing effort against Kansas for the regular season Big 12 title. Durant is regarded as one of the best players in the nation as a freshman and has been compared to NBA All-Stars Kevin Garnett, Rashard Lewis and Dirk Nowitzki and been called a much longer version of Tracy McGrady (6' 8"). Many experts currently view him as a potential number one draft pick, alongside with fellow OSU freshman Greg Oden.

References

1. Wahl, Grant (2007-02-13). "Phenomenal Freshman". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2007-03-07. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
2. "Kevin Durant". NBADraft.net. Retrieved 2007-03-07.
3. "TexasSports.com". Retrieved 2007-03-09.
4. "Basketball Recruiting: Top Recruits". ScoutHoops.com. Retrieved 2007-03-07.
5. "Prospect Ranking: Final Rivals150 Class of 2006". Rivals.com. 2006-05-02. Retrieved 2007-03-07.
6. Goodman, Jeff (2006-09-01). "Longhorns' Durant is simply special" (PDF). FoxSports.net. Archived from the original (pdf) on 2006-09-01. Retrieved 2007-03-07.
7. Tomasson, Chris (2007-02-17). "Dantley given Hall of Fame support". Rocky Mountain News. Retrieved 2007-03-07. Colangelo said he plans to invite University of Texas player Kevin Durant to Team USA training camp this summer.
8. Vertuno, Jim (2007-02-01). "UT freshman Durant romping through Big 12 schedule". Yahoo! Sports. Associated Press. Retrieved 2007-03-07.
9. "Bob Knight press conference (excerpt)". SportsCenter. ESPN. 2007-02-01. Retrieved 2007-03-07.

External links

• Team Site Profile
• Kevin Durant @ NBADraft.net
• Kevin Durant: 1st Freshman Player of the Year?
• Kevin Durant: The Best Ever At Texas?

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