Rick Rickert

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Rick Rickert (born on February 11, 1983 in Duluth, Minnesota) is an American-born basketball player. He is a 2001 graduate of Duluth East High School where he was a basketball star and highly recruited college prospect. ^[1]

Contents 1 Career 2 Awards 3 Trivia 4 Notes and references

[edit] Career

Rick played collegiately for the University of Minnesota, where after averaging 15 points and 5 rebounds per game in 2001 - 2002 ^[2] he became the first Gopher player ever to win the Big Ten Freshmen of the Year award. ^[3] After averaging 16 points and 6 rebounds his sophomore season Rickert declared for the 2003 NBA Draft. Despite his own beliefs that he would be taken in the first round ^[4], Rickert was not drafted until 26th in the 2nd round, or 55th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves. After he failed to make the team, Rickert decided to play professionally in Europe. He has since made several unsuccessful attempts to come back and play for the Timberwolves. He is currently playing in the NBA development league for the Colorado 14ers.

[edit] Awards

• 2002-03 All-Big Ten First Team by coaches
  
• 2002-03 All-Big Ten Second Team by media
  
• 2001-02 Big Ten Freshman of the year
  
• 2001-02 All-Big Ten Second Team by coaches
  
• 2001-02 All-Big Ten Second Team by media
  
• 2000-01 McDonald’s High School All-American
  
• 2000-01 Mr. Basketball in the state of Minnesota
  

[edit] Trivia

• Rickert may have gone undrafted in 2003 NBA Draft, had it not been for the sympathy of former Gopher basketball player Kevin McHale, the general manager of the Minnesota Timberwolves

• A claim to fame for Rickert is his supposed heated rivalry with Kevin Garnett. It was sparked at a pick-up game, in which Garnett punched Rickert in the face, leading to stitches. ^[5]

[edit] Notes and references