Athletes - Zach Randolph

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	Athletes - Zach Randolph

Zach Randolph (born July 16, 1981 in Marion, Indiana) is a player in the NBA. He currently plays for the Portland Trail Blazers. He grew up in Marion, Indiana and attended Marion High School. As a sophomore he helped lead the Marion Giants, under coach Moe Smedley, to the class 4A championship game. As a senior, he again led them to the state championship game and won the Giants their 7th state basketball championship. He finished second in Mr. Basketball voting closely behind Jared Jeffries, which coincidentally, played for the team the Giants beat in the state championship game.

As a senior, Zach agreed to attend and play basketball for the Michigan State Spartans. After his sophomore season he decided that he was ready to go professional.

He was drafted by the Blazers in the 1st round (19th overall) in 2001. He plays the power forward position. He has talent, size, mobility and good rebounding skills. In 2004 he won the NBA's Most Improved Player award, after which he signed a 6 year, 84 million dollar deal.

While Randolph has proven himself as a talented scorer and rebounder, he has been somewhat controversial. He is generally regarded as a weak defender and a notoriously poor passer. In addition, he sucker-punched teammate Ruben Patterson in the face during a practice scuffle in 2003, an act which earned him a two-game suspension (and caused Patterson to miss much of the rest of the season). He also has been cited for underage drinking and driving under the influence of marijuana during his career, and was present when his brother Roger Randolph was involved in a shooting in an Indiana nightclub. After an initial interrogation by police, he was threatened with arrest based on his statement; Randolph gave a second statement and was not charged in the incident. His brother was ultimately convicted in the matter and sentenced to prison.

In 2004-2005, his production dropped somewhat, and although he was injured for much of the season, many critics pointed a finger at Randolph for the Trail Blazers' troubles that year. Several teammates complained that Randolph was a ball hog, and Randolph had several arguments with Maurice Cheeks over his on-the-court actions. However, the Blazers were a more effective team with Randolph on the floor than without. Late during the season, Randolph announced that he would miss the remainder of the season due to a knee injury; he later had microfracture surgery on the injured knee.

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Athletes - Zach Randolph

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