Eric Montross

Eric Montross
Personal information
Born (1971-09-23) September 23, 1971
Indianapolis, Indiana
Nationality American
Listed height 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Listed weight 270 lb (122 kg)
Career information
High school Lawrence North
(Indianapolis, Indiana)
College North Carolina (1990–1994)
NBA draft 1994 / Round: 1 / Pick: 9th overall
Selected by the Boston Celtics
Playing career 1994–2002
Position Center
Number 0, 00
Career history
1994–1996 Boston Celtics
1996–1997 Dallas Mavericks
1997 New Jersey Nets
1997 Philadelphia 76ers
1997–2001 Detroit Pistons
2001–2002 Toronto Raptors
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points 2,071 (4.5 ppg)
Rebounds 2,159 (4.6 rpg)
FG% .490
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
Men's Basketball
Representing the  United States
Pan American Games
1991 Havana Team Competition

Eric Scott Montross (born September 23, 1971) is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the NBA. Born in Indianapolis he played for Lawrence North High School before enrolling to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to play for the Tar Heels.

Amateur career

Playing for Lawrence North High School, he was selected as a McDonald's All American in 1990.[1] That same year, he was named to the USA Today All-USA first Team. After leading Lawrence North to the Indiana high school basketball championship Montross committed himself to the North Carolina.[2] He was part of the UNC team that won the NCAA Championship against Michigan in 1993 and was named an All-American as a junior and senior. Ironically, Montross' father and grandfather had played for Michigan.[3] His father Scott was a teammate of Cazzie Russell in the 1960s and his grandfather John Townsend was an All-American in the 1930s.[4] In 4 seasons at UNC, Montross appeared in 139 games, averaging 11.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.[5]

In 1994, he started the Eric Montross Fathers Day Basketball Camp. The camp helped raise thousands of dollars for UNC hospitals and still does.[6]

Professional career

Montross was selected by the Boston Celtics with the ninth overall pick in the 1994 NBA Draft. During his first year in the NBA, he averaged 10 points per game, and was selected to the 1995 Rookie All-Star Game and named to the NBA All-Rookie 2nd Team. However, Montross would never again reach this level of production. The Celtics came under fire for selecting Montross over players such as Eddie Jones, Jalen Rose, and Aaron McKie. During his career in the NBA, Montross played with the Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, New Jersey Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons, and the Toronto Raptors. Montross announced his retirement on August 26, 2003, due to a foot injury and was waived by the Raptors in February, 2004.[7][8] During his career, Montross averaged 4.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 0.7 blocks and 0.4 assists per game. He played in 465 games and started 263.[9]

Post basketball

Montross is now color commentator on UNC's basketball broadcasts, working alongside play-by-play man Jones Angell. With the Pan-American Health Organization, Montross co-founded an organization called Vaccine Ambassadors, which aims to distribute vaccines all over the world, especially to developing countries, and help children.[10]

Baseball

Montross was also a baseball pitcher in high school and was drafted by the Chicago Cubs with the 1547th pick overall in the 1994 MLB draft.[11]

Notes

  1. ↑ "UNC Tar Heels McDonald's All-Americans". Tar Heel Times. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
  2. ↑ "7-footer From Indiana Picks N. Carolina". Chicago Tribune. March 22, 1990. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
  3. ↑ Lincicome, Bernie (1993-04-05). "Dislike Michigan? Count the ways". Chicago Tribune. p. 1, section ???.
  4. ↑ Adande, J. A. (1993-04-05). "Montross Decision: No Regrets". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 98, section ???.
  5. ↑ "Eric Montross Stats". Retrieved April 30, 2015.
  6. ↑ http://www.ncchildrenspromise.org/events/montross.shtml
  7. ↑ "Eric Montross Announces Retirement". Real GM. August 26, 2003. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Raptors sign Pargo, place Baxter on injured list and waive Montross". Real GM. February 25, 2004. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
  9. ↑ http://www.nba.com/playerfile/eric_montross/index.html
  10. ↑ Inside The League (4): A TLN Exclusive Interview With Former Celtics Top Pick Eric Montross
  11. ↑ http://www.baseball-reference.com/draft/?team_ID=CHC&year_ID=1994&draft_type=junreg&query_type=franch_year

External links

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