Damon Lopez

Last updated
Damon Lopez
Personal information
Born (1968-08-15) August 15, 1968 (age 56)
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
High school Cardinal Hayes
(The Bronx, New York)
College
NBA draft 1991: undrafted
Playing career1991–1999
Position Center
Career highlights and awards

Damon Anthony Lopez (born August 15, 1968) [1] is an American former basketball player known for his collegiate career at Fordham University between 1988 and 1991, where he was the Patriot League's first-ever player of the year in 1991. He also had a professional basketball career for eight years following college. Lopez played the center position and set a number of Fordham records for blocks. In 2015 he was selected to the Patriot League Men's Basketball 25th Anniversary Team.

Contents

Playing career

A native of the Bronx, New York City, Lopez attended Cardinal Hayes High School. [2] He stood 6'1" and was cut from the basketball team in both his junior and senior years. [2] His uncle encouraged him to stick with it, and Lopez wound up attending Garden City Community College in Garden City, Kansas, where he redshirted his freshman season. [2] Lopez then transferred to Westchester Community College back in New York and played one year there. Between a huge growth spurt that saw him reach 6'7" and him "catching up" to his new physique, Lopez dominated competition. [2] At the national junior college tournament, scouts from many NCAA Division I programs attended to check out Lopez. [2] He chose to play for Fordham University, which was located 20 blocks away from his childhood home and was also the first NCAA program to express interest in him. [2] By the time he suited up for Fordham he stood 6'9" and weighed 240 pounds. [2]

Lopez began his collegiate career with the Fordham Rams as a redshirt sophomore in 1988–89. [2] [3] That year he averaged 5.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game. [3] The following season, Lopez increased his averages to 11.4 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks, while also grabbing 1.6 steals a game. [3] The Rams finished in third place in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) North Division with a 10–6 conference record, and Lopez was named to the All-MAAC Second Team. [4] [5]

Fordham left the MAAC prior to the start of Lopez's senior year in 1990–91 to join the Patriot League, which had formed in 1986. [6] He started 32 of 33 games (both career highs) and averaged 17.7 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.0 blocks, and 2.0 steals per game. [3] He tied his own school single-game blocks record of 10, set the single-season blocks record of 100, and set the career record of 252 blocks in just three seasons played (since surpassed by Bryant Dunston, who played four years). [3] Fordham went 11–1 in Patriot League games, were crowned regular season champions, and went on to win the 1991 Patriot League tournament where Lopez was named the tournament MVP. [6] [7] He was named to the All-Patriot League First Team and won the Patriot League Player of the Year award, which was the first time it was awarded in league history. [5] In 2008, Lopez was inducted into Fordham's Athletics Hall of Fame, and in 2015 he was honored on the Patriot League Men's Basketball 25th Anniversary Team. [5] [8]

Following college, Lopez went undrafted in the 1991 NBA draft. [5] He had tryouts for the Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets but was never signed, so he instead played professionally in various international countries for the next eight years. [5] [6] He also had a stint playing in the United States Basketball League before retiring. [5]

Related Research Articles

The MAAC men's basketball tournament is the conference championship tournament in basketball for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). The tournament has been held every year since 1982, the MAAC's first season. It is a single-elimination tournament and seeding is based on regular season records. The winner, declared conference champion, receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA men's basketball tournament. The MAAC did not receive its automatic bid from the NCAA until 1984.

Steven Dwayne Burtt is a retired American professional basketball player. The 6'2" point guard played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) sporadically from 1984 until 1993. He also had an established playing career overseas. Born in New York City, Burtt played high school basketball for Charles Evans Hughes before enrolling at Iona to play for the Gaels. Burtt now teaches at Bronx Collegiate Academy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fordham Rams</span> Sports teams of a university or college

The Fordham Rams are the varsity sports teams for Fordham University. Their colors are maroon and white. The Fordham Rams are members of NCAA Division I and compete in the Atlantic 10 Conference for most sports. In football, the Rams play in the Patriot League of NCAA Division 1 Football Championship Subdivision. The University also supports a number of club sports, and a significant intramural sports program. The University's athletic booster clubs include the Sixth Man Club for basketball and the Afterguard for sailing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bryant Dunston</span> American-born Armenian basketball player

Bryant Kevin Dunston Jr. is an American-born naturalized Armenian professional basketball player for Žalgiris Kaunas of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) and the EuroLeague. He also represents the senior Armenian national team in international competition. Standing at a height of 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m), Dunston plays at the center position.

The Fordham Rams men's basketball team represents Fordham University, located in the Bronx, New York, in NCAA Division I basketball competition. They compete in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Rams play their home games at the Rose Hill Gymnasium (3,200), the nation's oldest on-campus collegiate basketball arena still in use. On February 28, 1940, Fordham University played in the nation's first televised college basketball game, when the Rams fell to Pitt at Madison Square Garden. Fordham hired former assistant coach Keith Urgo on April 28, 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Cunningham (basketball)</span> American basketball player (1935–1991)

James W. Cunningham was an American standout basketball player at Fordham University in the 1950s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CJ McCollum</span> American basketball player (born 1991)

Christian James McCollum is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). During his third year in the league in 2015–16, he was named the NBA Most Improved Player.

Juan'ya Green is an American basketball player, most recently as a member of Al Sadd in the Qatari Basketball League. He completed his college career in 2016 after having split his career playing for Niagara University and Hofstra University. Green went unselected in the ensuing 2016 NBA draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fordham–St. John's rivalry</span> American college sports rivalry

The Fordham–St. John's rivalry is an inter-conference rivalry between the Fordham Rams and the St. John's Red Storm who are both located in New York City: Fordham playing in The Bronx and St. John's playing in Queens. Conference-wise, the Rams play in the Atlantic 10 Conference, while the Red Storm play in the Big East Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chase Edmonds</span> American football player (born 1996)

Chase Edmonds is an American professional football running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Fordham Rams and was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL draft. He has also played for the Miami Dolphins and Denver Broncos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018–19 Marist Red Foxes men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2018–19 Marist Red Foxes men's basketball team represented Marist College in the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played its home games in Poughkeepsie, New York for the 42nd consecutive year at the McCann Arena, which has a capacity of 3,200. This season marked the program's 38th Division I season and its 22nd consecutive year as a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. The team was led by first-year head coach John Dunne, who took the open head coaching position after spending the last 12 seasons at conference rival Saint Peter's University. They finished the 2018–19 season 12–19 overall, 7–11 in MAAC play to finish in eighth place. As the No. 8 seed in the 2019 MAAC tournament, they were defeated by No. 9 seed Saint Peter's in the first round 68–71 in overtime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Rowe (basketball)</span> American basketball player

Jason L Rowe is an American former professional basketball player. He played at Buffalo Traditional School in his native Buffalo, New York, leaving as the all-time leader in points and assists, and then signed to play college basketball for the Loyola Greyhounds in the MAAC, where he was a two-time all-conference performer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Marfo</span> American basketball player

Kevin Marfo is an American professional basketball player for Fortitudo Agrigento in Italy's Serie A2 league. He played college basketball at several universities, including Quinnipiac, George Washington and Texas A&M. He was the NCAA rebounding leader in 2019–20.

Chavaughn Lewis is an American professional basketball player for Ironi Kiryat Ata of the Israeli Basketball Premier League. He played high school basketball at St. Mary's High School in Manhasset, New York, reaching the Class A state finals as a senior in 2011. He then played college basketball with the Marist Red Foxes; in four seasons with the team he obtained three All-MAAC selections and was included in the NABC All-District Second Team in his senior season. His 2,119 career points at Marist make him the top scorer in program history. After going undrafted in the 2015 NBA draft, Lewis played in the NBA Summer League for the Philadelphia 76ers before starting his professional career in Lithuania with Juventus Utena.

David Scott Bernsley is an American-Israeli former basketball player. He played the forward and center positions. He played in the Israeli Basketball Premier League, and for the Israeli national basketball team. He later became an educator and a high school principal.

Patrick C. King is a German former basketball player who spent nine years playing professionally after a standout collegiate career at Bucknell University. He also represented Germany's senior national team at the 1994 FIBA World Championship and at the 1995 EuroBasket.

Timothy S. Szatko is an American former basketball player. He played college basketball at Holy Cross between 1999 and 2003. He was a two-time first-team all-conference selection, the 2001 Patriot League Player of the Year, and the 2002 Patriot League tournament MVP. He had a brief stint playing professionally following his time at Holy Cross.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1991–92 Fordham Rams men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 1991–92 Fordham Rams men's basketball team represented Fordham University as a member of the Patriot League during the 1991–92 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was coached by Nick Macarchuk, in his fifth year at the school, and played their home games at Rose Hill Gymnasium. The Rams had a record of 18–13, finishing atop the conference regular season standings. They followed that success by winning the Patriot League tournament to receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as No. 14 seed in the East region. Fordham lost in the opening round to UMass, 85–58.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KC Ndefo</span> American basketball player

Kenechukwu "KC" Ndefo is an American basketball player for the South Bay Lakers of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Saint Peter's Peacocks and the Seton Hall Pirates.

Jackson Stormo is an American professional basketball player for Kortrijk Spurs of the BNXT League. A 6' 9" power forward and center, Stormo played college basketball for Pepperdine University and Siena College. He also played for Imortal Basket Club in Portugal.

References

  1. ↑ "Damon Lopez Gallery". tcdb.com. Trading Card Database. 2021. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Rammin' Ahead: Late bloomer Lopez is uplifting Fordham". New York Daily News . February 10, 1991. p. 61. Retrieved December 29, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Damon Lopez college stats". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  4. ↑ "1989–90 Fordham Rams roster & stats". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Damon Lopez (2008) – Fordham Hall of Fame". FordhamSports.com. CBS Sports Digital. 2008. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 "One On One With Damon Lopez (FC '91)". ReboundersClub.com. Fordham University Rebounders Club. October 28, 2018. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  7. ↑ "1990–91 Patriot League season summary". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Damon Lopez Named to Patriot League Men's Basketball 25th Anniversary Team". Fordham News. Fordham University. August 21, 2015. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.