Rod Sellers

Last updated
Rod Sellers
Personal information
Born (1970-08-07) August 7, 1970 (age 54)
Florence, South Carolina
NationalityAmerican
Listed height2.05 m (6 ft 9 in)
Listed weight107 kg (236 lb)
Career information
High school Wilson
(Florence, South Carolina)
College UConn (1988–1992)
NBA draft 1992: undrafted
Playing career1992–2006
Position Center
Career history
1992–1993 AEK Athens
1993–1994 Apollon Patras
1994–1997 Cáceres
1997–1998 Efes Pilsen
1998–1999 Valencia
1999–2000 Panionios
2000–2001 Virtus Roma
2001–2003 Pau-Orthez
2003–2004 Olimpia Milano
2004–2005 Tenerife
2005 Melilla
2005–2006 Murcia
Career highlights and awards

Walter Roderick Sellers [1] (born August 7, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player. He played at Wilson High School in his native Florence, South Carolina, and played college basketball at UConn, where he was an all-conference performer in his senior year in 1992. After going undrafted in the 1992 NBA draft, Sellers opted not to sign for the Grand Rapids Hoops, which had selected him first overall in the CBA draft, and instead went to Europe, starting his professional career with Greek side AEK Athens. Sellers spent his whole career in Europe, playing in Greece, France, Italy, Spain and Turkey: he appeared in three Euroleague seasons and in 1999 he was the FIBA Saporta Cup Finals Top Scorer. In his 14-year career he has won 1 French league, 2 French cups, 1 Italian Supercup and 1 Semaine des As.

Contents

High school career

Sellers was born in Florence, South Carolina: his father died when he was 12, leaving Sellers alone with his brother Patrick, who was one year older than him. [2] Sellers attended Wilson High School in Florence, where he initially played baseball, but after injuring his eye he dedicated himself more to basketball; a member of the varsity team since his sophomore year, [3] in his junior year he was considered among the best players of the team together with his brother, [2] and he was named Conference Tournament MVP. [3] In his senior year Sellers was 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) tall, and weighed 199 pounds (90 kg); [4] in 27 games he scored 583 points (21.6 average), grabbed 416 rebounds (15.4 per game) and shot 197/314 (62.7%) from the field. [5] He was a second-team all-state selection and he was named 5A Conference Player of the Year. [3]

College career

Sellers was not recruited by major colleges until his junior year; in his senior year his brother was playing at Central Connecticut State and CCSU's coach named Sellers to Howie Dickenman, an assistant coach at UConn. [2] Despite interest from coach Jim Satalin of Duquesne, [6] Sellers signed for UConn in May 1988. [7] In his first year Sellers chose jersey number 22 and he debuted on November 26, 1988 against Hartford, posting 13 points and 12 rebounds: throughout the season he performed inconsistently, [2] and the one against Hartford was the only double double of his season. [8] He played 16.7 minutes per game [9] and averaged 3.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 0.3 blocks per game while shooting 46.4% from the field. He was second on the team in rebounds per game behind senior Clifford Robinson, and third in blocks behind Robinson and Willie McCloud. [10]

In his sophomore year coach Jim Calhoun promoted Sellers to a full-time starting role, and the center started 35 of his 37 games. On December 9, 1989 Sellers shot 11-for-12 from the field against Maine, for a field goal percentage of 91.7%, which at the time was the best recorded in UConn history. The record has since been surpassed and is the third-best as of 2019. [11] Sellers led the team in blocks (0.8 per game) and in field goal percentage with 53.8% of his shots converted. [12] He was also the fifth-best scorer on the team with 8.2 points per game, and the third-best rebounder with 5.3. [13] In his junior season Sellers had 10 double doubles, the first of which was a 21-point, 10-rebound performance against Hartford on November 27. [8] On January 10, 1991 he recorded a career-high 14 rebounds along with 13 points against Central Connecticut. [8] On February 27, 1991 Sellers scored 21 points and had 12 rebounds against Seton Hall. [8] On March 14, 1991 he had 13 points and 10 rebounds against LSU, battling opposing All-American center Shaquille O'Neal during the 1991 NCAA tournament. [4] Coach Calhoun increased Sellers' minutes to 30.8 in the 1990–91 season, [9] and the center led the team in field goal percentage with 55.4%. [12] Sellers had also increased his scoring average to 11.7 points per game – his first season in double figures – and he was the team's leading rebounder with 8 per game. [14]

In his senior season Sellers started all of his 29 games. He had 17 points and 12 rebounds against Hartford on November 22, 1991, [8] and on February 2, 1992 he scored his 1,000 point in a game against Syracuse. [15] On February 8, 1992 Sellers had 19 rebounds in a game against Seton Hall, which as of 2019 it is tied for most in a single game in UConn history (together with Emeka Okafor's 19 on December 7, 2002). [16] In that game he also scored 17 points. [17] On February 22, 1992 he had a 19-point, 16-rebound double double against Providence, and on March 4 he posted 18 points and 14 rebounds against Syracuse. [17] On March 21, 1992 he recorded his last career double double with 12 points and 13 rebounds in a game against Ohio State during the 1992 NCAA tournament. [17] He was the best rebounder on the team with 8.7 per game, [12] and he led the team in field goal percentage for the third straight season, with 59.2%. [12] Sellers was also the third-best scorer on the team with 12.3 points per game behind Chris Smith and Scott Burrell. [18] That year he was included in the All-Big East Third Team. [19]

He scored a total 1,143 points and started 112 career games, the 7th most for a UConn player as of 2019. [20] He also ranks 19th for most games played with 128, and 7th for highest field goal percentage for a career, with 54.8%. [20]

College statistics

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
1988–89 UConn 3116.7.464.000.5384.20.20.20.33.8
1989–90 UConn 373523.1.538.000.5245.30.40.70.88.2
1990–91 UConn 3130.8.554.000.5708.01.11.00.911.7
1991–92 UConn 292931.7.592.000.6638.71.40.60.412.3
Career12811225.4.548.000.5876.40.80.70.68.9

Professional career

After the end of his senior season at UConn, Sellers was automatically eligible for the 1992 NBA draft, but he went undrafted. After contacts with the New Haven Skyhawks of the United States Basketball League, [21] Sellers participated in training camp with the Washington Bullets in the summer of 1992. [22] [23] In August 1992 he was the first overall pick of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) draft, selected by the Grand Rapids Hoops. [24] [25] Sellers stayed with the Bullets for the preseason training, but he was waived in late October, just before the start of the 1992–93 NBA season, together with Reggie Cross. [26] Instead of joining a CBA team, Sellers opted to go overseas and signed for AEK B.C. of Athens, Greece, and started his professional career there. [2] At AEK he replaced Miloš Babić, joining the team during Week 9 of the 1992–93 Greek Basket League season. [1]

Sellers joined Apollon Patras B.C. the following season, and was named the regular season rebounding leader after averaging 14.3 rebounds per game. [1] After the end of the 1993–94 season Sellers joined Spanish side Cáceres CB of the Liga ACB. In the 1994–95 ACB season Sellers averaged 15.9 points and 8.9 rebounds per game while shooting 58.2% from the field. The team also reached the semifinals in the 1994–95 FIBA Korać Cup. For the following season Sellers improved his averages to 17.3 points and 9.9 rebounds per game, posting several double doubles [2] and earning the ACB Player of the Month Award in September 1995. [1] He was also selected for the ACB All-Star game in 1996. [1] In the 1996–97 ACB season Sellers averaged 16.8 points and 9.4 rebounds, being named Player of the Week on Week 2. [1] During the 1997 Copa del Rey de Baloncesto Cáceres reached the finals, where they lost to Joventut Badalona despite Sellers' 23 points in the final game.

In 1997 Sellers left Spain for Turkey, and signed a contract Efes Pilsen. This marked his debut in the EuroLeague, participating in the 1997–98 edition. In the domestic league he averaged 11.3 points and 7.9 rebounds over 16 appearances (26.8 minutes of average playing time). After the stint in Turkey Sellers went back to Spain and signed for Valencia Basket, at the time known as Pamesa Cerámica for sponsorship reasons, and replaced Nigerian player Ime Oduok. [1] In the 1998–99 ACB season Sellers played 31 games, with averages of 13.6 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. In 1999 he joined Panionios B.C., and spent another season in Greece.

In 2000 he signed for Pallacanestro Virtus Roma, and played one season in Serie A in Italy: he improved his averages to 15.8 points and 8.6 rebounds in 34 minutes of playing time, while recording a career high 2 steals per game. In 2001 Sellers joined French team Élan Béarnais Pau-Orthez. He played 27 games in the LNB Pro A, posting 14.1 points and 6.9 rebounds, shooting 55.8% from the field; he also appeared in 14 games during the 2001–02 Euroleague, and averaged 14.9 points and 6.5 rebounds. His team won the French Basketball Cup that year, and he was selected for the All-Star game. [1] The 2002–03 season was the most successful at team level for Sellers: he won the LNB Pro A title, the Semaine des As, and his second consecutive French Cup. He again took part in the Euroleague, and in the 2002–03 edition he scored 16.6 points per game and had 5.5 rebounds per game. In 29 Pro A games, Sellers averaged 14.3 points while playing 23.8 minutes per game.

After winning three trophies in the 2002–03 season, Sellers left France, and returned to Italy for the second time in his career, signing with Olimpia Milano, then known as Breil Milano for sponsorship reasons. He appeared in the 2003–04 Lega Basket Serie A and in the 2003–04 ULEB Cup, his last appearance at international level. He averaged 11 points per game in both competitions, playing 27.2 minutes in Serie A and 30.4 in the ULEB Cup. In 2004 he joined Tenerife CB, and participated in the 2004–05 ACB season. In 2005 he played for Club Melilla Baloncesto in the second level of Spanish basketball, and he retired in 2006 after a season with Murcia.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pete Myers</span> American basketball player and coach

Peter Eddie Myers is an American former professional basketball player and a former assistant coach for the NBA team Chicago Bulls. He is most famous for having been Michael Jordan’s replacement player during Jordan’s stint in baseball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nate Huffman</span> American basketball player (1975–2015)

Nathaniel Thomas Huffman was an American professional basketball player, who played most of his career with Maccabi Tel Aviv. He was the 2001 Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP, as well as the 2001 FIBA SuproLeague Player of the Year.

Roger Powell Jr. is an American former professional basketball player and current head coach of the Valparaiso Beacons men's basketball team. Powell was previously an assistant at Gonzaga. He played collegiately at the University of Illinois from 2001 to 2005, after having attended Joliet Central High School, with a 2001 graduation. Powell played the forward position for his high school and in college. He graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in speech communications. Powell's father was a former Joliet Central High School and Illinois State player.

Bruce John Kuczenski is an American retired professional basketball player. He was a 6'10" (208 cm) 230 lb (104 kg) power forward/center born in Bristol, Connecticut and played collegiately at the University of Connecticut from 1979 to 1983.

Andrew Kent Toolson is an American retired professional basketball player. A 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) shooting guard-small forward, he played college basketball at BYU

Darius Anthony Adams is an American-born naturalized Bulgarian professional basketball player who last played for the Shenzhen Leopards of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Standing at 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m), he plays at the point guard position.

Eugene McDowell was an American professional basketball player. A strong big man who primarily played as a center, he was one of the top prospects in the 1981 high school class. He was a 4-year starter playing college basketball for the Florida Gators, and he was a 3rd-round pick in the 1985 NBA draft; however, he never played in the NBA and he had a 7-year career playing professional basketball in Europe and in the CBA. He died in 1995 of an enlarged heart. He was inducted in the SEC Hall of Fame in 2009.

Rudy Dewayne Woods was an American professional basketball player. A tall and strong center, he was one of the top prospects in the 1978 high school class. He played 4 years of college basketball for the Texas A&M Aggies, and he was a 4th-round pick in the 1982 NBA draft; however, he never played in the NBA and he had a 5-year career playing professional basketball in Europe and in the CBA.

Kermit Leanell Holmes is an American basketball coach and former professional player. After sitting our his first year of college basketball due to Proposition 48, he played three years with the Oklahoma Sooners, being selected as a starter in his senior season. He went undrafted in the 1991 NBA draft and played several years in the CBA, where he won two championships and earned two selections in the United States national team, winning the gold medal during the FIBA Americas Championship 1997 and the silver medal at the 1999 Pan American Games. After the end of his playing career he started coaching.

Kelsey Russell Weems was an American professional basketball player. A point guard from the state of Georgia, Weems played college basketball at NC State and stayed four years despite limited playing time. He went undrafted in the 1989 NBA draft, and played several seasons in the CBA, earning two selections in the United States national team: he won the gold medal during the 1993 Tournament of the Americas and the silver medal at the 1995 Pan American Games.

Charles Wayne Gaines is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Anhui Dragons of the Chinese National Basketball League. He played high school basketball in his native city of Houston, and he spent two years at Southwest Missouri State in the MVC before transferring to Southern Miss, where he played his two remaining years of college basketball eligibility. After going undrafted in the 2004 NBA draft, he started his professional career in the Continental Basketball Association with the Michigan Mayhem, leading the league in rebounding. After several years in Europe, one year in the NBA D-League and one in Israel, Gaines moved to the Chinese Basketball Association. While in China he earned an All-Star selection, was the 2011 scoring champion, and he twice led the league in rebounding.

Anthony Lavell Reed is an American former professional basketball player. After playing high school basketball in his native state of Louisiana, Reed played college basketball at Tulane, being named the Metro Conference Freshman of the Year and gaining all-conference selections in each of his 4 seasons. He ended his career at Tulane as the all-time leading scorer with 1,896 total points and as the 4th best rebounder in program history with 871 total rebounds. Reed was selected in the second round of the 1993 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls but was waived before the start of the NBA season, and he moved to Europe where he played in Croatia, Italy, Spain, Slovenia and Cyprus. He also played in Venezuela and ended his career in 1999 after one season in Japan. In 2015 he was inducted in the Louisiana Basketball Hall of Fame.

Dametri Antonio Hill is an American former professional basketball player. A 6-foot-7, 290-pound center/power forward, he played high school basketball at Dixie Hollins High School in his native St. Petersburg, Florida and played four years of college basketball for the Florida Gators. During his college career he reached the Final Four as a sophomore during the 1994 NCAA tournament and was an All-SEC selection as a senior in 1996. After going undrafted in the 1996 NBA draft he started his professional career in Israel, and in his first season he led the league in scoring with 22.8 points per game. He went on to play in France, China, Latvia, Cyprus, Portugal and Slovakia.

Joe Dawson is an American-Israeli former professional basketball player. He played high school basketball at Druid High School in his native Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and played four years of college basketball for the Southern Miss Golden Eagles, leading the team in scoring and rebounding multiple times and was an all-conference selection. After going undrafted in the 1982 NBA draft, he started his professional career in the Continental Basketball Association, and was selected as an all-star in each of the three seasons he played there. After a brief experience in the USBL he moved abroad, playing in Venezuela and France. In 1987 he had his first experience in the Israeli league with Hapoel Holon: he would play in Israel for 14 seasons, leading the league in both scoring and rebounding in 1992. He was named the 1992 Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP. He was inducted in the Southern Miss Hall of Fame in 2011, and is the father of professional basketball player Shawn Dawson.

Brian Ralph Jackson is an American former professional basketball player. After playing high school basketball in Palos Verdes Estates, California, Jackson played college basketball at Utah State, and was an all-conference selection in three of his four seasons there. He was selected in the second round of the 1981 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers but was waived before the start of the NBA season, and he moved to Europe where he played in Italy and most notably in Spain, where he was selected as an All-Star 4 times. While playing for Real Madrid he won 2 league titles, one Copa del Rey and one FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup, of which he also was the finals top scorer. He retired in 1995 after a 14-year career; in 2012 he was inducted in the Utah State Athletics Hall of Fame.

Erik Martin is an American basketball coach and former professional player, currently serving as head coach for South Carolina State. A native of California, Martin played one season of college basketball at TCU before transferring to Santa Ana College, a junior college in California where he was a first-team All-State selection. In 1991 he joined the University of Cincinnati, and with the Bearcats he reached the Final Four during the 1992 NCAA tournament. After going undrafted in the 1993 NBA draft he played for various CBA teams and abroad in South Korea and Taiwan. He also earned two selections in the United States national team: he won the silver medal at the 1995 Pan American Games and the gold medal during the 1997 Tournament of the Americas. After retiring as a player he has held several assistant coach jobs, mainly for Bob Huggins, first at Kansas State and later at West Virginia.

Elijah Lee Holman is an American professional basketball player for Mahram Tehran of the Iranian Basketball Super League (IBSL). After a brief appearance in the 2012 NBA Summer League he signed with Israeli team Hapoel Eilat, where he started his professional career. He has appeared in the NBA Summer League in 2013 and 2014, but never signed for an NBA team. Holman has played in Israel, Turkey, Lebanon, Puerto Rico, China, and Iran throughout his career.

Julius Marvin Page is an American former professional basketball player. An athletic combo guard whose vertical leap was reported to be 39 inches (0.99 m), he played high school basketball at Turner-Carroll High School in Buffalo, New York. He then played college basketball with the Pittsburgh Panthers, staying for 4 years: in his junior season in 2003 he was named Big East tournament MVP and was a third-team all-conference selection. After going undrafted in the 2004 NBA draft, Page started a professional career in the Continental Basketball Association, playing for the Idaho Stampede. He has also played in Germany and Israel before retiring from professional basketball in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steven Enoch</span> American basketball player (born 1997)

Steven Coy Enoch is an American-born naturalized Armenian professional basketball player for Rytas Vilnius of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) and the BCL. He played college basketball for the UConn Huskies and the Louisville Cardinals.

David Booth is an American basketball executive and former professional player. A native of Peoria, Illinois, Booth played for Manual High School, where he reached the Class AA Tournaments in three consecutive seasons; he would later be inducted in the Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame. He then played 4 years of college basketball with DePaul, and graduated as the second best scorer in program history with 1,933 total points. After going undrafted in the 1992 NBA draft, Booth started his career in France and over a 13-year span he also played in Greece, Italy, Japan, the Philippines and Venezuela. In 2009, Booth was inducted in DePaul's Hall of Fame.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Rod Sellers". acb.com. Archived from the original on March 24, 2017. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Rod Sellers". uconnhooplegends.com. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 "Chick-Fil-A Florence Athletic Hall Of Fame - Walter Rod Sellers". florenceathletichalloffame.com. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  4. 1 2 "Sellers doubly pleased". The Boston Globe . March 20, 1991. p. 34.
  5. ↑ "BOYS LEADERS". The Greenville News . March 27, 1988. p. 42.
  6. ↑ "Duquesne gets 2 recruits; in running for JUCO star". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . April 14, 1988. p. 10.
  7. ↑ "COLLEGE BASKETBALL NCAA Signings". Democrat and Chronicle . May 19, 1988. p. 42.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "UConn Men's Basketball 2019-20 Media Guide" (PDF). uconnhuskies.com. 2019. p. 138. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  9. 1 2 "Rod Sellers, Connecticut, 6-9, C/F". sportsstats.com. Archived from the original on September 13, 2007. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  10. ↑ "1988-89 UConn Huskies Roster and Stats". sports-reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  11. ↑ UConn Men's Basketball 2019-20 Media Guide, 2019, p. 130.
  12. 1 2 3 4 UConn Men's Basketball 2019-20 Media Guide, 2019, p. 127.
  13. ↑ "1989-90 UConn Huskies Roster and Stats". sports-reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  14. ↑ "1990-91 UConn Huskies Roster and Stats". sports-reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  15. ↑ UConn Men's Basketball 2019-20 Media Guide, 2019, p. 124.
  16. ↑ UConn Men's Basketball 2019-20 Media Guide, 2019, p. 135.
  17. 1 2 3 UConn Men's Basketball 2019-20 Media Guide, 2019, p. 137.
  18. ↑ "1991-92 UConn Huskies Roster and Stats". sports-reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  19. ↑ UConn Men's Basketball 2019-20 Media Guide, 2019, p. 156.
  20. 1 2 UConn Men's Basketball 2019-20 Media Guide, 2019, p. 122.
  21. ↑ "BASKETBALL". The San Francisco Examiner . May 19, 1992. p. 50.
  22. ↑ "Sellers scores 19 in Pistons' 98-92 win". Detroit Free Press . July 15, 1992. p. 80.
  23. ↑ Yantz, Tom (July 17, 1992). "Sellers, Smith share another common goal". Hartford Courant . p. 60.
  24. ↑ "UConn's Sellers selected first in CBA Draft". United Press International. Denver, Colorado. August 11, 1982.
  25. ↑ "1992 CBA Draft". sportsstats.com. Archived from the original on November 8, 2007. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  26. ↑ Jasner, Phil (October 26, 1992). "Overton could stick with Bullets". Philadelphia Daily News . p. 82.
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.