Darius Garland

Darius Kinnard Garland (born January 26, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Vanderbilt Commodores.

Darius Garland
Garland with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2019
No. 10 Cleveland Cavaliers
PositionPoint guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2000-01-26) January 26, 2000
Gary, Indiana
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight192 lb (87 kg)
Career information
High schoolBrentwood Academy
(Brentwood, Tennessee)
CollegeVanderbilt (2018–2019)
NBA draft2019 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5th overall
Selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers
Playing career2019–present
Career history
2019–presentCleveland Cavaliers
Career highlights and awards
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Born in Gary, Indiana, Garland is the son of former professional basketball player Winston Garland. Garland attended Brentwood Academy in high school, joining the varsity basketball team in eighth grade and leaving as a four-time state champion and three-time Tennessee Mr. Basketball winner. He was a five-star recruit, ranked among the best point guards in the 2018 class, and a McDonald's All-American.

Garland committed to Vanderbilt as the best recruit in program history. After five games, his college career was cut short by a meniscus injury, which prompted him to leave the team to prepare for the NBA draft.

Early life

Garland was born in Gary, Indiana to Felicia Garland and basketball player Winston Garland. He grew up playing baseball and started basketball at age five but soon narrowed down his focus to only the latter sport.[1] Garland continued with basketball in elementary school and scored his first basket in second grade.[2] In third grade, he attended basketball camps in Valparaiso, Indiana led by Bryce Drew, who would become his college coach at Vanderbilt.[3] Garland played on a travel team against older opponents and joined an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) squad based in Nashville, Tennessee when he was in fourth grade, because none of the local teams met his standards.[4] After he completed sixth grade, his family moved to Tennessee so that he could attend Brentwood Academy in Brentwood, Tennessee with his AAU teammates Gavin Schoenwald and Camron Johnson.[4][5] Garland's father described, "We had always talked about relocating. My mother had lived in Tennessee and she liked it. I just talked to the family and everybody was on board. It was a big leap of faith."[4]

High school career

Garland joined the starting lineup for the Brentwood Academy varsity basketball team while in eighth grade.[6] In his freshman season, he averaged 13 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game, leading his team to a Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) Division II-AA state championship.[7] Garland was one of three finalists for Tennessee Mr. Basketball among Division II-AA players.[8] On December 23, 2015, as a sophomore, he claimed most valuable player (MVP) honors at the King of the Bluegrass Holiday Classic, after scoring 23 points versus Fairdale High School in the title game.[9] Garland averaged 18.6 points and 4.3 assists per game and earned TSSAA Division II-AA Mr. Basketball accolades.[2] High school sports website MaxPreps also included him in its Sophomore All-American Team honorable mention.[10] From his sophomore to junior year, he grew 2½ inches, and by his fourth season with Brentwood Academy, he was ranked the best point guard in the 2018 class by recruiting service 247Sports.[11]

In March 2017, Garland garnered Naismith Trophy High School All-America honorable mention recognition.[12] He averaged 23.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game and led his team to a 30–2 record and state championship. Garland additionally earned MaxPreps Junior All-American first team distinction.[13] On November 13, 2017, he committed to play college basketball for Vanderbilt, drawn there by its proximity to his home and head coach Bryce Drew.[5] Entering his senior season, Garland appeared in the USA Today All-USA preseason team.[14] He averaged 27.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.7 steals and secured a fourth straight state title for Brentwood Academy, tying the TSSAA record.[15][16] Garland joined the MaxPreps High School All-American third team and became the only player other than Brandan Wright to win Tennessee Mr. Basketball on three occasions.[15][16] In March 2018, he was named Gatorade Tennessee Player of the Year and a semifinalist for the Naismith Trophy.[17] On March 28, Garland recorded a game-high 11 assists at the 2018 McDonald's All-American Game.[18] He took part in the Jordan Brand Classic and Nike Hoop Summit as well.[17]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Darius Garland
PG
Brentwood, TN Brentwood Academy (TN) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Nov 13, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 93
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 17  247Sports: 11  ESPN: 16
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Vanderbilt 2018 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  • "2018 Vanderbilt Commodores Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  • "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 26, 2018.

    College career

    Garland entered the 2018–19 season as the best recruit to ever sign with Vanderbilt.[19] He was the only freshman in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) to make the preseason all-conference team.[20] On November 6, 2018, in his first college game against Winthrop, Garland led all scorers with 24 points.[21] In a 79–70 win over Liberty on November 19, he scored a season-high 33 points, the second-most points by a freshman in school history.[22] Garland injured his knee during a layup versus Kent State on November 23 and left the game early.[23] Four days later, Vanderbilt head coach Bryce Drew revealed that Garland would be sidelined for the remainder of the season with a meniscus injury.[24] On January 22, 2019, he announced that he would leave Vanderbilt to recover from his injury and prepare for the 2019 NBA draft.[25] Garland later became one of 77 total invitees to take part in the NBA Draft Combine.[26] However, he left the event early on May 15, with the notion that he got promised a selection by a team in the NBA draft lottery.[27]

    Professional career

    Cleveland Cavaliers (2019–present)

    Garland at the opening of Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in 2019

    Garland was selected with the fifth pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2019 NBA draft.[28] On July 3, 2019, the Cleveland Cavaliers announced that they had signed with Garland.[29] On October 23, 2019, Garland made his debut in NBA, starting in an 85–94 loss to the Orlando Magic with eight points, two rebounds, five assists and a steal.[30] Garland made history during this game by becoming the first player born in the 2000s to make his NBA debut.[31]

    Career statistics

    Legend
      GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
     FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
     RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
     BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

    Regular season

    Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
    2019–20 Cleveland 595930.9.401.355.8751.93.9.7.112.3
    Career 595930.9.401.355.8751.93.9.7.112.3

    College

    Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
    2018–19 Vanderbilt 5527.8.537.478.7503.82.6.8.416.2

    Personal life

    Garland's father Winston Garland played college basketball for Missouri State before spending seven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA).[32] He later became a recreational leader at the Indiana State Prison and coach for West Side Leadership Academy in Gary.[33] Both of Garland's grandfathers served in the United States Army. He has an older sister, Kacie, and older brothers, Desmond, Cody, [1] Miguel[34] and Hilton.

    References

    1. "Darius Garland". USA Basketball. March 13, 2018. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
    2. Murphy, Michael (April 17, 2016). "Darius Garland is Boys Basketball Player of the Year". The Tennessean. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
    3. Rexrode, Joe (November 14, 2017). "Darius Garland, Rick Byrd and an epic day for Nashville basketball". The Tennessean. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
    4. Hutton, Mike (January 28, 2017). "Gary's Darius Garland turns into Brentwood's latest basketball savant". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
    5. Murphy, Michael (November 13, 2017). "Darius Garland of Brentwood Academy commits to Vanderbilt basketball". The Tennessean. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
    6. Pulliam, Charles (November 13, 2017). "Brentwood Academy standout Garland chooses Vanderbilt". Williamson Herald. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
    7. Murphy, Michael (April 23, 2015). "BA's Darius Garland named to USA Junior National Team". USA Today High School Sports. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
    8. "TSSAA's Division II Mr. and Miss Basketball are announced". Daily Herald. March 1, 2015. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
    9. Frakes, Jason (December 23, 2015). "King of the Bluegrass: Brentwood Academy beats Trinity for title". USA Today High School Sports. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
    10. Hickman, Jason (April 20, 2016). "2015-16 MaxPreps Boys Basketball Sophomore All-American Team". MaxPreps. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
    11. Murphy, Michael (January 5, 2017). "Nation's top junior point guard Darius Garland still yet to reach his peak". USA Today High School Sports. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
    12. "Naismith Trophy High School Boys All-America team announced". USA Today High School Sports. March 8, 2017. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
    13. "2016-17 MaxPreps Boys Basketball Junior All-American Team". MaxPreps. April 11, 2017. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
    14. Halley, Jim (November 27, 2017). "2017-18 American Family Insurance ALL-USA Preseason Boys Basketball Team". USA Today High School Sports. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
    15. Divens, Jordan (April 10, 2018). "2017-18 MaxPreps High School Boys Basketball All-American Team". MaxPreps. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
    16. "Darius Garland". Vanderbilt University. Archived from the original on October 15, 2018. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
    17. Murphy, Michael (March 8, 2018). "Vanderbilt signee Darius Garland named Gatorade Tennessee Boys Basketball Player of the Year". The Tennessean. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
    18. "Darius Garland has stellar McDonald's Game". Vanderbilt University. March 29, 2018. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
    19. Boclair, David (October 18, 2018). "Garland quickly establishes himself as VU's leader". NashvillePost.com. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
    20. "Darius Garland named as Second-Team Preseason All-SEC selection - Vanderbilt University". Vanderbilt University. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
    21. "Winthrop vs. Vanderbilt - Box Score - November 6, 2018 - ESPN". ESPN. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
    22. Sparks, Adam (November 19, 2018). "How Darius Garland's 33 points nearly broke Vanderbilt record in his fourth game". The Tennessean. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
    23. "Vanderbilt Star Freshman Darius Garland Injured in Loss to Kent State". Sports Illustrated. Associated Press. November 23, 2018. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
    24. Borzello, Jeff (November 27, 2018). "Vanderbilt's Darius Garland out for remainder of season". ESPN. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
    25. Sparks, Adam (June 20, 2019). "Sounds like Cavaliers will draft Darius Garland No. 5 if they don't trade pick". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
    26. Sixty-six players expected to attend NBA Draft Combine
    27. NBA Draft 2019: Darius Garland fuels lottery speculation by leaving combine
    28. "Cavs Select Darius Garland, Dylan Windler in 2019 NBA Draft". NBA.com. June 20, 2019. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
    29. "Cavaliers Sign Garland, Windler and Porter Jr". NBA.com. July 3, 2019. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
    30. "Magic, Vucevic beat Cavaliers in season opener". ESPN.com. October 23, 2019. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
    31. "Darius Garland Makes History in NBA Debut". FlurrySports. October 25, 2019. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
    32. "Five Things to Know: Darius Garland". USA Basketball. March 17, 2018. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
    33. "Winston Garland". The Times of Northwest Indiana. September 30, 2015. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
    34. "Darius Garland, Brentwood Academy's star guard, gears up for season as his recruitment winds down". The Tennessean. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
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