Todd Fitzgerald Day (born January 7, 1970) is an American former professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
player and current head coach at
Philander Smith College
Philander Smith College is a private historically black college in Little Rock, Arkansas. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and is a founding member of the United Negro College Fund (UNCF). Philander Smith College is accredited b ...
in
Little Rock, Arkansas
( The "Little Rock")
, government_type = Council-manager
, leader_title = Mayor
, leader_name = Frank Scott Jr.
, leader_party = D
, leader_title2 = Council
, leader_name2 ...
. Day is the all-time leading scorer at the
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...
, and played eight seasons in the
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United ...
.
["Todd Day."]
''www.hogstats.com.'' Retrieved February 10, 2016.[ During the 2006 season, he played for the Blue Stars of ]Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...
's WASL Club League.["Basketball News – 2006."]
''www.hognation.net.'' Retrieved January 6, 2016.
High school career
Day played for his stepfather, Ted Anderson at Memphis's Hamilton High School, where he was a McDonald's All-American
McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hamburge ...
, and a 3rd Team Parade All-American
''Parade'' was an American nationwide Sunday newspaper magazine, distributed in more than 700 newspapers in the United States until 2022. The most widely read magazine in the U.S., ''Parade'' had a circulation of 32 million and a readership of 5 ...
. He also earned All-State and All-District honors during his prep career.[NBA.com: Todd Day Bio]
Day was named Tennessee's Mr. Basketball for Class AAA following his senior year in 1988.["TSSAA State Records: Former Mr. Basketball Winners."]
''www.tssaa.org.'' Retrieved February 10, 2016.
Collegiate career
Day played college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
at the University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...
for coach Nolan Richardson
Nolan Richardson Jr. (born December 27, 1941) is a former American basketball head coach best known for his tenure at the University of Arkansas, where he won the 1994 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament and led the Razorbacks to three F ...
, and was a four-year letterman ('89,'90,'91 and '92).[ Day broke Sidney Moncrief's school record for scoring with 2,395 points. Day was a member of the All-]Southwest Conference
The Southwest Conference (SWC) was an NCAA Division I college athletic conference in the United States that existed from 1914 to 1996. Composed primarily of schools from Texas, at various times the conference included schools from Oklahoma ...
Newcomer Team as a freshman, a member of the Arkansas unit that reached the NCAA Final Four as a sophomore, and a John Wooden
John Robert Wooden (October 14, 1910 – June 4, 2010) was an American basketball coach and player. Nicknamed the Wizard of Westwood, Los Angeles, Westwood, he won ten National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I men's basket ...
First-Team All-America selection as both a junior and senior. Day helped Arkansas win three consecutive Southwest Conference regular season championships from 1989 to 1991, as well as three straight SWC Tournament championships, also from 1989 to 1991. Day was named the Most Outstanding Player for the 1990 SWC Tournament.
In his final college season, he powered the Razorbacks to the Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities o ...
regular seasons title, as well as the SEC West Division championship, in the school's first season in the league. His scoring average (22.7 ppg) was the third highest in school history. Day holds several school records, including career points (2,395), and points in a season (786).[ During Day's time at Arkansas, the Razorbacks made the NCAA Tournament every year, advancing to the second round in 1989, the Final Four in 1990, the Elite Eight in 1991, and the second round in 1992.
He played for the US national team in the ]1990 FIBA World Championship
The 1990 FIBA World Championship was the 11th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's teams. It was hosted by Argentina from 8 to 19 August 1990. The final phase of the competition was held at the Luna ...
, winning the bronze medal. He averaged 6.3 points per game during the tournament, while helping the last collegiate team ever to represent the USA on a major international tournament win the bronze medal.["Eleventh World Championship – 1990."]
''www.usab.com'', June 10, 2010. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
Professional career
Day was selected in the 1st round (8th pick) by the Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...
in the 1992 NBA Draft
The 1992 NBA draft took place on June 24, 1992, at Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon. The draft is considered to be one of the deepest in NBA history. The top three picks (Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning, Christian Laettner) were conside ...
.[ He was joined in the first round by teammates ]Oliver Miller
Oliver J. Miller (born April 6, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player. He was nicknamed "The Big O" because of his large size ( and well over throughout his pro career). Miller played college basketball at the University of ...
and Lee Mayberry
Lee may refer to:
Name
Given name
* Lee (given name), a given name in English
Surname
* Chinese surnames romanized as Li or Lee:
** Li (surname 李) or Lee (Hanzi ), a common Chinese surname
** Li (surname 利) or Lee (Hanzi ), a Chinese ...
, giving the Razorbacks three first round selections that year.[ He was traded with ]Alton Lister
Alton Lavelle Lister (born October 1, 1958) is an American former professional basketball player. He is currently serving as an assistant coach for TNT Tropang Giga in Philippine Basketball Association.
Lister graduated from Woodrow Wilson Hig ...
to the Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of ...
for Sherman Douglas
Sherman Douglas (born September 15, 1966) is an American former professional basketball player from Syracuse University who played for the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, New Jersey Nets and the Los Angeles Clippers from 1989 to 2001. ...
on December 22, 1995. Day scored a career high 41 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...
, tying Larry Bird
Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend", Bird is widely regarded a ...
's Celtic franchise record for points in a quarter with 24.["Individual Records – Boston Celtics."]
''www.nba.com.'' Retrieved February 10, 2016.
Day only reached the playoffs once in his eight NBA seasons, with the 1999-00 Phoenix Suns. In nine games that postseason, Day contributed to a first-round upset of the defending champion San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...
and a second-round loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. During his NBA career, Day also played for the Miami Heat
The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...
, the Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Pacific Division (NBA), P ...
and the Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...
, averaging 12.3 points per game.
Day joined the Arkansas Rimrockers for their inaugural season in the ABA
ABA may refer to:
Businesses and organizations
Broadcasting
* Alabama Broadcasters Association, United States
* Asahi Broadcasting Aomori, Japanese television station
* Australian Broadcasting Authority
Education
* Académie des Beaux- ...
basketball league in 2004–05. In their only season in the league, the Rimrockers had a record of 32–5, defeating the Bellevue Blackhawks Bellevue means "beautiful view" in French. It may refer to:
Placenames
Australia
* Bellevue, Western Australia
* Bellevue Hill, New South Wales
* Bellevue, Queensland
* Bellevue, Glebe, an historic house in Sydney, New South Wales
Canada ...
118–103 in Alltel Arena
Alltel Wireless was a wireless service provider, primarily based in the United States. Before acquisitions by Verizon Wireless and AT&T, it served 34 states and had approximately 13 million subscribers. As a regulatory condition of the acquisition ...
for the league championship. Day finished the game with 32 points and 6 steals.["Blackhawks fall in ABA title game."]
''Seattle Times
''The Seattle Times'' is a daily newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded in 1891 and has been owned by the Blethen family since 1896. ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in Washington s ...
'', March 27, 2005. Retrieved February 10, 2016. Day was named 1st Team All-ABA and was an ABA All-Star. Day helped Rayyan (Qatar) win the 16th FedEx FIBA Asia Champions Cup
The FIBA Asia Champions Cup, previously known as the Asian Basketball Confederation (ABC) Champions Cup until 2002, is the Asian club championship for professional basketball. It is organised by FIBA Asia, and takes place once a year (since 19 ...
in 2005, scoring 24 points in the victory over Fastlink (Jordan). Day signed a free agent contract with the Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...
, but was released in training camp. Day returned to the ABA for the 2006–07 season, playing with the Arkansas Aeros
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the ...
. He was selected to play in the ABA All-Star Game on January 28, 2007, in Halifax, Nova Scotia
Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348 ...
. Day was averaging 21.4 points per game prior to the All-Star Game.["Todd Day of the Arkansas Aeros added to ABA All-Star Game."]
''www.oursportscentral.com'', January 25, 2007. Day also had a stint playing for the Harlem Globetrotters
The Harlem Globetrotters are an American exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, and comedy in their style of play. Created in 1926 by Tommy Brookins in Chicago, Illinois, the team adopted the name '' Harlem'' because of ...
.
NBA career statistics
Regular season
, -
, align="left" , 1992–93
Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 ''Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since th ...
, align="left" , Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...
, 71 , , 37 , , 27.2 , , .432 , , .293 , , .717 , , 4.1 , , 1.6 , , 1.1 , , 0.7 , , 13.8
, -
, align="left" , 1993–94
, align="left" , Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...
, 76 , , 39 , , 28.0 , , .415 , , .223 , , .698 , , 4.1 , , 1.8 , , 1.4 , , 0.7 , , 12.7
, -
, align="left" , 1994–95
, align="left" , Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...
, 82 , , 81 , , 33.1 , , .424 , , .390 , , .754 , , 3.9 , , 1.6 , , 1.3 , , 0.8 , , 16.0
, -
, align="left" , 1995–96
, align="left" , Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...
, 8 , , 0 , , 21.4 , , .310 , , .200 , , .923 , , 2.8 , , 0.6 , , 0.5 , , 0.4 , , 9.1
, -
, align="left" , 1995–96
, align="left" , Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...
, 71 , , 12 , , 23.0 , , .371 , , .343 , , .766 , , 2.8 , , 1.4 , , 1.1 , , 0.7 , , 12.0
, -
, align="left" , 1996–97
, align="left" , Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...
, 81 , , 27 , , 28.1 , , .398 , , .362 , , .773 , , 4.1 , , 1.4 , , 1.3 , , 0.6 , , 14.5
, -
, align="left" , 1997–98
, align="left" , Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at th ...
, 5 , , 0 , , 13.8 , , .355 , , .167 , , .667 , , 1.2 , , 1.4 , , 1.4 , , 0.0 , , 6.0
, -
, align="left" , 1999–00
, align="left" , Phoenix
, 58 , , 1 , , 16.2 , , .394 , , .388 , , .667 , , 2.2 , , 1.1 , , 0.8 , , 0.4 , , 6.8
, -
, align="left" , 2000–01
, align="left" , Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the List of U.S. states and territories by population, 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minne ...
, 31 , , 0 , , 11.1 , , .373 , , .377 , , .783 , , 1.2 , , 0.9 , , 0.3 , , 0.2 , , 4.3
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 483 , , 197 , , 25.3 , , .406 , , .345 , , .739 , , 3.4 , , 1.5 , , 1.1 , , 0.6 , , 12.3
Playoffs
, -
, align="left" , 1999–00
, align="left" , Phoenix
, 9 , , 0 , , 11.1 , , .457 , , .313 , , .500 , , 1.1 , , 0.4 , , 0.4 , , 0.1 , , 4.7
Coaching career
Day was named head coach for the Arkansas Impact
The Arkansas Impact was a team in the Premier Basketball League that played in the league's inaugural 2008 season. They played their home games at the Barton Coliseum in Little Rock. The city had been home to the Arkansas Rimrockers (who played ...
of the Premier Basketball League
The Premier Basketball League, often abbreviated to the PBL, is an American professional men's basketball minor league that began play in January 2008. The league folded after the 2017 season. It was announced that the league would be revived u ...
, in December 2007.[Jackson, Martinis]
"Legends of the Hardwood: Todd Day."
''www.hardwoodinsiders.com'', July 24, 2014. Retrieved February 12, 2016. The Impact began their season in January 2008 and played their home games in Little Rock
( The "Little Rock")
, government_type = Council-manager
, leader_title = Mayor
, leader_name = Frank Scott Jr.
, leader_party = D
, leader_title2 = Council
, leader_name2 ...
's Barton Coliseum
Barton Coliseum is a 7,150-seat multi-purpose arena located within the Arkansas State Fairgrounds in Little Rock, Arkansas. , but are no longer in operation. Day led the Impact to the 2008 Championship Game, losing to the Rochester Razorsharks 142–112. Day entered high school coaching when he was named head coach at the Memphis Academy of Health and Sciences, where he coached for five seasons. He became the head coach at his alma mater, Hamilton High School, when former head coach Keelon Lawson resigned to join Josh Pastner
Joshua Paul Pastner (born September 26, 1977) is an American college basketball coach, and the current head coach of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
Pastner was a player on the 1997 Arizona Wildcats men's basketball national championship team ...
's staff at the University of Memphis
}
The University of Memphis (UofM) is a public university, public research university in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 22,000 students.
The university maintains the Herff College of Engineering ...
. He also worked as an assistant coach for Team Penny, a Memphis-based AAU team founded by head coach Penny Hardaway
Anfernee Deon "Penny" Hardaway (born July 18, 1971) is an American college basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Memphis Tigers men's basketball team in the American Athletic Conference (AAC). Hardaway pla ...
.[Griffin, Jamie. He has recently been named the head coach of Men's College Basketball at Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Arkansas]
"Todd Day Returns Home."
''www.memphisflyer.com'', November 24, 2014. Retrieved February 10, 2016. In June 2016, Day was named head coach of the Men's Basketball program at Philander Smith College in Little Rock, AR. His son T.J. Day serves as an assistant coach for the team.
Personal
Todd Day was inducted as a member of the 2008 class of the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, and he was one of nine former Razorbacks inducted into the Southwest Conference
The Southwest Conference (SWC) was an NCAA Division I college athletic conference in the United States that existed from 1914 to 1996. Composed primarily of schools from Texas, at various times the conference included schools from Oklahoma ...
Hall of Fame in November 2015."Todd Day: Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame."
''www.arkansassportshalloffame.com.'' Retrieved October 1, 2013.[Jones, Matt]
"Nine more Hogs going into SWC Hall of Fame."
''www.wholehogsports.com'', August 13, 2015. Retrieved March 28, 2016.[Muck, Jeremy. "Hall of Fame event becomes double celebration." ''NWA Democrat-Gazette's Weekendwrap'', November 15, 2015. Page 5W.] Day is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. () is the oldest intercollegiate historically African American fraternity. It was initially a literary and social studies club organized in the 1905–1906 school year at Cornell University but later evolved in ...
fraternity.
References
External links
* Career statistics and player information fro
Basketball-reference.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Day, Todd
1970 births
Living people
All-American college men's basketball players
American expatriate basketball people in Argentina
American expatriate basketball people in Cyprus
American expatriate basketball people in Italy
American expatriate basketball people in Qatar
American men's basketball players
Argentino de Junín basketball players
Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball players
Arkansas RimRockers players
ABA All-Star Game players
Basketball coaches from Illinois
Basketball coaches from Tennessee
Basketball players from Illinois
Basketball players from Memphis, Tennessee
Boston Celtics players
College men's basketball head coaches in the United States
Goodwill Games medalists in basketball
Harlem Globetrotters players
La Crosse Bobcats players
McDonald's High School All-Americans
Miami Heat players
Milwaukee Bucks draft picks
Milwaukee Bucks players
Minnesota Timberwolves players
Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)
Philander Smith Panthers men's basketball coaches
Phoenix Suns players
Shooting guards
Sportspeople from Decatur, Illinois
Sportspeople from Memphis, Tennessee
United States men's national basketball team players
Victoria Libertas Pesaro players
1990 FIBA World Championship players
Competitors at the 1990 Goodwill Games