Randolph Childress (born September 21, 1972) 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. He is formerly an assistant coach for his alma mater,

Wake Forest University Wake Forest University is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The Reynolda Campus, the un ...

College career

Childress played collegiately at Wake Forest University, where he averaged 18.4 points per game for his four-year career. His collegiate highlight came in 1995, when he delivered one of the most outstanding ACC Tournament performances of all time. Named tournament MVP, Childress along with sophomore

Tim Duncan Timothy Theodore Duncan (born April 25, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "the Big Fundamental", he is widely regarded as the greatest power forward of all time and one of the greatest players in NBA histor ...

, carried the Demon Deacons to the title, Childress averaged 35.7 points and 7 assists per game. In the finals, against a UNC team featuring

Jerry Stackhouse Jerry Darnell Stackhouse (born November 5, 1974) is an American basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Vanderbilt Commodores men's team. He played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and ...

and

Rasheed Wallace Rasheed Abdul Wallace (born September 17, 1974) is an American basketball coach and former professional player. A native of Philadelphia, Wallace played college basketball at the University of North Carolina before declaring for the draft in 199 ...

, Childress scored 37 with 7 assists and hit a game-winning jumper with 4 seconds left in overtime. The game was highlighted by a crossover dribble Childress performed with UNC's Jeff McInnis guarding him: McInnis tripped & fell in the process, Childress made a motion with his hand as if to say "come here" or "get up," then hit a 3-point shot. He was honored as the ACC Male Athlete of the Year in 1995. In 2002, Childress was named to the ACC 50th Anniversary men's basketball team, honoring the fifty greatest players in ACC history.

Professional career

In the

1995 NBA Draft The 1995 NBA draft took place on June 28, 1995, at SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It marked the first NBA draft to be held outside the United States and was the first draft for the two Canadian expansion teams, Toronto Raptors and Vancouve ...

, Childress was selected in the 1st round (19th overall) by 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 ...

. Childress played in two NBA seasons for the Pistons and

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

, averaging 2.4 points per game. His NBA career was cut short by a torn ACL and disagreements with Trail Blazers coach P. J. Carlesimo. After leaving the NBA, Childress played in 1997–1999 in the

Turkish Basketball League Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and ...

for Tofaş SAS and Konya Kombassan. Childress went on to play ten games for the Sydney Kings in the 2000–01 Australian National Basketball League season. Childress then played for various teams in the Italian leagues.

Coaching career

In April 2012, Childress was hired as the Demon Deacons' new director of player development. In April 2013, Childress was promoted to the position of assistant coach, moving into an on-court role for the team. He left the Wake Forest coaching staff following the 2020-21 season, moving into a strategic role with the athletic department.

Personal life

Childress's son Brandon Childress played basketball at Wake Forest and professionally.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Childress, Randolph 1972 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American sportspeople African-American basketball players All-American college men's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Australia American expatriate basketball people in Italy American expatriate basketball people in Turkey American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Washington, D.C. Basketball players from Washington, D.C. Cholet Basket players Detroit Pistons draft picks Detroit Pistons players Dinamo Sassari players Pallacanestro Varese players Point guards Portland Trail Blazers players Scafati Basket players SLUC Nancy Basket players Sydney Kings players Tofaş S.K. players Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball coaches Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball players