Belmont and Belcourt Biographies - Derrick Rose: An Unauthorized Biography

Derrick Rose

An Unauthorized Biography

Copyright 2012 by Belmont & Belcourt Biographies

All rights reserved. Neither this book nor any parts within it may be sold or reproduced in any form without permission.

eISBN: 9781619841499

Table of Contents

Early life and personal life

Derrick Martell Rose was born on October 4, 1988, in Chicago, Illinois. He still goes by the nickname, Pooh, given to him by his grandmother. As the family story goes, the nickname was based on his resemblance to Winnie-the-Pooh as an infant. Today, Derrick bears a tattoo, The Great Poohdini framing an image of a wizard holding a staff in one hand and a basketball in the other.

Derrick Rose was born and raised in the Englewood area, one of Chicagos south sides most dangerous neighborhoods. He was the fourth son of Brenda Rose, after Dwayne, Reggie and Allan, following a gap of seven years. All three of his older brothers turned out to be very talented basketball players, and taught Rose how to play basketball on their local courts. Rose began to attract much more outside attention in Chicago's basketball circles as his talent for the sport grew. Because of this, his mother and brothers decided to protect him from all outside contact, fearing his road to the NBA would be exploited and derailed by outside parties, such as street agents. A similar series of events was the case with former Chicago prospect Ronnie Fields. As a result, from a very young age, Derrick was shielded from trouble by a protective family who recognized he had a bright future in basketball.

Rose attended elementary school at Beasley Academic Center. It was on the courts of Beasley where Derrick began to turn heads with his basketball skills that were way beyond his age. There, Derrick began making a name for himself throughout the Chicago area and, eventually, on a national level. Even as a child, Rose's athletic gifts were readily apparent.

Growing up, the Chicago Bulls were always the favorite team of Derrick Rose. It is hard to conceive that the young boy would, one day, star for the team. In a recent ESPN interview Rose said, I grew up watching them and cheering for them. The Bulls have always been my favorite team so it's a dream come true to be able to put on the jersey and play for the people of Chicago. This is not at all surprising. In fact, it is probably a dream shared by every kid in Chicago who has ever been on a playground and picked up a basketball.

Rose is quick to give advice to young people who want to play basketball. He tells them to make sure to spend their summer practicing and working as hard as they can so they're ready for the tryouts on their local high school teams. He tells them to focus on areas where they aren't as good as they'd like to be and spend a lot of time trying to improve in those areas. Some of this advice sounds like nothing more than common sense to anyone who has ever played any sports, but, coming from Rose, it can mean the world to a youngster.

It is hard to learn much about Rose's personal life because he chooses to keep most of it private. Despite this, it is widely known that Rose's current hobbies include watching movies, hanging out with friends and family, playing video games, listening to music, playing ping pong, and of course, basketball! There have been numerous rumors recently that his longtime girlfriend is pregnant. Rather than embracing the love his fans might have for this news, Rose continues respectfully to decline comment on the issue.

Rose was recently featured on the cover of GQ magazine, wearing a two-thousand-dollar suit and a three-hundred-dollar T-shirt. If were to believe the accompanying article, hes all dressed up with nowhere to go, by himself. In that issue, he comments on his personal life by saying, It gets on my nerves that I just cant go out. Its just boundaries now. People are like, You cant go here, you cant go there; you got to let that person know where youre going. Its just weird. Im never alone. Ever I always have someone with me I can have a hat on, glasses on, whatever. People still notice me. If I go outside without a hat on, I feel like Im naked. This life doesnt fit my personality Dont get me wrong, I dont take anything for granted. But it seems like the better I play, the more attention I get. And I cant get away from it. You play great, you get attention. But I hate attention. It is weird. Im in a bind. The more you win, the more they come.

Reading some of those comments may be painful to many of his fans. With so many good things happening in his life, many ordinary people will not understand his feelings. He has been blessed with God-given talents that few people will ever possess or even understand. This doesn't seem to be enough for his legions of fans. In looking at Rose, it quickly becomes clear that he puts a very high value on his privacy. His attitude is not a cautionary tale about the emptiness of wealth. If anything, it may be about the pitfalls of being overprotected.

Derrick Rose is lightning rod for publicity, both good and bad. Jersey and ticket sales tell of how he is one of the most popular athletes in the world, yet questions persist about his high school and college academics, allegations of academic violations and cheating. They paint a picture of an athletically gifted individual who was surrounded by people determined that he have the chance to succeed in that field, no matter his grades or lack of academic achievement. Derrick Rose is a person who has risen from a bad situation and become a pillar of popularity... and question marks.

High School

By the time Rose enrolled at Simeon Career Academy in 2003, he was considered a hot commodity for collegiate coaches. Despite his reputation, he played freshman and junior varsity basketball for the Wolverines. He wore number 25 in honor of Den Wilson, a former player with a lot of promise who was murdered by a gang member during his senior year in 1984. Rose wasn't allowed on the varsity team because of a longstanding tradition of head coach Bob Hambric, who had been with the school since 1980. The tradition stated that no freshman could play on the varsity team. That rule didn't lessen Rose's play and he went on to average 18.5 points, 6.6 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game, and subsequently led both the freshmen and sophomores to city championships with a 241 record. Hambric eventually softened his stance and allowed the freshman a chance to play on the varsity team during the state tournament. In a surprising move, Rose declined, wanting the other players to get due credit. The next year Hambric retired and Robert Smith was hired, which opened the path to the varsity team. In Rose's much-publicized debut, he had 22 points, seven rebounds and five steals over Thornwood High School in a sold-out game filled with college scouts and coaches. From there, he led the Wolverines to a 305 mark while averaging 19.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 2.4 steals, but the season ended after a loss in the state regionals. Rose's play garnered him his first national award: a Parade Third Team All-American spot.

During Rose's junior year in 2006, the Simeon Wolverines broke through and won the Chicago Public League championship held at the United Center in Chicago, where Rose was the star of the show, with 25 points and several crowd-pleasing dunks. His team advanced through the playoffs and earned a berth in the Class AA state championship against Richwoods High School. There, a fourth quarter buzzer-beater by a Richwoods player forced overtime. In that game, the score was knotted at 29 late in the extra period when Rose stole the ball and buried the game-winning jumper as time expired, which gave Simeon its first state title since the Wilson-led Wolverines had won in 1984. The team finished 334, was nationally ranked, and Rose was awarded with an All-State Illinois mention, an EA SPORTS All-American Second Team pick, and another