END OF AN ERA

Windy City HS Hoops Player of the Year 2007 

Derrick Rose 

By: Scott Phillips
 

      As a media member you are supposed to remain unbiased and neutral during games.  This unspoken rule also applies to not cheering when a great play occurs, or clapping your hands in excitement at the happenings of the game.  Those rules are hard to maintain when Derrick Rose is on the court.  Rose, the unanimous choice for Windy City HS Hoops Player of the Year, made so many jaw dropping plays that it was tough for the media to not stand up and cheer.  Instead we would often shake our heads in amazement and give each other “the look” that always comes with his high flying dunks, or flashy assists.  In 2007, it was Derrick Rose’s time to shine, and everybody else in the state of Illinois was front and center. 

      Many people knew Derrick Rose would be player of the year this season before practices even started.  With a lot of these awards being political and pre-determined, it is hard to not applaud Derrick Rose for his play this season.  The 6’3 Rose is electric on the court, combining quickness, speed, court vision, and one of the quickest vertical leaps you will ever see.  Rose has consistently proven critics wrong by improving his shot, staying focused and leading Simeon to one of the greatest seasons in Illinois high school basketball history.  Along the way Rose averaged 23 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, and 2 steals a game. 

      While doing all of this Rose has maintained a Zen like quality on the court where he usually does not engage in trash talking and trusts his teammates more than a player of his quality usually does.  He is a unique talent that controls every game he plays in without having to score.  Unlike his friend and fellow superstar Eric Gordon, Indiana’s best prep baller, who regularly scores in the 40’s and 50’s to help his team win, Rose hit his career high of 30 points this season, and scored only 2 points in the State Championship game against O’Fallon. 

      It will be tough to not have Derrick Rose around anymore in the Illinois high school basketball scene.  With Rose around, it made every game seem more important; every play worth watching.  Even pregame shootarounds involving Rose were a show not to miss as Derrick and his teammates threw down thunderous dunk after thunderous dunk to the delight of the crowd they were playing in front of.  Further enhancing to the Rose legacy was his coach’s regulations of players speaking to the media.  Just talking to Rose after big games was off limits, which is unfortunate because the humble and polite Rose usually said all of the right things and credited his teammates and team’s accomplishments before his own.  The hype around Derrick Rose, a future Top 5 NBA Draft pick according to some, was always there, but unlike many before him, he lived up to his billing and so much more.