Bobby Lee Hurt facts for kids

Bobby Lee Hurt (born December 6, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. He was a strong and athletic player. He was considered one of the best high school basketball players in 1981. After a time when many colleges wanted him, Hurt chose to play four seasons with the Alabama Crimson Tide. He holds the Alabama record for the best shooting percentage in a season and in his whole college career.

After college, he was drafted by the Golden State Warriors in the NBA draft. However, he did not sign a contract with them. Instead, he went on to play professional basketball in Europe. He played in top leagues in Turkey, Italy, and Spain.

High School Basketball Star

Bobby Hurt was born and grew up in Huntsville, Alabama. He went to S. R. Butler High School there. From a young age, he showed great athletic talent. He was very fast and could jump very high.

He started playing basketball for his school team under coach Jerry Rice. He quickly became successful in state competitions. In 1979, when he was a sophomore, he was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 4A state tournament. He was also chosen for the All-Tournament team.

Senior Year Success

During his senior year, Bobby Hurt was amazing on the court. He scored about 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds per game. He also shot the ball very well, making 69% of his shots. His team, Butler, finished the season with a great record of 33 wins and only 3 losses. They played in the Class 4A state tournament. They finished in second place after a close game, losing 60–58 in the final.

In that tournament, Hurt scored 103 points in four games. He also had 68 rebounds, 26 blocks, and 17 assists. He won the tournament MVP award for the second time. He was again named to the All-Tournament team. Bobby Hurt was also chosen for the Parade All-America Second Team. He earned a spot on the McDonald's All-American team. In the 1981 McDonald's All-American Boys Game, he played 17 minutes. He had 12 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 3 steals. He also scored 19 points. Over his four years at Butler High School (1977 to 1981), Hurt scored 2,288 points. This is still a school record.

College Basketball Journey

Many colleges wanted Bobby Hurt to play for them because he was the top high school player in Alabama. He thought about going to Alabama, Indiana, Louisville, Maryland, and North Carolina. Later, he also considered South Alabama and Hawaii.

There were some questions about how he was recruited by colleges. However, Bobby Hurt eventually decided to sign with Alabama on April 30, 1981. He chose to wear jersey number 34 for the Crimson Tide.

Freshman Year at Alabama

In his first year of college basketball, Bobby Hurt was one of the main players coming off the bench for coach Wimp Sanderson. He was the team leader in shooting percentage and blocks. He started 8 games that season. On average, he scored 10.2 points, grabbed 5.5 rebounds, and had 1.5 blocks per game. He shot 61.8% from the field. The Crimson Tide team made it to the Sweet Sixteen in the 1982 NCAA tournament. They lost to North Carolina.

Sophomore and Junior Years

In his second year, Hurt became a starter and the team's main center. His performance got much better. He was chosen for the All-SEC 2nd team. He led his team in scoring (15.3 points), rebounding (8.9 rebounds), and blocks (1.6 per game). He started all 32 games and played a lot of minutes. The Alabama team was eliminated in the first round of the 1983 NCAA tournament.

In his junior year, Bobby Hurt had his best numbers in many areas. He was second on the team in scoring with 15.6 points per game. He led the team in rebounds with 9.1 per game. He also had 41 blocks, which was the most on the team. He shot an amazing 66.4% from the field. This set a new all-time record for Alabama. He started all 30 games and played about 36 minutes per game. He was selected for the All-SEC 1st team. Alabama lost in the first round of the 1984 NCAA tournament.

Senior Year and College Records

In his senior year, Hurt started all 33 games. He averaged 12.8 points and 8.6 rebounds. He had a career-high 51 blocks. For the fourth year in a row, he led the team in blocks per game. He was selected for the 2nd team All-SEC. Alabama made it to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA tournament, where they lost to NC State.

Bobby Hurt holds several records at Alabama. He has the highest field goal percentage in a season (.664 in 1983–84). He also has the highest field goal percentage for a career (.631). He even made all 11 of his shots in a game against Texas Southern on December 20, 1982. He led Alabama in field goal percentage and blocks for all four of his college years. In total, he scored 1,697 points and grabbed 1,012 rebounds. He started 103 of his 126 games at Alabama.

Professional Basketball Career

After finishing college, Bobby Hurt was eligible for the 1985 NBA draft. The Golden State Warriors picked him in the second round. However, Hurt had knee surgery. He and his agent could not agree on a contract with the Warriors. Hurt wanted a guaranteed contract, but the Warriors did not want to give him one. He did not play during the 1985–86 season.

The Warriors picked him again in the 1986 NBA draft. But again, Hurt and his agent did not agree with the team's offer. So, Hurt decided to play basketball in Turkey. He signed with Tofaş S.K., a team in Bursa. He played two seasons in the Turkish Basketball League. Bobby Hurt was the last American player to be picked in multiple NBA drafts because of this situation.

Playing in the United States and Italy

In 1988, he came back to the United States. He joined the Wichita Falls Texans in the Continental Basketball Association. In 21 games, he averaged 16.2 points and 12.5 rebounds. He shot 55.4% from the field. After that, he moved to Italy. He played for Auxilium Torino, where he averaged 18.9 points and 11.3 rebounds in 21 games. He shot 68% from the field.

Playing in Spain and Return to Italy

For the 1989–90 season, he moved to Spain to play for Tenerife AB. In the Liga ACB, he played 36 regular season games. He averaged 17.2 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game. He also played in 9 playoff games.

He returned to Italy for the 1990–91 season, signing with Birra Messina Trapani. In 40 games, he had his career-high average of 23.7 points per game. He also averaged 12.3 rebounds and shot 65.1%. The next year, he joined Auxilium Torino again. In 32 games, he averaged 16.8 points and 9.8 rebounds, shooting 62.1%.

In the 1992–93 season, he went back to Trapani. He played 40 games and averaged 17.7 points and 10.0 rebounds, with a 64.9% shooting percentage. He finished his professional career in 1994 after playing one more season with Tofaş in Turkey.

See also

In Spanish: Bobby Lee Hurt para niños