Rod Sellers facts for kids

Walter Roderick Sellers, born on August 7, 1970, is a former professional basketball player from America. He played high school basketball at Wilson High School in his hometown of Florence, South Carolina. Later, he played college basketball at UConn. In his final year at UConn in 1992, he was recognized as an all-conference player.

After college, Rod Sellers was not chosen in the 1992 NBA draft. Instead of joining a team in the United States, he decided to play in Europe. He started his professional career in Greece with AEK Athens. Rod Sellers spent his entire 14-year career playing basketball in Europe. He played in Greece, France, Italy, Spain, and Turkey. He also played in the Euroleague three times. In 1999, he was the top scorer in the FIBA Saporta Cup Finals. During his career, he won many awards, including one French league title, two French cups, one Italian Supercup, and one Semaine des As title.

Early Life and High School Basketball

Rod Sellers was born in Florence, South Carolina. When he was 12 years old, his father passed away. This left Rod and his older brother, Patrick, to support each other.

Rod went to Wilson High School in Florence. At first, he played baseball. But after he hurt his eye, he focused more on basketball. He joined the school's main basketball team in his second year. By his third year, he was one of the best players on the team, along with his brother. He was even named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Conference Tournament.

In his final year of high school, Rod was 6 feet 8 inches tall and weighed about 199 pounds. He played 27 games, scoring 583 points, which was an average of 21.6 points per game. He also grabbed 416 rebounds, averaging 15.4 rebounds per game. He was very good at shooting, making 62.7% of his shots. Rod was chosen as a second-team all-state player and was named the 5A Conference Player of the Year.

College Basketball Journey

Rod Sellers did not get offers from big colleges until his third year of high school. In his senior year, his brother was playing at Central Connecticut State. Their coach told Howie Dickenman, an assistant coach at UConn, about Rod. Even though another coach was interested, Rod signed with UConn in May 1988.

Freshman Year at UConn

In his first year at UConn, Rod wore jersey number 22. He played his first game on November 26, 1988, against Hartford. In that game, he scored 13 points and got 12 rebounds. This was his only "double-double" (scoring double digits in two categories) that season. He played about 16.7 minutes per game. On average, he scored 3.8 points and grabbed 4.2 rebounds per game. He was second on the team in rebounds.

Sophomore Year Success

In his second year, Coach Jim Calhoun made Rod a full-time starter. Rod started 35 out of 37 games. On December 9, 1989, he made 11 out of 12 shots against Maine. This was a 91.7% shooting rate, which was a record for UConn at the time. Rod led his team in blocks, with 0.8 per game. He also had the best shooting percentage on the team, making 53.8% of his shots. He scored 8.2 points per game and was the third-best rebounder with 5.3 rebounds per game.

Junior Year Highlights

In his third year, Rod had 10 double-doubles. His first was 21 points and 10 rebounds against Hartford on November 27. On January 10, 1991, he got a career-high 14 rebounds, along with 13 points. This was in a game against Central Connecticut. On February 27, 1991, Rod scored 21 points and had 12 rebounds against Seton Hall.

During the 1991 NCAA tournament, he played against Shaquille O'Neal from LSU. Rod scored 13 points and had 10 rebounds in that game. Coach Calhoun gave Rod more playing time, about 30.8 minutes per game. Rod led the team in shooting percentage again, with 55.4%. He also increased his scoring to 11.7 points per game and was the team's top rebounder with 8 rebounds per game.

Senior Year Achievements

In his final year, Rod started all 29 games. On November 22, 1991, he had 17 points and 12 rebounds against Hartford. On February 2, 1992, he scored his 1,000th point in a game against Syracuse. On February 8, 1992, Rod grabbed 19 rebounds against Seton Hall. This is still tied for the most rebounds in a single game in UConn history. In that same game, he also scored 17 points.

On February 22, 1992, he had another great game with 19 points and 16 rebounds against Providence. On March 4, he scored 18 points and had 14 rebounds against Syracuse. His last college double-double was on March 21, 1992. He had 12 points and 13 rebounds against Ohio State in the 1992 NCAA tournament. Rod was the best rebounder on the team, with 8.7 rebounds per game. He also led the team in shooting percentage for the third year in a row, with 59.2%. He was the third-highest scorer on the team, averaging 12.3 points per game. That year, he was named to the All-Big East Third Team.

Rod Sellers scored a total of 1,143 points in his college career. He started 112 games, which is the 7th most for a UConn player. He also ranks 7th for the highest shooting percentage in a career, at 54.8%.

Professional Basketball Career

After college, Rod Sellers was not drafted into the NBA. He had some tryouts, including with the Washington Bullets in 1992. He was also the first player picked in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) draft by the Grand Rapids Hoops. However, Rod decided to play overseas instead.

Starting in Europe

He signed with AEK B.C. in Athens, Greece, in 1992. This was the start of his professional career. The next season, he joined Apollon Patras B.C. and became the top rebounder in the Greek league, averaging 14.3 rebounds per game.

Playing in Spain

After Greece, Rod moved to Spain and joined Cáceres CB in 1994. In his first season there, he averaged 15.9 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. He was very accurate, making 58.2% of his shots. His team also reached the semifinals of a European tournament. The next season, he played even better, averaging 17.3 points and 9.9 rebounds. He was named the ACB Player of the Month in September 1995 and was chosen for the ACB All-Star game in 1996. In 1997, Cáceres reached the finals of the Spanish Cup, but they lost. Rod scored 23 points in that final game.

Turkey and Back to Spain

In 1997, Rod left Spain to play in Turkey for Efes Pilsen. This was his first time playing in the EuroLeague, a top European competition. He averaged 11.3 points and 7.9 rebounds in the Turkish league. After Turkey, Rod returned to Spain in 1998 to play for Valencia Basket. He played 31 games, averaging 13.6 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. In 1999, he went back to Greece to play for Panionios B.C. for another season.

Success in Italy and France

In 2000, Rod signed with Pallacanestro Virtus Roma in Italy. He had a great season, averaging 15.8 points and 8.6 rebounds. He also had a career-high 2 steals per game. In 2001, Rod moved to France to play for Élan Béarnais Pau-Orthez. He averaged 14.1 points and 6.9 rebounds in the French league. He also played in the 2001–02 Euroleague, averaging 14.9 points and 6.5 rebounds. His team won the French Basketball Cup that year, and he was chosen for the All-Star game.

The 2002–03 season was Rod's most successful. His team won the LNB Pro A league title, the Semaine des As, and their second French Cup in a row. He also played in the 2002–03 Euroleague, scoring 16.6 points and getting 5.5 rebounds per game.

Final Years in Europe

After winning three trophies in France, Rod returned to Italy in 2003 to play for Olimpia Milano. He played in the Italian league and another European competition, averaging 11 points per game in both. In 2004, he joined Tenerife CB in Spain. In 2005, he played for Club Melilla Baloncesto in the second Spanish league. Rod Sellers retired from professional basketball in 2006 after playing one season with Murcia.

See also

In Spanish: Rod Sellers para niños