Fall From Heaven: The DeJuan Blair Story

(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Labeled defective and risky, a man who has only known one home will look to prove the doubters wrong as he enters his dream of the NBA Thursday night a lot further down than expected.

DeJuan Blair grew up in Pittsburgh in literally walking distance of his former college school. He was the youngest and smallest of four children, but that soon changed as he began to grow. By the time Blair entered Schenley High School; he stood 6’7" and had a punishing body to go along with the tall frame.

The three-time Pittsburgh City League Player of the Year was a highly-regarded prospect coming out of high school where he fielded many offers. Florida, Tennessee, and even smaller schools like Rutgers and Miami all pushed hard for the young talent.

Blair’s parents wanted him to leave the state to go to college, but it was for his grandmother that Blair chose Pittsburgh.

With the team losing starter Aaron Gray to graduation, his grandmother, Donna Saddler, recognized the chance her grandson had at starting on a talented local team, and so he went with coach Jamie Dixon’s team.

Blair became the starter, and also the terror, as he lead the Panthers to a Big East Conference tournament win over schools such as Syracuse, Georgetown, and Connecticut. Blair also won the Big East Rookie of the Year, as he put up nearly 12 points per game and just over nine rebounds.

In his second year, Blair tore up the field even worse, winning the Big East Player of the Year award with fellow NBA hopefully Hasheem Thabeet. Blair’s 12.3 RPG were one of the best in the country, as he was linked in NBA mocks to go top-10 with fellow Big East star Thabeet.

The consensus First Team All-American decided to place his name in the NBA draft, hiring an agent just a day after stating his decision, forcing him out of the NCAA. It was then things began to go downhill.

Blair had ACL surgery on both knees in high school, but suffered no setbacks in college. NBA general managers seemed worried about his future, as past mistakes of Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Allan Houston were still fresh in many minds.

Blair went from workout to workout, even calling himself a “lottery pick” in an interview, as he felt he impressed each city he entered, and with his toughness and hard work, the Pittsburgh native looked to make his dream a relativity.

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