
Tuesday night, the Washington Wizards completed a 4-1 first round upset of the fourth seeded Chicago Bulls. Of all the players who were key for the Wizards in this series, the play of Clemson’s Trevor Booker can not be overlooked. Coming off the bench as the 6th man, the 6′ 7″ Forward has provided energy to the team every time he has taken the court. Averaging 5.6 points per game and 6.6 rebounds per game in the playoffs, Booker has been a spark for the Wizards during the run. During Washington’s win in Chicago in Game 2, he posted 9 points and 8 rebounds in 27 minutes played. During the series clinching Game 5 in Chicago, in 24 minutes on the court, he scored 6 points and grabbed 7 boards en route to a 75-69 Wizards victory. While “Book”, as he was affectionately called during his playing time with the Tigers, has had solid numbers, his energy and presence is what is most noticeable about him. TNT announcer Steve Kerr stated “Trevor Booker is officially my favorite player in the league” Tuesday night while calling the game. Booker’s energy is no surprise to those familiar with Clemson basketball, however. The Newberry, South Carolina native started for 4 years at Clemson, leading the Tigers to 3 NCAA Tournament appearances. He was named First Team all ACC in 2010, his senior season. In 2009, he was selected to represent America in the World University Games. In August of 2010,he earned his undergraduate degree in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management (PRTM) from Clemson. Booker was selected with the 23rd pick of the 2010 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves, who traded the rights to him to Washington on draft night. He joined Kentucky star and #1 overall pick John Wall in the 2010 Wizards’ rookie class. The Wizards will face the winner of the Atlanta Hawks vs the Indiana Pacers series. Currently, the 8th seeded Hawks lead the 1st seed Pacers 3-2 and will try to clinch the series Thursday night in Atlanta.