University of Richmond Athletics
Athletic Garrett Called An Absolute Steal For The Spiders
01/22/2008 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 22, 2008
This is the second of three spotlights on the incoming class of freshmen men's basketball players. Francis-Cedric Martel will follow.
ATLANTA, Ga. - A story on Rivals.com referred to Richmond signee Darrius Garrett as "an absolute steal for the Spiders" after he scored 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as McEachern High defeated Columbia High 79-69 in Atlanta's Tribute To A King Holiday Hardwood Classic on Monday night.
Spider head coach Chris Mooney, who was in attendance at Garrett's game on Monday night, knew what the 6-foot-8 forward brought to the table. Mooney and his staff made Garrett the No. 1 focus for a big man in the incoming class, as they looked to infuse more athleticism into the program.
Garrett has long arms, can run, jump and he led the state of Georgia in blocked shots as a junior.
"Darrius is an extremely athletic forward who runs the floor, blocks shots, rebounds and brings great energy to the game," Mooney said after signing Garrett in November.
Last night he watched Garrett help lead McEachern to victory over a strong Columbia High team that had won 47-straight against Georgia teams before losing last week.
 Darrius Garrett  |
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Darrius played well last night," Mooney said. "His energy and athleticism helped his team to a big win. He had two key blocks and some big rebounds down the stretch."
Garrett, who had three dunks in the win over Columbia, is averaging a double-double of 13.1 points and 12 rebounds per game, to go with three blocks. He made the All-Tournament Team at the Kingdom of the Sun Tournament in Ocala, Fla. and had a season-high 29 points and 15 rebounds in McEachern's previous game against South Cobb.
Garrett made his decision to come to Richmond after enjoying his official visit to the campus.
"I liked the players and what coach Mooney is doing," Garrett said. "He's recruited a lot of athleticism and that fits my game because I really like to get up and down the floor."
Garrett thrives in transition, but is also strong in the half-court game with explosive moves around the basket.
"He is a confident player who has a great base of skills that will improve in college," Mooney said.
Garrett is originally from Raleigh, N.C., but plays his high school basketball at McEachern High in Powder Springs, Ga. The fact Garrett grew up nearby in North Carolina made Richmond even more appealing.
"It's a great blessing, it's a good location for me, with my family from North Carolina," Garrett said.
As a junior at McEachern, Garrett averaged 8.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.2 blocks per game, helping the team to a 24-4 record. The team is currently 12-5 this season, after the big win over Columbia on Monday.
Garrett played with the same AAU program as Richmond freshman Kevin Anderson and will be one of three players on the 2008-09 roster from Georgia, joining Anderson and David Gonzalvez.
