Rashad Keith Phillips (born May 5, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. At a height of 5'9 " (1.76 m) tall, and a weight of 170 pounds (77 kg), he played at the guard position. Since retiring from basketball, he started and continues to run, "Skills Unlimited", a training and mentoring program for children, that uses basketball as a vehicle to help them overcome their obstacles. Rashad is known best for discovering NBA Guard, Temetrius Jamel "Ja" Morant and predicting the success of NBA Guard, Rayford Trae Young.
Early life
Phillips, a native of the North Central section of Detroit, Michigan, grew up in a rough neighborhood. His father, Virgil, wanted to keep him off the streets, so he created a program called REACH (an acronym for religion, education, athletics, character and hope), where Rashad and others could go to play basketball and stay out of trouble. Later, when he was a senior at college, Phillips said, "I thank God every day for giving me a father who did the things he did for me... I've seen a lot of people fall victim to the streets, but that was never an option for me. I always had a gym to go to. What my father has done has saved so many lives."
In the fall of 1992, Phillips entered Ferndale High School, in Ferndale, Michigan, as a freshman. At first, he was told he was too small to be a basketball player, but he quickly proved he could play, despite his stature, and ended up becoming one of the first four-year varsity starters in school history. By the time Phillips was a senior, in 1995–96, he had only grown to . Phillips, however, still averaged approximately 25 points, seven assists and four steals per game, en route to being named Oakland County's best player. He was also invited to play in the Magic Roundball Classic, an annual all-star high school basketball game, where the best players in the country are selected to participate, as an alternate, and played for the West in place of an injured Mateen Cleaves. The game was held at The Palace of Auburn Hills, in Detroit, and Phillips earned the West's Most Valuable Player (MVP) award after out-performing Kobe Bryant. Bryant was the number one high school recruit at the time, and would be a first-round draft choice in the 1996 NBA draft, just three months later. Phillips' performance caused him to become a heavily recruited prospect, but by then, he had already committed to play at the University of Detroit Mercy.
College career
Phillips stood at 5'8" (1.73 m) when he entered college. He averaged 10.0 points per game in his first season, and was named the Midwestern Collegiate Conference's (MCC) Newcomer of the Year. The Titans were conference regular season champions, behind a 12–2 MCC record, and earned a berth into the 1998 NCAA tournament. After upsetting St. John's in the first round, Detroit lost in the round of 32, to a strong Purdue squad, ending their year with an overall record of 25–6.
During his sophomore season, in 1998–99, he increased his average to 15.7 points per game, which would be the first of three consecutive years in which he led Detroit in that category. The Titans repeated as regular season champions, and also won the MCC tournament, which gave them an automatic berth into the 1999 NCAA tournament. Phillips played a big role in 12th-seeded Detroit's upset over 5th-seeded UCLA, by a score of 56–53, during the opening round game. Just like the season before, when they scored a major upset to open the tournament, Detroit then found itself on the losing end in the round of 32, this time at the hands of 4th-seeded Ohio State. At the end of the 25–6 season, Phillips was named to the All-MCC First Team.
As a junior, in 1999–2000, the Titans failed to qualify for any postseason tournaments, since they only finished with a 20–12 (8–6 MCC) record. Phillips' scoring average, meanwhile, rose to a career-best 23.0 points per game, while he also finished in the top 10 in the nation. His average led the Midwestern Collegiate Conference, while his 735 total points scored is still the fourth-highest single season mark in school history. He repeated as both an All-MCC First Team selection, as well as an All-Defensive Team selection. Phillips was named the MCC Men's Basketball Player of the Year, becoming the first Detroit Titan ever to be honored as the league's Newcomer of the Year and Player of the Year during his career.