biography

Update to Bio (by shell, 01/29/08):

In 2006, J.J. Redick was drafted 11th by the Orlando Magic. Prior to his rookie season and summer league, he was sidelined with a back injury (and later a foot injury) which set his development back substantially & buried him back on the depth chart for much of the season. After a disappointing rookie season, J.J. vowed to work hard in the off-season and eventually impressed on-lookers by tearing up the NBA summer league. A new coach (Stan Van Gundy) was hired during this time and J.J. hoped to get a real opportunity to earn playing time his second year in the NBA. Unfortunately, his sophomore season (so far) has been going much like his rookie year had gone -- with J.J. mired down the depth chart behind other guards, often ending up with the dreaded DNP-CD after games. As a competitive person, this is not where J.J. expected to be, but he continues to work hard and stay ready so that when his number is called, he's more than prepared to jump in and help his team win games.

(Bio by Lara):

What makes a great athlete? They come in all shapes, sizes and colors. They come from every type of background imaginable. Some have the world fed to them on a silver spoon; some face down every kind of adversity to get to the top of their games. The one thing they all have in common is desire. That drive to be the best, to spend more time at practice than the other guy, to turn 95% into 100%, to make the people around them winners as well - that's what sets an athlete apart.

Jonathan Clay was born in Cookeville, Tennessee to Ken and Jeanie Redick on June 24, 1984. Twin sisters Alyssa and Catie preceded him by several years and are responsible for nicknaming him “J.J.”, a moniker which has stuck ever since. Younger brother David came along a few years after J.J., followed by sister Abby about four years after that. In between, the Redick clan picked up and headed for Roanoke, Virginia, where they still make their home today.

Where does the best shot in the college game come from? From studying the greats of the game over and over until you learn how to make the ball rotate like they do. From endless practice. From turning lemons (breaking both your wrists in one year - one of them twice) into lemonade (learning to shoot with either hand using just your fingertips.)

All the Redick kids were home-schooled in the early part of their lives. J.J. switched to public school in the fifth grade, and he was already absorbed in his pursuit of the perfect shot. He spent hour after hour shooting at the basket hung at the end of a driveway he describes as “a third dirt, a third gravel and a third grass.” Further inspiration came from watching his big sisters head to Campbell University to play four years of basketball themselves.

By the time he was a junior at Roanoke's Cave Spring High School, J.J. was on every college's radar screen as a recruit. That's a no-brainer when you average 20 points per game in your freshman and sophomore years. His high school accomplishments form a lengthy and impressive list. Highlights include being named not only a McDonald's All-American but the Most Valuable Player at the McDonald's game. He also won the three-point competition at that venue, naturally. J.J. was named Virginia Player of the Year by four different groups his senior year, and more importantly, led the Cave Spring team to the 2002 AAA State Championship. That's quite a high school career - and doesn't even take into account the two national-championship AAU teams for which he played.

Every recruiting expert had J.J. as one of the top 50 players in the country, and one of the top ten guards. He could have gone to school pretty much anywhere. But ever since he watched the Blue Devils win their second national championship in 1992, he had dreamed of playing for Coach K at Duke, and no amount of wooing from other schools could change his mind. He committed to Duke before his junior year of high school and never looked back.

How do you become the NCAA's all-time leader in free throw percentage? First, you come to the realization that it will be your only chance to score without being dogged by the opposing defense. Your only chance to loft that beautiful shot without first having to roll off a screen, pump fake and duck under someone's outstretched arm. Then you practice. And learn to tune out the shouts and taunts of enemy arenas. And practice some more. Develop total confidence in your shot. Then go back to practicing.

J.J. made an immediate impact in his first year at Duke, averaging 15 points per game and finishing second in the voting for ACC Rookie of the Year. The team, however, lost to Kansas in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA tournament. The Blue Devils redoubled their efforts for 2003-04, working hard to improve their games. J.J. set an ACC record by making 54 consecutive free throws at one point in the season, and he led the ACC in free-throw percentage at .953. Led by veteran point guard Chris Duhon's gritty performance, Duke fought their way all the way to the Final Four. Sadly, the journey ended there for 2004, but it only served to further motivate the returning players for the coming year.

J.J. vowed the Blue Devils would return to the Final Four in 2005. They didn't quite get there, but he certainly did everything in his power as a co-captain to lead the team. After feeling like he wore down in 2004, he spent the summer after San Antonio working on his conditioning. He dropped 25 pounds, becoming noticeably leaner and quicker. He's added more and more to his game, including an array of head fakes and drives to the basket and a suffocating defensive presence.

He finished the regular season as the leading scorer in the ACC, despite now being the guy that opposing defenses key on with their game plans. After scoring 76 points in three games, he was named the MVP of the ACC Tournament. That was followed by ACC Player of the Year, Naismith Trophy Finalist, AP First Team All-American, NABC First Team All-American, Adolf Rupp All-America Team and ESPN First Team All-American honors.

Over the summer, J.J. played for USA Basketball's U21 Team, representing the nation in the world championships in Argentina, and he continued to work hard on his conditioning. As the 2005-06 season begins, Duke is the unanimous pick to win the ACC and the nearly unanimous preseason number one across the national polls. J.J. has been named a preseason All-American candidate once more. With a core of returning veterans and the addition of a superb freshman class, Duke is poised to dominate the game this year.

Outside of basketball, J.J.'s life includes majoring in history and minoring in cultural anthropology at Duke. He unwinds by writing poetry, some of which has now been published in Sports Illustrated. He cites Tupac Shakur, Nas and Bruce Springsteen as his favorite writers. No doubt he identifies with the struggles in their verses; not so much a struggle to survive in his case, but the constant struggle to become a better player and a better leader and a better man. He seems to have taken the Boss' words to heart: “No retreat, baby, no surrender."