Dererk Pardon
Dererk Devonte Pardon (born October 1, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for Medi Bayreuth of the Basketball Bundesliga. He played college basketball for the Northwestern Wildcats.
Pardon with Reggiana in December 2019 | |
No. 0 – Medi Bayreuth | |
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Position | Power forward |
League | Basketball Bundesliga |
Personal information | |
Born | October 1, 1996 |
Nationality | American |
Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
Listed weight | 235 lb (107 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | Villa Angela-St. Joseph (Cleveland, Ohio) |
College | Northwestern (2015–2019) |
NBA draft | 2019 / Undrafted |
Playing career | 2019–present |
Career history | |
2019–2020 | Reggiana |
2020–present | Medi Bayreuth |
Early life and high school career
Pardon did not start playing basketball until seventh grade. As a freshman at Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School in Cleveland, Ohio, he played for the junior varsity team, despite being recruited by the football coach. He moved up to varsity in his sophomore season and won a Division III state title alongside five-star recruit Carlton Bragg Jr., though in a limited role.[1] He averaged 11.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game as a junior.[2] As a senior, Pardon averaged 12.3 points and 11 rebounds per game, while recording a school-record 101 blocks, and led his team to a second Division III state championship.[3] In the title game, he posted 15 points, 12 rebounds and nine blocks.[4] On June 7, 2014, Pardon committed to play college basketball for Northwestern over offers from Xavier and Pittsburgh, among others. He was a three-star recruit.[2]
College career
Pardon initially redshirted his true freshman season at Northwestern. However, he burned his redshirt in December due to a rash of injuries.[1] In his second game with Northwestern, on December 30, 2015, Pardon recorded a career-high 28 points and 12 rebounds in an 81–72 win over Nebraska.[5] In his freshman season, he averaged 6.7 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.[3] On January 26, 2017, in a 73–61 victory over Nebraska, Pardon posted 19 points and a career-high 22 rebounds, the most single-game rebounds by a Northwestern player since Jim Pitts in 1965.[6] On March 1, he made a game-winning layup as time expired from a full-court inbound pass to defeat Michigan, 67–65. The victory helped Northwestern secure its first-ever NCAA Tournament berth.[7] As a sophomore, Pardon averaged 8.6 points, eight rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game.[3]
In his junior season, he averaged 11.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game, with a school-record .619 field goal percentage, and was an honorable mention All-Big Ten Conference selection by the media.[3][8] On December 1, 2018, Pardon recorded a senior season-high 24 points and 10 rebounds in a 68–66 loss to Indiana.[9] As a senior, he averaged 14 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game and was an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection by the media and coaches. Pardon finished as Northwestern's all-time leader in career field goal percentage at .603.[10]
Professional career
Pardon played for the Orlando Magic at 2019 NBA Summer League.[11] On July 17, 2019, he signed with Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA).[12] On December 29, Pardon recorded a season-high 16 points, shooting 6-of-6 from the field, and five rebounds in a 96–88 win over Virtus Roma.[13] On March 1, 2020, it was announced that he would miss about two months of action with a left hand injury suffered in practice.[14] Pardon parted ways with Reggio Emilia two days later to undergo hand surgery in the United States. He finished the season averaging 6.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.[15]
On June 30, 2020, he has signed with Medi Bayreuth of the Basketball Bundesliga.[16]
Personal life
Pardon is the son of Cynthia and Donald Parham.[2]
References
- Goldsmith, Charlie (February 3, 2019). "Love, pain and post ups: The incredible rise of Dererk Pardon". The Daily Northwestern. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- Kampf, John (June 7, 2014). "High school boys basketball: VASJ's Dererk Pardon commits to Northwestern". The News-Herald. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- "Dererk Pardon - 2018-19". Northwestern University Athletics. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- Hooper, Alex (March 28, 2015). "Villa Angela-St. Joseph boys basketball team wins Division III state championship". The News-Herald. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- Rosenthal, Brian (December 30, 2015). "Pardon the interruption: Freshman paces 'Cats past Nebraska". Lincoln Journal Star. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
- Skrbina, Paul (January 27, 2017). "Northwestern's Dererk Pardon rebounds in a big way". The Capital. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
- Gleeson, Scott (March 1, 2017). "'Greatest play in Northwestern history' helps Wildcats beat Michigan". USA Today. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
- Rosenberg, Benjamin (June 23, 2019). "Vic Law, Dererk Pardon sign with Orlando Magic". The Daily Northwestern. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
- Stewart, Cameron (December 1, 2018). "Dererk Pardon has 24 points, 10 rebounds in Northwestern's 68-66 loss to Indiana". The News-Herald. Associated Press. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
- "Law, Pardon Earn Honorable Mention All-Big Ten Recognition". Northwestern University Athletics. March 11, 2019. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
- Cohen, Josh (July 2, 2019). "2019 Summer League: Dererk Pardon's Strengths". Orlando Magic. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- Carchia, Emiliano (July 17, 2019). "Reggio Emilia signs rookie Dererk Pardon". Sportando. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- Cavazzoni, Paolo (December 29, 2019). "Basket, Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia – Virtus Roma 96-88: le pagelle". Reggionline (in Italian). Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- Manzi, Francesco (March 1, 2020). "Dererk Pardon si frattura la mano: out due mesi" (in Italian). BasketUniverso. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- Carchia, Emiliano (March 3, 2020). "Dererk Pardon, Reggio Emilia part ways". Sportando. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- "2. Neuzugang: Heroes of Tomorrow verpflichten Big Man Dererk Pardon" (in German). medi-bayreuth.de. June 30, 2020. Retrieved September 7, 2020.