Early Life and High School Career
Iguodala was born in Springfield, Illinois. He is the son of Linda Shanklin. His older brother, Frank, played for Lake Land College in Mattoon, Illinois and the University of Dayton. His mother is of African American descent while his father is of Nigerian descent. Growing up, Iguodala rooted for Michael Jordan, Penny Hardaway and the Seattle SuperSonics.
Iguodala attended high school at Lanphier High School in Springfield, Illinois, a school that had produced other athletes, most notably baseball Hall of Famer Robin Roberts and basketball guard Kevin Gamble. At Lanphier, he did well academically and athletically; he gained All-Conference academic honors, became a member of the National Honor Roll, and was a State Journal Student-Athlete of the Week several times. He led the team as a senior to a runner-up finish at the Illinois High School Association Class AA state tournament in the 2002 season. That season, he averaged 23.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. He was named Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year as well as a second team Parade All-American and Nike All-American. Iguodala was also one of the leading candidates for the Illinois Mr. Basketball award.
During the summer of 2000, he grabbed the attention of coaches around the nation as he was named the AAU national tournament Most Valuable Player after hitting the game-winning shot at the final buzzer to give his team the 17-and-under national title. Iguodala played in the 2002 Jordan Brand Classic in Washington DC. In 22 minutes of play, Iguodala put up six points on 3–6 shooting, five rebounds, two assists, three steals and a block. Aside from basketball, Iguodala gained three letters in track. Iguodala played AAU basketball under Larry Butler and the Illinois Warriors, the team that has featured other professional players such as Dwyane Wade, Quentin Richardson, and Jon Scheyer.
Read more about this topic: Andre Iguodala
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