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The talented shooting guard also played for the U.S. Select team in the Global Games prior to enrolling at Rice. The Global Games is an elite tournament for college-age players from all over the world. He was also an experienced AAU player for the Georgia Stars, a club team that was ranked third in the nation.

As a freshman at Rice in 2003-04, Almond appeared in 30 games. He averaged 10 minutes of action while also averaging 4.8 points and one rebound per game. He scored a season-high 16 points in the win at Southern Methodist and added another 16 points vs. Tulsa in a season-high 27 minutes of action.

The following year, Almond continued to play in a reserve role, appearing in 31 contests. He was on the court for 13.6 minutes per game and connected on 52.5 percent of his field-goal tries and 80.9 percent of his free throws. He finished with an average of 7.2 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. He scored in double-digits nine times, including a season-high 19 points vs. Rockhurst and 18 points at Louisiana Tech.

As a junior, Almond started 24 of 28 games for the Owls. He earned All-Conference USA first-team honors and was named to the CollegeInsider.com All-American squad. He added NABC and USBWA All-District first-team accolades and led the conference in scoring (ranked 15th nationally) with an average of 21.9 points per game. He set a Conference USA scoring record with a 25.1 average in league games and his 612 points scored is the sixth-best in a season at Rice.

Almond tied for first on the team and 10th in C-USA in rebounding at 5.8 per game, getting 49 of his 163 boards off the offensive glass. He scored a career-high and C-USA season-high 40 points in a win over SMU and posted six 30-point games, including four in a row vs. conference foes. He led the team with four double-doubles and also led all of the league's guards by hitting on 50 percent of his field goals (224 of 448). He ranked third in the league at the free-throw line at 79.5 percent and led the Owls with 48 3-pointers made at 44.4-percent clip. He also tied for the team lead with 39 steals and was second on the squad with 19 blocks, including four from 3-point distance. He declared for the 2006 NBA Draft, but withdrew his name from the early entry list when he learned he was not projected to be a first-round selection.

In 2006-07, Almond was named Conference USA Player of the Year, adding All-American second-team accolades from The NBA Draft Report and honorable mention from the Associated Press. He finished the year as the nation's third-leading scorer at 26.4 points a game. He ranked second on the school's season-record chart with 263 of 544 field goals, as his 77 3-point shots were the fourth-most in single-season school history.

Almond set league records for points in a game (44 vs. Vanderbilt), points in a season (844), free throws made (241), and scoring average (26.4). In addition to leading the Owls in scoring, Almond led Rice in rebounding (6.6) and in blocks with 24. He also was second on the team in steals with 38. Additionally, he averaged 24.1 points a game in Conference USA games which led all scorers and which ranks second all-time in Conference USA history behind his 25.1 ppg scored last year.

Almond was named to the 2007 National Association of Basketball Coaches All-District IX first-team and to the US Basketball Writers Association All-District VII first-team squad. He was a Wooden Award mid-season All-American and a finalist for the Naismith Award and the Senior CLASS Award. He set the Schoolseason-record by making 241 (of 285) free throws and tied a conference single-game record when he connected on 18 free throws in each of the Colorado State and Houston games. He posted six double-doubles and scored at least 10 points in all but one of his 32 games and poured in at least 20 points in 21 of those contests.

In 121 games at Rice, Almond started 56 contests. He closed out his career as the school's fourth-leading scorer with 1,825 points, averaging 15.1 points per game. He was on the court for 2,694 minutes, an average of 22.3 per game. He shot 49.2 percent from the field on 627 of 1,275 field goals, making 153 of 253 3-point attempts (43.5 percent). He sunk 418 of 507 free throws (82.4 percent, third-best in Schoolhistory). On the boards, he totaled 468 rebounds, including 121 off the offensive glass for an average of 3.9 per game. He was credited with 119 assists, 89 steals and 65 blocked shots. He was called for 207 fouls and had 262 turnovers.

Scouting Report

Positives: Has good size and bulk for the shooting guard position and shows good quickness to play the point, but his ball-handling skills are lacking in that area...Very effective shooting from mid-range and does an excellent job of drawing contact on his drives to the basket, putting him at the charity stripe often, where he was one of the best free throw shooters in the nation...Can score with either hand and is very good at executing the face-up jump shot, especially when he sets his feet properly...Creates mismatches with his quickness pushing the ball up the court and is a rapid-fire shooter who can hit from all areas on the court, whether pushing the ball into the paint, with his back to the basket, from the perimeter or further beyond 3-point range...Comes around and reads screens well and has a very high release point to get the ball over the bigger forwards that dare to defend him along the perimeter...Effective at slashing past his man when the opponent fails to face up to him and gives Almond an angle to attack...Likes to take the ball off the dribble and go left to the basket, but is less effective drawing fouls when he finishes in transition from the right side...Not the type that will fire for the sake of getting the ball up, as he has good court vision to locate the open man...Has the sudden stop-and-go action to pull up and lay down a fancy floater in the lane...Has impressive leg drive when attacking the basket and shows the ability to get opponents off their feet when working from the outside, selling his shot nicely to keep the defender fooled...Can execute precise cuts to set the defender up and is the type that moves up and down the court better without the ball in his hands (best when fed the ball so he can set his own shot rather than fire on the move)...Crafty veteran who knows how to get underneath his man to draw fouls...Has a long wingspan for a guard candidate (6-10), which he used to record 77 thefts in his last 60 games...Patient waiting for his shot to develop and doesn't force the action, preferring to feed his teammates when he feels he doesn't have a clear opportunity to score...Shows very good drive and balance when finishing after contact.

Negatives: Lacks ideal ball-handling skills and, while he can push the ball up the court, his high dribble will lead to turnovers...Adequate passer to get the ball to an open outlet, but is not the type that will pile up lots of assists operating at the wing...His marginal ball-handling skills prevent him from creating his own shot off the dribble, but once fed the ball, he can pull up and fire from mid-range...Played mostly small forward, but his size is more suited for the two-guard position in the NBA...Quick, but needs to show better explosion on his initial step to the basket...Would like to see him penetrate the lane more rather than pulling up for the long jump shot, but he has had success getting the ball into the basket...Seems to be left-side oriented, as his range when shooting from the right side, especially when coming off the dribble, is lacking...Better perimeter defender than in the paint, as he seems to be a step behind and fails to gain position...When the opponent gets aggressive with him, he will sit out on the perimeter and take long-range shots rather than try to drive the ball to the rim...Does not like physical play, even though he draws lots of fouls.

Compares To: RAY ALLEN, Seattle. Few players in this draft boast the scoring touch that Almond displays. He is a pure scorer, especially when taking the ball to the weak-side of the basket. He draws lots of fouls and is also a superb free-throw shooter. He lacks the ball-handling skills to be a point guard, but will have to shift from small forward to shooting guard at the next level. His defensive work on the perimeter is adequate, but he seems to be a step late getting down the court at times. Most of his turnovers occur while dribbling, so the less time he spends putting the ball on the floor, the better. He can hit from long distance, mid-range or under the basket, making him a nice complement for a team that has a strong passing game to feed him the ball consistently.

High School

Attended McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) High School, where he was a teammate of Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith...One of the nation's top prep players according to several publications, including HoopScoop (ranked 118th overall) and Prep Stars (123rd)...Semi-finalist for Georgia Mr. Basketball Award honors and earned second-team All-State recognition as a junior, when he averaged 24 points and 10.5 rebounds per game...Also played for the U.S. Select team in the Global Games prior to enrolling at Rice...The Global Games is an elite tournament for college-age players from all over the world...Was also an experienced AAU player for the Georgia Stars, a club team that was ranked third in the nation.

Personal

Graduated in May 2007 with a degree in Sociology...Son of Patricia and Willie Almond...Born 2/02/85 in Dalton, Georgia...Resides in Powder Springs, Georgia.

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