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Overview

The son of former major league outfielder, Darryl Strawberry, Sr., D.J. came into his own offensively during his last two seasons. Regarded as one of the best-conditioned athletes in the 2007 NBA Draft, he was also a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference's All-Defensive Team as a junior and senior. At the 2007 Orlando pre-draft camp, he scored the best of all 80 prospects in the agility tests, further improving his second round draft stock.

The only Terrapin to start all of the team's games over the last two seasons, Strawberry scored 834 of his 1,126 career points during that span. Head coach Gary Williams called his team's 2006-07 Most Valuable Player, "one of the best all-around guards in the country and has earned a national reputation as that type of player. He has sacrificed for us by playing point guard, but I think this is his time where it all comes together for him."

At Mater Dei High School, Strawberry averaged 13.1 points per game and 4.4 rebounds in leading the team to a 35-2 record and the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) state title as a senior. He also averaged 2.3 assists per game and two steals, as he garnered first- team All-CIF accolades his final year. He merited All-Sierra League and All-Orange County honors as a junior and senior.

In his final season, Strawberry was given the daunting task of guarding LeBron James, as the Monarchs took on St. Vincent's-St. Mary's. He held James to 33 percent field-goal shooting, including an 0-for-8 performance from 3 point range. He also forced James into seven turnovers.

As a freshman at Maryland, Strawberry saw action in 31 games and led all Terrapin freshmen with an average of 20 minutes per game in 2003-04, earning honorable mention Atlantic Coast Conference All-Freshman team honors. He recorded at least one steal in 24 games and finished third among Terps' players with 51 thefts (1.65 steals per game). He also averaged 6.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.

In 2004-05, Strawberry was limited to 14 games, including three starts, before he was shut down for the season's final 18 contests with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee that he suffered while making a cut in practice. He averaged 21.4 minutes, 7.1 points, 1.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per appearance. He also recorded multiple steals in eight of his 14 games played.

As a junior, Strawberry was the only Terrapin to start all 32 games in 2005-06. He was named All-ACC Defensive Team honorable mention. He averaged 10.3 points and 3.4 rebounds per game, leading the team and ranking sixth in the ACC with 1.6 steals per game. He also led the Terps and ranked seventh in the league with 4.0 assists per contest and ranked tenth in the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.36). He became the eighth Terrapin in the last 20 years to lead the team in assists and steals in the same season, as he also scored in double figures 19 times and recorded at least three steals in 10 games.

In 2006-07, Strawberry earned All-ACC second-team and ACC All-Defensive first-team honors. The team MVP logged 1,083 minutes of action in 34 games, as he was also chosen to the USBWA's All-District III squad. He scored in double figures in all 25 Maryland wins this season, leading the team in minutes played, field goals made (184), field goals attempted (386), free throws made (102), free-throw attempts (149), steals (69) and points scored (505 for a 14.9 average). He averaged 4.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game and had at least one steal in 30 of the Terps' 34 games, including 16 straight.

In 111 games at Maryland, Strawberry logged 2,991 minutes of playing time (26.9 mpg). He hit on 46.1 percent of his field goals (398 of 864) with a 33-percent mark from 3-point range (70 of 212) and 64 percent from the charity stripe (260 of 406). He dished out 317 assists (2.9 per game) and had 200 steals (1.8 stp) while averaging 3.3 rebounds per game (370 total). He blocked 47 shots, was charged with 269

Personal

fouls (2.4 pg) and had 243 turnovers (2.2 tpg).

Scouting Report

Positives: Has a well-built frame with solid upper-body definition, minimal body fat, great lateral agility, and a tapered lower half...Gets excellent elevation, showing timing on his leaps to attack the offensive boards and a quick release point to get his shots over the taller defenders...Efficient ball handler who uses his arm length well to alter shots or make attempts to steal the ball...Applies great pressure defense and has the hand quickness to take his man off the dribble...Has good court vision and quick, natural hands to pass or catch the ball cleanly...Alert to double teams, doing a nice job of pushing the ball around in attempts to find the open teammate...Has more than enough strength to attack the rim vs. bigger defenders and drives hard to the basket, generally drawing contact on his way to the rim...Lacks the size of a small forward, but has the power to box out the bigger men when fighting for position...Has a quick first step to separate and slash to the basket, even when the defender matches face-up against him...Has enough ball-handling skills to gain extra minutes at point guard (played that spot in 2005-06, earning ACC Defensive Team honors)...Consistent finisher in transition and has shown marked improvement when executing his jumper from the perimeter...Has the balance to pull up off the dribble and fire the ball, but is best when he penetrates, as his strength forces the defense to make contact or double-team him...Keeps his hands very active to alter shots or disrupt the passing lane...More comfortable passing the ball off in transition...Generally shows the patience to wait for lanes to open, but does draw contact when operating inside the paint (poor free-throw shooter who needs to generate a quicker release point, though)...Has the explosive initial step to attack the basket regularly on the fast break (rare to see him get pushed outside when in the lane).

Negatives: Built more like a point guard, but he lacks the instinctive feel necessary for that position...Best in an up-tempo attack, as he tends to out-think himself in slower-paced games and will force up his shots rather than look for the open outlet when he tries to get into the offensive rhythm for too long...Has decent mid-range shooting ability, but needs to improve the ball's trajectory shooting behind the arc (lacks the ability to consistently connect from outside the 12- to 15-foot range)...A scrappy defender could have good success altering his shot due to his high dribble...Is just starting to develop his mid-range jump shot and must realize that he doesn't have the range to keep taking all of shots from the perimeter (35 of 102 3-pointers last year)...Has too much confidence in his strength at times, and will try to force his way to the rim when lanes are clogged...Not the type that can create his own shot, but has shown improvement.

Compares To: ERIC SNOW, Cleveland. Strawberry has experience at the point to log a few minutes per game there at the next level, but is better off as a "two" guard. Like Snow, his offense is a work in progress, but he is a dominating face-up defender with excellent strength and overall athletic talent. He needs to bulk up more to play shooting guard at the NBA level, but is more the type that will get 15-20 minutes playing pressure defense rather than relied upon to attack the basket. He has a developing mid-range shot, but offers little shooting from the outside.

Orlando Pre-Draft Camp Measurements:

6-6 1/2 Wingspan...8-5 Standing Reach...4.5 percent Body Fat...35-inch Vertical Leap...185-pound benchpress: 21 reps...10.87 Lane Agility...3.14 Court Sprint (3/4).

High School:

Attended Mater Dei (Corona, Cal.) High School, where he averaged 13.1 points per game and 4.4 rebounds in leading the team to a 35-2 record and the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) state title as a senior...Also averaged 2.3 assists per game and two steals, as he garnered first- team All-CIF accolades his final year...Added All-Serra League and All-Orange County first-team honors as a junior and senior...In his final year, Strawberry was given the daunting task of guarding LeBron James, as the Monarchs took on St. Vincent's-St. Mary's. He held James to .333 field-goal shooting, including an 0-for-8 3-point shooting performance and also forced James into seven turnovers...Scored 12 points as a participant in Baltimore's Charm City Challenge in April 2003...Added 13 points as he participated in the Jordan Capital Classic Blue/White game at MCI Center later that month.

Personal

Communications major...Son of Lisa Watkins and former Major League Baseball player Darryl Strawberry...Lists the Washington Wizards as his favorite NBA team and Michael Jordan as his favorite professional basketball player...Born 6/15/85...Resides in Corona, California.

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