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Drew Gooden Player Profile

  • Bulls Draft Central 2002
    Drew Gooden Drew Gooden believes his performance in workouts will make him a top-three pick.


    May 25, 2002

    In 2001-02, Drew Gooden led Kansas University and the Big 12 in scoring and rebounding with 19.8 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. As a junior, he scored 734 points (sixth on Kansas' single-season scoring list) and grabbed 423 rebounds (second-most in a single-season in KU history). He also garnered a number of individual accolades, including ESPN The Magazine Forward of the Year, Sporting News First-Team All America and Basketball America Player of the Year honors. NBA scouts like Gooden because of his versatility, his ability crash the boards and his overall athleticism.

    The 6-10, 230-pound Gooden was at the Berto Center on Saturday for a private workout with the Bulls. After the session, in which Maybyner "Nene" Hilario of Brazil, Lonny Baxter of Maryland and Ryan Humphrey of Notre Dame were also a part of, Gooden visited with Bulls.com and the Chicago media and here is what he had to say:

    Question:
    Who have you worked out for so far? How did your workout today go?

    Drew Gooden:
    "Basically the top three teams [in the draft]: the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets and the Chicago Bulls today. Memphis is next. The format today was a longer one in terms of testing. They get with you on a lot of physical stuff and reaction, capabilities, flexibility and some off the court stuff. We tested for about two hours and then we came out here and used the ball and got to work."

    Question:
    Do you have any preference on where you'd like to go?

    Gooden:
    "Anywhere in the top three [picks]. I think after going though my workouts I've placed myself in that category."

    Question:
    Why is it that some of the Kansas University players, such as Paul Pierce and Raef LaFrentz, do so well in the NBA?

    Gooden:
    "I think that the fundamentals we learn at KU give us a nice foundation. It's a base we can start out with and build from that foundation in the league. I think that guys who come in with a good base of fundamentals have a head start on some of the others."

    Question:
    What do you know about the Bulls and how would you describe their team?

    Gooden:
    "I know a lot about the Bulls. When I was a kid I used to dream about playing next to Michael Jordan and B.J. [Armstrong] and Coach Cartwright. I might not be on the court with those guys, but I might be here. I think they are a team on the rise. They've got a lot of potential, a lot of upside and a lot of young players that are very good and are going to cause a lot of matchup problems. This team is up and coming and they just need a few more players to help rebuild this dynasty."


    DREW GOODEN STATISTICS -- UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
    SEASON G GS FGM FGA PCT FTM FTA PCT REB AST STL BL PTS AVG
    1999-00 33 8 143 317 .451 60 91 .659 248 36 24 25 351 10.6
    2000-01 28 20 166 322 .516 105 162 .648 234 47 15 29 441 15.8
    2001-02 37 36 285 566 .504 154 204 .755 423 73 65 53 734 19.8
    TOTALS 98 64 594 1205 .493 319 457 .698 905 156 104 107 1526 15.6
    Three-point field goals: 1999-00, 5-for-16 (.313); 2000-01, 4-for-10 (.400); 2001-02, 10-for-36 (.278). Totals: 19-for-62 (.306).
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