Player Bio

Darius Kinnard Garland was born in 2000 in Gary, Indiana to Winston and Felicia Garland. His father played seven years in the NBA with five different teams during the 80s and 90s. Garland attended the Brentwood Academy in Tennessee, where he won four state championships. He went from averaging 18.6 points as a sophomore to 23.4 as a junior to 27.6 as a senior, taking home the honor of Tennessee Mr. Basketball in each of those years. In 2018, Garland was also named Gatorade Tennessee Player of the Year as well as being a McDonald's All-American, Jordan Brand Classic All-Star, and Nike Hoop Summit invitee. You can follow him on Twitter (@dariusgarland22) and Instagram (@darius_garland). If you blinked, you might have missed Garland's collegiate career. He played just five games for Vanderbilt after being one of the most decorated recruits in Commodore history. The 6-foot-2 guard injured his meniscus and did not play after Nov. 23. The three-time Mr. Basketball in Tennessee had showed off some of his scoring acumen in the early going. He debuted with 24 points in a win over Winthrop. He had his best scoring effort in the game before he was injured. Garland scored 33 points on 12-for-18 shooting from the field, including five three-pointers. It was the second most by a freshman in Vanderbilt history. Garland injured his knee in the first minutes of the loss to Kent State. By January, the guard announced that he had left the team and was preparing for the 2019 NBA Draft. He was chosen by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the fifth overall pick.