Obie Trotter

Obie Trotter

Position	Point guard
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight	180 lb (82 kg)
League	Hungarian Basketball National Championship (Hungary)
Team	Szolnoki Olaj KK
Born	February 9, 1984 (1984-02-09) (age 27) Robertsdale, Alabama
Nationality	American, Hungarian
College	Alabama A&M
Pro career	2006–present
Career history	Gießen 46ers (2006–08) Étendard de Brest (2008–09) Torpan Pojat (2009–10) Szolnoki Olaj KK (2010–present)
Awards	3x First Team All-SWAC (2004–06) 2x All-SWAC Defensive Team (2005–06) SWAC Player of the Year (2005) NCAA season steals leader (2006) SWAC "Player of the Decade" (2010) EuroBasket.com "Guard of the Year" in Finland (2010)

Obadiah Nelson "Obie" Trotter (born February 9, 1984) is an American and Hungarian professional basketball player. As of the 2010–11 basketball season, he plays for Szolnoki Olaj KK in the Hungarian Basketball National Championship.^[1] He is 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m), weighs 180 lbs. and plays the point guard position. He received Hungarian citizenship in June 20, 2011.^[1]

A native of Robertsdale^[2] in Baldwin County, Alabama, Trotter had received interest from more established, higher tier mid-major NCAA Division I basketball programs in high school, but he ended up playing at Alabama A&M because his mother wanted him coached by a "godly man."^[3] She felt that head coach L. Vann Pettaway fit the bill, and so Trotter became an Alabama A&M Bulldog.^[3]

College career

Trotter's collegiate career spanned from 2002–03 to 2005–06. He played in 114 career games and led the team in scoring in each of his final three seasons.^[4][3] Trotter averaged 18.1, 15.3 and 19.2 points per game, respectively, during that stretch.^[3] By the time he graduated he had become the most decorated men's basketball player in school history: three-time First Team All-Conference, two-time All-America, two-time conference defensive player of the year, one-time Southwestern Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year, one-time SWAC Tournament MVP, a winner of both the regular season and conference championships in 2004–05, a one-time NCAA Division I season steals leader, and at the time of his graduation, the holder of the eighth highest career steals total (346) in college basketball history.^[5] Upon the conclusion of the 2009–10 season he was named the "SWAC Player of the Decade" for the years spanning between 2000 and 2010, according to Rivals.com.^[5]

Trotter finished with 1,726 points, 483 rebounds, 466 assists, 346 steals and 228 three-point field goals made.^[4] Despite his statistically solid collegiate career, Trotter went undrafted in the 2006 NBA Draft and decided to take his game overseas.

Professional career

The first professional team he signed with was Gießen 46ers in Germany's Basketball Bundesliga.^[1] Trotter played for two seasons with the team, appearing in 54 total games, while averaging 9.6 points, 2.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game.^[1] He then spent the 2008–09 season in France's Ligue Nationale de Basketball B-League for Étendard de Brest before one season in Finland playing for Torpan Pojat.^[1] It was during his one-year stint in Finland that he garnered the most personal accolades in his professional career to date; Eurobasket.com named him their Finnish Guard of the Year, All-League First Team and All-League Imports Team. After that season ended, Trotter signed with Szolnoki Olaj KK and plays for them as of the 2010–11 season.^[1]

See also

• List of NCAA Division I men's basketball season steals leaders
• List of NCAA Division I men's basketball career steals leaders

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} "Player Profiles: Obie Trotter". Court Side. http://www.court-side.com/p/PC0080B377F1DBF7FC12576F9003D0891. Retrieved January 16, 2011. 
2. ^ Obie Trotter. sports.espn.go.com. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
3. ^ ^{a b c d} ESPN Editors (2009) (PDF). ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. New York, NY: ESPN, Inc.. pp. 66. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2. http://books.google.com/books?id=g42TyP-V5C8C&lpg=PP1&dq=espn%20college%20basketball%20encyclopedia&pg=PR77#v=onepage&q=trotter&f=false. 
4. ^ ^{a b} "Obie Trotter". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2011. http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/t/trottob01.html. Retrieved January 16, 2011. 
5. ^ ^{a b} "Former Bulldog Obie Trotter Named SWAC Player of the Decade". Alabama A&M University. April 30, 2010. http://aamusports.com/news/2010/4/30/MBB_0430103914.aspx. Retrieved January 16, 2011. 

External links

• Alabama A&M statistics @ sports-reference.com

Persondata
Name	Trotter, Obie
Alternative names
Short description	American basketball player
Date of birth	February 9, 1984
Place of birth	Robertsdale, Alabama
Date of death
Place of death