Michael Beasley

His 26.2 points (3rd in the nation) and nation-leading 12.4 rebounds were the most by a Big 12 player in any season.

His 866 total points and 408 rebounds ranked third and second among all freshmen in NCAA history.

He also led the nation in double-doubles (28), 40-point games (three), 30-point, 10-rebound games (13), and 20-point, 10-rebound games (22).

With his 33-point, 14-rebound effort against Colorado on March 4, he eclipsed Mitch Richmond's 20-year-old school single-season points record (768; 1987–88), while he broke the Big 12 record for double-doubles in a season with his 26th for the year.

Michael Paul Beasley Jr. (born January 9, 1989) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).

He is regarded as one of the best freshman college basketball players of the 2000s.

Though he is ambidextrous, he shoots left-handed.

Beasley was born in the Prince George's County town of Cheverly, Maryland.

His 28 double-doubles broke the freshman double-double record previously held by Carmelo Anthony who had 22 double-doubles in his only season at Syracuse in 2002–03.

Beasley attended a total of six high schools: Bowie High School in Bowie, Maryland, National Christian Academy in Fort Washington, Maryland (where he averaged 30 points and 10 rebounds per game in his freshman year, 2003–04), The Pendleton School in Bradenton, Florida, Riverdale Baptist School in Upper Marlboro, Maryland (28 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocks per game as a sophomore, 2004–05), Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia (20.1 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game as a junior, 2005–06), and Notre Dame Preparatory School in Fitchburg, Massachusetts.

Some of the key conference victories were a win at Oklahoma and, a home victory against Texas A&M, and a victory against then-unbeaten No. 2 Kansas, marking the first time in over four years that Kansas State defeated a Top 10 team at home (Kansas State beat No. 10 Texas, 58–48 on March 6, 2004), the first time K-State beat Kansas in Manhattan since 1983 and the first-ever victory against the Jayhawks in Bramlage Coliseum.

The win partially backed up a boast he had made before the season about K-State's prospects against the Jayhawks:

"We're going to beat Kansas at home. We're going to beat them in their house. We're going to beat them in Africa. Wherever we play, we're going to beat them."

He is just the 27th player in NCAA Division I history to post 26 or more double-doubles in a season and the first since Utah's Andrew Bogut (26) did it in 2004–05.

Beasley's mother Fatima Smith and his four siblings (two brothers and two sisters) moved from nearby Montgomery County to Frederick in 2005 and lived there for one year.

While growing up, Beasley played for one of the country's most successful AAU youth teams at the time, the PG Jaguars.

Beasley won multiple national championships with this team alongside future fellow blue-chip recruits Kevin Durant (Texas) and Chris Braswell (Charlotte).

Beasley later moved on to play AAU ball for DC Assault's 17 & Under team, playing alongside such players as future KSU teammate Ron Anderson, Nolan Smith (Duke), Chris Wright (Georgetown), Austin Freeman (Georgetown), and Julian Vaughn (Georgetown).

As a high school senior, he averaged 28 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 4.5 blocks per game for the 2006–07 season.

During his senior season he had single-game highs of 64 points and 31 rebounds.

In 2006, Beasley was a second-team Parade All-American and was also named to the 2006 USA Men's U18 National Team member on June 26, 2006.

Beasley averaged team highs of 13.8 ppg.

and 8.3 rpg at the 2006 FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Men in San Antonio, Texas.

He ranked fifth in rebounds per game (8.3 rpg) among all 2006 tournament leaders, and he ranks third all-time in the USA Men's U18 record book.

He was named to the McDonald's All-American team.

In the 2007 McDonald's All-American Boys Game, he won the MVP with 23 points and 12 rebounds.

Rivals.com rated Beasley No. 1 in the class of 2007 high school basketball prospects.

Beasley began his freshman year at Kansas State in the fall of 2007.

In the 2007–2008 regular season, Beasley was one of the most dominant players in the country.

He played college basketball for Kansas State University for one year before declaring for the NBA draft in 2008.

Beasley was the 2nd pick in the 2008 NBA draft and was selected by the Miami Heat.

On February 23, 2008, Beasley scored a Big 12 record 44 points in a 92–86 loss at Baylor.

(This mark has since been matched by Kansas State's Denis Clemente. ) Beasley became known as an unstoppable force when shooting, finishing the season shooting 53.7 percent from the field (282 of 525).

He also finished the season shooting 39.5 percent from 3-point range.

Beasley holds 30 Kansas State career, single-season and freshman records as well as 17 Big 12 single-game and single-season marks.

Beasley guided the Wildcats to a 20–10 record and a 10–6 Big 12 Conference record.

On March 1, 2008, his boast did not come true, as Kansas won the return match in Lawrence, 88–74 despite 39 points and 11 rebounds from Beasley.

He matched a Big 12 record by equaling former Kansas player Drew Gooden's record for most double-doubles in a season (25).

Beasley led the Wildcats to a 10–6 record in conference play, earning a number 3 seed in the 2008 Big 12 men's basketball tournament at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri.

The Wildcats faced the No. 6 seed Texas A&M Aggies and lost 77–71.