The Shot Heard Around The World: How I Went From The Playground To The White House

Dereck Whittenburg’s journey of wanting to become a basketball player begins while watching a nationally televised game where he sees his cousin and future NBA Hall of Famer, David Thompson, winning the 1974 National Championship at NC State. From that moment, Whittenburg decided that he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his cousin and dreamed of not just becoming a Wolfpack, but to also being a part of a National Championship team himself.In his early years as a basketball player at William Wirt Junior High, Whittenburg got the attention of one of the scouts from DeMatha High School. While scoring 41 points during one of his games, the scout then went and expressed to the Legendary Iconic Coach, Morgan Wootten, that he needed to take a look at Whittenburg to try and recruit him. At the time, Whittenburg had no idea that he had done anything spectacular or that he had gotten any attention for the way he had played, however, that game became just the beginning to his journey of becoming one of Prince George’s County basketball legends.After graduating from William Wirth Junior High, Whittenburg’s plans were to attend his local high school and to continue on with his dream of becoming a star player. A woman by the name Ms. Pat Orbourne, who was the mother of one of Whittenburgs close friends, expressed to him that he should consider going to DeMatha High School. Unfortunately, DeMatha was a private school and Whittenburg’s parents would have to pay tuition. Ms. Pat Orbourne then took it upon herself to meet with Whittenburgs parents to discuss the matter, and the rest is history. Whittenburg becomes a Stag and goes on to become a star player alongside fellow teammate, Sidney Lowe.After graduating from DeMatha, both Whittenburg and Sidney Lowe, chose to attend the University of North Carolina State. Unfortunately, Wolfpack head coach, Norman Sloan, decided to leave the university and coach at the University of Florida. The team scrambled most of the summer to find a replacement head coach and that’s where the story of Coach Jimmy Valvano begins. In his autobiography, Whittenburg not only reveals many untold stories of his years as a player at NC State, but he also brings the reader closer to many unanswered questions regarding Coach Valvano’s unfortunate dealings in having to resign as head coach as well as his situation while fighting cancer.Whittenburg’s “pass” to win the 1983 National Championship game with just seconds left on the clock to defeat the mighty Houston Cougars, who were led by future Hall of Famers Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler, will forever be remembered as one of the most memorable plays in sports history. Although Whittenburg understands that he also wants people to know that he has accomplished many great things since that memorable moment. After being cut by the Phoenix Suns and playing just one season overseas in France, Whittenburg quickly realized that his dreams of becoming a basketball player in the NBA was no longer a part of the plan.Aside from Whittenburg wanting to share his basketball journey, he also wanted to use his story as a reminder that life isn’t over when things don’t go according to plan. Throughout his story, he expresses the importance of being a great listener, respecting your parents, and also the importance of having great friendships. Although many people will remember Whittenburg that memorable moment in the 1983 Championship game, he still continues to empower others to fulfill their dreams. He wants to encourage the youth to know and understand who you are and where you came from. Read more