Eric Montross

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Eric Montross
Montross in 2016
Personal information
Born(1971-09-23)September 23, 1971
Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
DiedDecember 17, 2023(2023-12-17) (aged 52)
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, U.S.
Listed height7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Listed weight250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
High schoolLawrence North
(Indianapolis, Indiana)
CollegeNorth Carolina (1990–1994)
NBA draft1994: 1st round, 9th overall pick
Selected by the Boston Celtics
Playing career1994–2002
PositionCenter
Number0, 00
Career history
1994–1996Boston Celtics
1996–1997Dallas Mavericks
1997New Jersey Nets
1997Philadelphia 76ers
1997–2001Detroit Pistons
2001–2002Toronto Raptors
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points2,071 (4.5 ppg)
Rebounds2,159 (4.6 rpg)
FG%.490
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
Men's Basketball
Representing  United States
Pan American Games
Bronze medal – third place 1991 Havana Team Competition

Eric Scott Montross (September 23, 1971 – December 17, 2023) was an American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for eight seasons with the Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, New Jersey Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons, and Toronto Raptors. Born in Indianapolis, he played for Lawrence North High School before enrolling at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to play for the Tar Heels.

High school[edit]

Playing for Lawrence North High School, he was selected as a McDonald's All American in 1990.[1] After leading Lawrence North to the Indiana high school basketball championship, Montross committed to the North Carolina Tar Heels.[2] Montross was also named to the USA Today All-American first team.[3]

Montross was also a baseball pitcher in high school and was drafted by the Chicago Cubs with the 1,547th pick overall in the 1994 MLB draft.[4]

College career[edit]

Montross was part of the UNC team that won the NCAA Championship against Michigan in 1993 and was named an All-American as a junior and senior. Montross' father and grandfather had played for Michigan.[5] His father Scott was a teammate of Cazzie Russell in the 1960s and his maternal grandfather John Townsend was an All-American in the 1930s.[6] In four seasons at UNC, Montross appeared in 139 games, averaging 11.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.[7]

Professional career[edit]

Boston Celtics (1994–1996)[edit]

Montross was selected by the Boston Celtics with the ninth overall pick in the 1994 NBA draft.[8] During his first year in the NBA, he averaged career highs of 10 points and 7.3 rebounds per game,[9] and was selected to the 1995 NBA Rookie Challenge and named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.[10][11] However, Montross would never again reach this level of production. The Celtics came under fire for selecting Montross over players such as Eddie Jones, Jalen Rose, and Aaron McKie.[12]

Dallas Mavericks (1996–1997)[edit]

Montross spent two seasons with the Celtics before being traded to the Dallas Mavericks in 1996, in exchange for a 1997 first-round draft pick and the right to swap first-round draft picks in the 1996 NBA Draft.[13][14]

New Jersey Nets (1997)[edit]

At the 1997 trade deadline, Montross, Jim Jackson, Chris Gatling, George McCloud, and Sam Cassell were traded to the New Jersey Nets for Ed O'Bannon, Khalid Reeves, Shawn Bradley and Robert Pack.[15]

Philadelphia 76ers (1997)[edit]

On the day of the 1997 NBA Draft, Montross and Jackson were traded to the Philadelphia 76ers with the draft rights of Tim Thomas and Anthony Parker for Don MacLean, Lucious Harris, Michael Cage and the draft rights of Keith Van Horn.[16][17]

Detroit Pistons (1997–2001)[edit]

In December 1997, Montross and Jerry Stackhouse were traded to the Detroit Pistons for Aaron McKie and Theo Ratliff.[18] During his tenure with the Pistons, Montross played for 167 games, starting 32 of them and averaging 1.9 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.[19][20]

Toronto Raptors (2001–2002)[edit]

In 2001, Montross and Jerome Williams were traded to the Toronto Raptors for Kornél Dávid, Tyrone Corbin and Corliss Williamson.[21]

Retirement[edit]

Montross announced his retirement on August 26, 2003, due to a foot injury and was waived by the Raptors in February 2004.[22][23] During his career, Montross averaged 4.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 0.6 blocks and 0.4 assists per game. He played in 465 games and started 288.[20]

After basketball[edit]

Montross was a color commentator on the Tar Heel Sports Network men's basketball broadcasts after Mick Mixon left to become the play-by-play voice of the Carolina Panthers.[24] He commentated alongside play-by-play caller Woody Durham and then Jones Angell for 18 years until 2023.[25]

Montross was known locally for his support for charitable causes, especially fundraising for the North Carolina Children's Hospital at UNC.[26] With the Pan American Health Organization, he co-founded an organization called Vaccine Ambassadors, which aims to distribute vaccines all over the world, especially to developing countries.[27] In 1994, partly in tribute to 16-year-old Jason Clark, a UNC cancer patient he had befriended, he started the Eric Montross Father's Day Basketball Camp, an annual event that by 2010 had raised over one million dollars for the children's hospital.[25][28] He served on the board of the Be Loud! Sophie Foundation, an organization supporting care for young cancer patients at UNC.[26][29] He also worked for the Rams Club at UNC as a principal gifts fundraiser.[8]

Death[edit]

The Montross family said in a statement in late March 2023 that Montross had recently been diagnosed with cancer and would receive treatment at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.[10] He died later that year on December 17, 2023, at age 52.[30]

Career statistics[edit]

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College[edit]

Source:[31]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1990–91 North Carolina 35 9 15.2 .587 - .612 4.2 .3 .2 .9 5.8
1991–92 North Carolina 31 25 25.3 .574 - .624 7 .6 .5 1 11.2
1992–93 North Carolina 38 36 28.3 .615 - .684 7.6 .7 .6 1.2 15.8
1993–94 North Carolina 35 35 31.7 .560 - .558 8.1 .8 .5 1.8 13.6
Career 139 105 25.2 .585 - .624 6.8 .6 .5 1.2 11.7

NBA[edit]

Source:[20]

Regular season[edit]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1994–95 Boston 78 75 29.7 .534 .000 .635 7.3 0.5 0.4 0.8 10.0
1995–96 Boston 61 59 23.5 .566 – .376 5.8 0.7 0.3 0.5 7.2
1996–97 Dallas 47 46 20.9 .460 – .294 5.0 0.7 0.2 0.7 3.9
1996–97 New Jersey 31 31 27.2 .451 – .393 9.1 0.9 0.4 1.3 5.1
1997–98 Philadelphia 20 20 16.9 .395 – .368 4.6 0.4 0.4 0.6 3.4
1997–98 Detroit 28 10 12.6 .456 – .429 3.8 0.1 0.2 0.5 2.5
1998–99 Detroit 46 2 12.5 .525 .000 .344 3.0 0.3 0.3 0.6 2.1
1999–00 Detroit 51 0 6.5 .309 – .500 1.4 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.8
2000–01 Detroit 42 20 13.5 .413 – .269 3.4 0.4 0.2 0.5 2.5
2000–01 Toronto 12 1 6.8 .353 – .200 2.4 0.3 0.3 0.3 1.1
2001–02 Toronto 49 24 13.4 .402 .000 .323 2.9 0.3 0.2 0.5 2.4
Career 465 288 18.2 .490 .000 .478 4.6 0.4 0.3 0.6 4.5

Playoffs[edit]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1995 Boston 4 4 15.5 .455 – .500 2.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 3.3
1999 Detroit 5 0 14.0 .500 – .500 2.6 0.0 0.0 0.4 1.4
2000 Detroit 2 0 2.5 – – – 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
2001 Toronto 5 0 6.2 .400 – – 2.0 0.2 0.0 0.6 0.8
Career 16 4 10.5 .455 – .500 2.1 0.1 0.0 0.3 1.5

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ "UNC Tar Heels McDonald's All-Americans". Tar Heel Times. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
  2. ^ "7-footer From Indiana Picks N. Carolina". Chicago Tribune. March 22, 1990. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
  3. ^ "Eric Montross". Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  4. ^ "1994 Chicago Cubs Picks in the MLB June Amateur Draft".
  5. ^ Lincicome, Bernie (April 5, 1993). "Dislike Michigan? Count the ways". Chicago Tribune. p. 1. ProQuest 283467358. (subscription required)
  6. ^ Adande, J. A. (April 5, 1993). "Montross Decision: No Regrets". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 98, section –.
  7. ^ "Eric Montross Stats". Archived from the original on April 30, 2015. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
  8. ^ a b "Former UNC star Eric Montross, 52, dies of cancer". ESPN. December 18, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  9. ^ Cole, Mike (December 18, 2023). "Former Celtics Lottery Pick Dies At 52 After Battle With Cancer". NESN. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  10. ^ a b Easton Jr., Ed (March 26, 2023). "Former Boston Celtics center Eric Montross reveals cancer diagnosis". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  11. ^ Tabatabaie, Cameron (December 18, 2023). "Former Celtics big man Eric Montross dies at 52". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  12. ^ Loose, Joey (April 21, 2023). "10 biggest North Carolina basketball NBA Draft busts of all time". Keeping It Heel. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  13. ^ "Celtics trade Montross, No. 1 to Mavericks". Tampa Bay Times. June 12, 1996. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  14. ^ "Celtics Trade Montross, Move Up in Draft". Los Angeles Times. June 12, 1996. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  15. ^ Canavan, Tom (February 18, 1997). "Mavericks, Nets swap 9 players". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  16. ^ Roberts, Selena (June 28, 1997). "The Nets Decide the Future Can't Wait". The New York Times. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  17. ^ Kepner, Tyler (June 28, 1997). "Nets get Van Horn from 76ers". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  18. ^ "PRO BASKETBALL; 76ers Send Stackhouse And Montross to Pistons". The New York Times. December 19, 1997. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  19. ^ "Eric Montross, former North Carolina and Pistons big man, dies at 52 after cancer fight". The Detroit News. December 18, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  20. ^ a b c "Eric Montross NBA Stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  21. ^ "Raptors pull off day's second trade". United Press International. February 22, 2001. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  22. ^ "Eric Montross Announces Retirement". Real GM. August 26, 2003. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
  23. ^ "Raptors sign Pargo, place Baxter on injured list and waive Montross". Real GM. February 25, 2004. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
  24. ^ "Montross, Steinbacher to replace Mixon on North Carolina radio". Greensboro News and Record. July 12, 2005. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  25. ^ a b Carter, Andrew (December 18, 2023). "Eric Montross was once a hero to a dying teen. He taught UNC player the word's true meaning". The News & Observer. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  26. ^ a b McConnell, Brighton (December 19, 2023). "'As Generous As They Come': Eric Montross Leaves Impact Through Cancer Research Philanthropy". Chapelboro.com. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  27. ^ Rzeppa, Brian (June 17, 2013). "Inside The League (4): A TLN Exclusive Interview With Former Celtics Top Pick Eric Montross". The League News. Archived from the original on July 4, 2013. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  28. ^ "<< N.C. Children's Promise >> Events > Eric Montross". Archived from the original on April 17, 2010. Retrieved April 28, 2010.
  29. ^ Swanson, Shelby (December 18, 2023). "UNC men's basketball, Chapel Hill community mourn the loss of Eric Montross". The Daily Tar Heel. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  30. ^ "Eric Montross passes away at 52 after battle with cancer". SB Nation. December 18, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  31. ^ "Eric Montross College Stats". Sports Reference College Basketball. Sports Reference. Retrieved December 11, 2022.

External links[edit]

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