Wayne Monte "Tree" Rollins (born June 16, 1955, in Winter Haven, Florida) is a retired American professional basketball player who played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association for the Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets and Orlando Magic. He was primarily known under his playing name, Tree. The 7-foot-1-inch 275 pound Clemson graduate played center, and gained high esteem for his defense, particularly his rebounding and shot-blocking ability. He finished in the top three in blocked shots six times, leading the league during the 1982-83 NBA season. At the time of his retirement in 1995, he was fourth all-time in career blocked shots, behind only Hakeem Olajuwon, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Mark Eaton. He currently holds the seventh highest total of career blocked shots, with 2,542. His 6,750 career rebounds currently place him 89th on the all-time list. During his playing career, Rollins was given the nickname "The Intimidator".[1]
During the 1994-95 season, Rollins served as both assistant coach and backup center for the Orlando Magic. He was one-time coach of the now-defunct Greenville Groove of the National Basketball Development League (NBDL).[2]
Rollins joined the WNBA's Washington Mystics in 2006 as an assistant coach. On June 1, 2007, he was named interim head coach following Richie Adubato's resignation early in the season.[1] Rollins led the Mystics to a 17-14 record.[1] On July 19, 2008, following lopsided losses to the New York Liberty and Detroit Shock which put the Mystics at 8-14 on the season and 2½ games out of playoff position, he was relieved of his duties. The Mystics' aggregate record under Rollins over the two seasons was 25-28, second best in Mystics history. He was replaced on an interim basis by one of his assistants, Jessie Kenlaw.[3]
Awards
- First athlete in any sport at Clemson to have jersey number retired
- Only Clemson basketball player to average double/double in four straight seasons
- NBA All-Defensive Second Team, 1982-1983 season[4]
- NBA All-Defensive First Team, 1983-1984 season[4]
Notes
- ^ a b c Named to the SC State Athletic Hall of Fame 2002. Named to the 50th Anniversary ACC Men's Basketball Team 2003. Named to the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame 2007. Strong Roots Make Tree Rollins Excited About the Mystics in 2008. Posted October 29 2007
- ^ NBDL: Tree Rollins Named Greenville Head Coach
- ^ Mystics' assistant Kenlaw takes over as coach for fired Rollins
- ^ a b NBA.com: All-Defensive Teams
External links
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