William (Bill) Wesley Willoughby (b. May 20 1957 in Englewood, New Jersey) is an American former professional Basketball player. After graduating from Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood, he was selected by the Atlanta Hawks in the 1975 NBA Draft as the first pick in the second round (19th overall), bypassing college for a chance to play professionally. He, along with Darryl Dawkins, were the first high school students to be drafted into the NBA.
Playing career[]
While Moses Malone (drafted into the ABA out of high school in 1974) and Dawkins enjoyed more successful professional careers, Willoughby had a career that was undistinguished. He was a journeyman who played for six different NBA teams in eight years, before his career ended with the New Jersey Nets in 1984, at the age of 26.
Post career[]
Though he later regretted skipping college, Willoughby eventually received his degree in communications from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 2001, at the age of 44.
He has since become a vocal advocate in support of education.
Willoughby currently resides in Hackensack, New Jersey.[1]
Bibliography[]
- http://basketball-reference.com/players/w/willobi01.html
- http://www.databasebasketball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=WILLOBI01
- http://www.cleveland.com/nba/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/sports/116332455998560.xml&coll=2
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
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