Damian Lillard at Weber State University

Damian Lillard, the All-Star point guard for the Portland Trail Blazers, played college basketball at Weber State University from 2008 to 2011. Lillard quickly made a name for himself as a talented player, earning numerous accolades and setting records during his tenure at WSU.

In his freshman year, Lillard was voted as the Big Sky Freshman of the Year and was also named to the All-Conference First Team. He also earned accolades from collegeinsider.com, making their Freshman Mid-Major All-America Team. He helped lead his team to a 21-10 overall record and a championship in the Big Sky Conference.

As a sophomore, Lillard was voted the 2009-10 Big Sky Conference MVP and earned First Team All-Conference honors for a second year in a row. He was also named Honorable Mention All-American by the Associated Press and Second Team All-District VIII on the National Associations of Basketball Coaches team. He led the Big Sky Conference in overall scoring at 19.9 points per game, and set a Weber State University record by scoring 617 points that year.

Lillard suffered a foot injury that forced him to miss most of the 2010-2011 season, but because he played in less than 30 percent of WSU’s games he received a medical redshirt season. In nine games, Lillard averaged 19.7 points and 4.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, while shooting nearly 44 percent from the field.

Lillard had an impressive season his junior year at Weber State, culminating in him being named an All-American by the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the Associated Press. He was also the Big Sky Conference MVP and Player of the Year, helping his team to a 25-7 overall record and 14-2 record in Big Sky Conference play. Throughout the season, Lillard set records for scoring in Weber State history, and finished second in the nation with an average of 24.5 points per game. He was incredibly consistent throughout the year, scoring in double figures in all 32 games and scoring 20 or more points 22 times. In two games, he even scored over 40 points! Lillard was also very successful from the free throw line, shooting 88.7% for the season, which was good enough for third place on Weber State's all-time list. He also ranked 15th in threes made per game and 12th in free throw percentage nationwide. Clearly, Damian Lillard was one talented basketball player, even back in college.