Damon Bailey
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
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| Born |
October 21, 1971 Heltonville, Indiana |
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| Nationality | American | ||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 200 lb (91 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school |
Bedford North Lawrence (Bedford, Indiana) |
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| College | Indiana (1990–1994) | ||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 1994 / Round: 2 / Pick: 44th overall | ||||||||||||
| Selected by the Indiana Pacers | |||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1995–2004 | ||||||||||||
| Position | Point guard | ||||||||||||
| Number | 22 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| 1995–1997 | Fort Wayne Fury | ||||||||||||
| 1997 | Pau-Orthez | ||||||||||||
| 1997–1999 | Fort Wayne Fury | ||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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Medals
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Damon Bailey (born October 21, 1971) is a retired American basketball player. Bailey rose to national prominence after being recruited by Indiana coach Bob Knight as an 8th grader, an unusual event at the time. Bailey went on to become Indiana's all-time high school leading scorer and would earn All-America honors playing for the Indiana Hoosiers. He became a cult figure during the late 1980s and early 1990s in Indiana. Bailey is currently an assistant coach of the Butler University's women's basketball team.
In early 1986, when Bailey was a 14-year-old eighth-grader, Indiana coach Bob Knight watched two games featuring Bailey's team. At the time, Knight and his 1985–86 team were being covered by author John Feinstein for his book A Season on the Brink, which would later go on to be a national best-seller. After taking in the game, Knight remarked to his assistant coaches that "Damon Bailey is better than any guard we have right now. I don't mean potentially better, I mean better today." Due to the national and statewide popularity of Feinstein's book, Bailey's legend took off.
Later that year, as Bailey was entering Bedford North Lawrence High School (BNL) and Feinstein's book was being published, the acclaimed basketball movie Hoosiers was released. Comparisons between the movie and Bailey's career were frequently made. He told Sports Illustrated, "BNL had a lot in common with Hickory. Not because we're a small school. We're one of the biggest in the state. But we had nobody over 6-3, and no one thought we could win it."
In November 1986, as his freshman year of high school was beginning, Sports Illustrated tabbed him the country's best ninth-grade hoopster. That freshman year he led BNL to the state Final Four, averaging over 23 points a game in the process. His team's tournament run ended to two-time defending champion Marion in the semifinals. Bailey scored 20 points in that game and BNL trailed 47-46 after three quarters, but he fouled out with 2:06 to go and the opposing team – led by Lyndon Jones and Jay Edwards – prevailed 70-61 en route to their third straight state title. Bailey was named First Team Indiana All-State that year, and every other year of his high school career.
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