LaFarrell Darnell Mee (born February 11, 1971) is an American former professional basketball player who played 12 seasons in the National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for Western Kentucky before being selected by the Golden State Warriors with the 34th overall pick in the 1993 NBA draft. He played 40 games in the NBA for the Denver Nuggets. In his 12 seasons in Australia, Mee was named the NBL Best Defensive Player five times and won two NBL championships. He became an Australian citizen in 2006.[1]
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 11, 1971 Cleveland, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Nationality | American / Australian |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 175 lb (79 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Cleveland (Cleveland, Tennessee) |
| College | Western Kentucky (1990–1993) |
| NBA draft | 1993: 2nd round, 34th overall pick |
| Selected by the Golden State Warriors | |
| Playing career | 1993–2009 |
| Position | Shooting guard |
| Number | 4 |
| Coaching career | 2013–2016 |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1993 | Daytona Beach Hooters |
| 1993–1995 | Denver Nuggets |
| 1995 | Tri-City Chinook |
| 1995 | Yakima Sun Kings |
| 1996 | Canberra Cannons |
| 1996–1997 | Gravelines |
| 1998–2001 | Adelaide 36ers |
| 2000 | Kinder Bologna |
| 2001–2002 | Bayer Giants Leverkusen |
| 2002 | BC Besancon |
| 2002–2003 | Cairns Taipans |
| 2003–2005 | Wollongong Hawks |
| 2005–2009 | Cairns Taipans |
| As coach: | |
| 2013–2014 | Moberly Area CC (assistant) |
| 2014 | Bowling Green Bandits |
| 2016 | Woodville Warriors |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
College career
editComing out of Tennessee's Cleveland High School in 1989, Mee sat out his freshman season at Western Kentucky due to failing to qualify academically.[2] Between 1990 and 1993, Mee played for the Hilltoppers and averaged 13.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.8 steals and 1.2 blocks in 91 games.[3]
Professional career
editComing out of college, Mee played in the United States Basketball League for the Daytona Beach Hooters.[4]
Mee was selected by the Golden State Warriors with the 34th overall pick in the 1993 NBA draft. He was subsequently traded to the Denver Nuggets, where he played 40 NBA games over two seasons.[5]
In 1995, Mee had stints in the Continental Basketball Association for the Tri-City Chinook and Yakima Sun Kings.[6][7]
In 1996, Mee moved to Australia to play for the Canberra Cannons of the National Basketball League.[8]
For the 1996–97 season, Mee moved to France to play for Gravelines.[9]
Mee returned to Australia in 1998 to play for the Adelaide 36ers. He continued on with the 36ers in 1998–99 and 1999–2000.[8] After a stint in Italy with Kinder Bologna,[9] he returned to the 36ers for a fourth season in 2000–01 season.[8]
For the 2001–02 season, Mee moved to Germany to play for Bayer Giants Leverkusen.[9]
Mee began the 2002–03 season in France with BC Besançon,[9] before returning to Australia in November 2002 to play out the NBL season with the Cairns Taipans.[8]
Between 2003 and 2005, Mee played for the Wollongong Hawks in the NBL.[8] He returned to the Taipans in 2005 and played out his career in Cairns over the next four seasons.[2][8] In February 2006, he was named the NBL's Best Defensive Player for a record fifth time.[10]
National team career
editMee represented the Australian national team in 2007 at the FIBA Oceania Championship.[11][12]
Coaching career
editAfter the end of his playing career in 2009, Mee returned to the United States and finished his degree in recreation administration at Western Kentucky University. During that time, he was a voluntary assistant coach at the WKU men's basketball team. He then worked as a coach at the high school level and in 2013 became an assistant coach at Moberly Area Community College. Mee then held the head coaching position with the Bowling Green Bandits in the ABA.[13] In the 2016 season, he served as head coach of the Woodville Warriors in Australia. After one season, he returned to the US,[14] where he started working as a basketball coach in his hometown of Cleveland, Tennessee.[15]
Personal life
editMee's son, Micale, plays college basketball at Texas Wesleyan University.[16]
References
edit- ^ "AJ OGILVY Q & A, DARNELL LOOKS TO BEIJING". basketball.net.au. 11 May 2008. Archived from the original on 8 January 2017.
- ^ a b Stamm, Jason (16 August 2009). "Catching Up Down Under: Darnell Mee". rivals.com. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
- ^ "Darnell Mee". sports-reference.com. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
- ^ Zizzo, Mike (14 May 1993). "USBL HOOTERS MAKE DAYTONA BEACH DEBUT". orlandosentinel.com. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
- ^ "Darnell Mee". RealGM.com. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
- ^ "1994-95 Tri-City Chinook Roster". justsportsstats.com. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
- ^ "Darnell Mee". justsportsstats.com. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f "Darnell Mee". NBL. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Darnell Mee". australiabasket.com. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
- ^ "Snakes snare awards". NBL.com.au. 23 February 2006. Archived from the original on 30 August 2006.
- ^ "PODCAST: DARNELL MEE ON ADELAIDE 36ERS BACK TO BACK TITLES (1998-99) AND HIS NBA CAREER". aussiehoopla.com. 29 June 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
- ^ "Lafarrell Darnell Mee". fiba.com. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
- ^ "Darn good to be 'home' and coaching Woodville". adelaidenow. 23 November 2015. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
- ^ "2017 PL Mens Coach Announced - Westside Basketball Association". SportsTG. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
- ^ Podcast, Aussie Hoopla NBL & NBA. "Aussie Hoopla NBL & NBA Podcast - Darnell Mee on Adelaide's back to back titles (1998-99) and his NBA career". Google Podcasts. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
- ^ "Micale Mee". Texas Wesleyan University Athletics. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
External links
edit- Career statistics from NBA.com and Basketball Reference
- NBL player profile (2006)
- NBL player profile (2007)