Robert "Bobby" Phillips (born 1975)[1] is an American former professional basketball player. Although he played professionally in leagues in both Belgium and Austria, he is better known for his two-year collegiate career at Western Carolina University in 1996–97 and 1997–98.

Playing career

Phillips grew up in Salisbury, North Carolina and attended Salisbury High School.[2] At the time of his graduation he was the third-leading scorer in Rowan County history.[2] In 2012, Phillips was inducted into the Rowan Hall of Fame.[3]

Phillips' collegiate career at Western Carolina was two years long, but he established himself as a key player during his time. In his 1996–97 junior season he averaged 14.1 points and five rebounds per game and was named to the All-Southern Conference (SoCon) Second Team.[4] Twice that season he was named the SoCon Player of the Week.[5] The Catamounts finished second in the conference behind Phillips' play.[6] The next season, Phillips increased his averages to 16.9 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, was named a First Team All-SoCon member, and was named the SoCon co-Player of the Year with Furman's Chuck Vincent.[4][5][7]

He was never selected in the 1998 NBA Draft, so Phillips headed to Europe to play professionally. In his brief expatriate basketball career he played in Belgium and Austria.[1]

Post-basketball life

Phillips returned to the United States to work in business. He worked for the Sacramento Kings organization as the Director of Group Sales.[8][9] While working for the Kings, Phillips earned the Maloof Allstar Award, which is the most prestigious award offered at the company.[8] Other careers he held include leading customer service and sales efforts for the WNBA's Atlanta Dream, working for Bank of America, and then for Creagh and Associates.[8] In 2013, he was hired at Sams & Associates, an independent insurance adjusting firm serving the western United States.[8]

References