Everyone knows Darryl Proctor is an elite America East player.
He is averaging 20 points and 8.6 rebounds per game, good for second and third in the conference, respectively. He played an instrumental role in taking the UMBC Retrievers to the conference title last season. In the NCAA Tournament, he set a record with seven steals in a 66-49 loss to Georgetown. However, what makes Proctor a great player goes far beyond anything a stat sheet will tell you.
Proctor has been a team leader for UMBC ever since his arrival in 2007 as a transfer from Coppin State, where he played for two seasons before transferring. Named a team captain upon his arrival, Proctor put his stamp on the Retrievers’ program by leading the team to the NCAA tournament.
Head coach Randy Monroe has nearly run out of superlatives to describe the senior forward.
“Not only does Darryl have the ability to play basketball, but I think that he has a very good personality,” Monroe said according to an interview with Fox 1370 Sports Radio. “He talks to everybody, he smiles. You know, there are some good players out there who won and have this sense of entitlement, that you owe them everything, but he’s appreciative of everything that he gets.”
Monroe also mentioned how Proctor’s family greatly affected the athlete’s game.
“I think that stems from his upbringing. His mother Paulette has done a terrific job with him. His stepfather Levi Franklin, who coached him at Paul IV [high school] was very influential in helping him develop his skills as a player.”
Proctor’s leadership has been needed in a trying season for UMBC.
After going 13-3 in the America East and flying into the NCAA Tournament with an 82-65 victory over Hartford in the finals, the Retrievers have plodded to a 7-9 record this season. However, Proctor has done nothing but encourage his team to believe that they can go to Albany and put themselves in the America East Championship with two victories.
“We’ve been here already, so it’s nothing that we haven’t seen or handled already,” Proctor said. “For the younger guys, it’s more of a pressure thing. They feel that they got to compete with the team last year and what the team did last year, and try to match that. All I can tell them is all you need is a good weekend and that will take care of itself. Just play as hard as you can.”
Proctor believes that his team will trust his expertise, as he gives his all every night on the court.
“It’s a respect thing,” he said. “The guys see my playing hard and they want to [one] up that because they don’t want to let me down.”
Proctor’s statement exemplified one of his trademark characteristics that has helped make him such a great player: he is a tireless worker that commands respect. Modeling his game after Charles Barkley, perhaps it is fitting that Proctor plays bigger than his size (Barkley was a 6-foot-4-inch NBA power forward, a size mostly reserved for shooting guards).
Standing 6 feet 2.5 inches, according to his coach, Proctor has been playing power forward all season for the Retrievers. He even used to weigh 350 pounds in high school, but trimmed himself down to 221 pounds by “going from football practice and two-a-days to basketball at the same time.”
Monroe has gushed about Proctor’s work ethic and presence on court for his team.
“It’s absolutely phenomenal. He’s really just terrific for us,” Monroe said. “When you look at a guy his size, who plays much bigger than what he is. He’s got a very good basketball IQ. He’s a very confident player. He likes to take the game-winning shots. That’s saying something about a player when you’re in a situation, especially down the stretch and the game’s on the line.”
Proctor has conducted himself as an exemplary student-athlete at UMBC. A leader on the basketball court, he also aspires to be a leader off of it. Majoring in political science, Proctor plans to become a societal leader as a government employee when he graduates from UMBC.
“I would like to go into government, and I also want to work with kids,” he said. “If I can work with kids and also work for the government, that would be great.”
With his playing career at UMBC coming to a close, Proctor is desperate to make it back to the NCAA tournament and cap off his two-year stint at UMBC with an America East Conference Title. He expressed an admiration for March Madness that he hopes his current teammates will be able to taste this season.
“It’s just memorable because everybody dreamed of being there [the NCAA tournament]. It’s just an awesome experience.”
Proctor looks to lead his team to the America East finals with two victories this weekend. One thing is certain: he has come a long way from the little boy who only played basketball with his brother, Steve, a former player for rival Binghamton, just to escape the house.
“I was forced into it because my brother was doing [it],” Proctor said. “I couldn’t stand the house. So I had to go wherever he went, and it was the basketball court.”