Derrick Phelps


Derrick Michael Phelps is an American former professional basketball player. At 6'4" and 181 lbs., he played as a point guard. He is currently associate head coach for the Washington State.

High school

Phelps attended Christ The King Regional High School, in Middle Village, Queens, New York. He was named to the 1990 McDonald's All-American Team. After, he played in the McDonald's All-American game with future UNC teammates Eric Montross, Brian Reese, and Clifford Rozier.

College career

Phelps rose to prominence while playing college basketball for coach Dean Smith at the University of North Carolina, with the Tar Heels. He was named as an All-Atlantic Coast Conference Honorable Mention in 1993, and was named to the 2nd Team in 1994. Phelps was a member of North Carolina's 1993 NCAA National Championship team, as the Tar Heels defeated Michigan, by a score of 77-71, in the title game. Graduating in 1994, Phelps left college holding two Tar Heel records: most steals in one game, and most steals in a career. He was also the only player in ACC history with 600 assists, 400 rebounds, and 200 steals.

Professional playing career

Phelps was not drafted by an NBA team. He was the sixth overall pick of the 1994 Continental Basketball Association draft, by the Chicago Rockers. He did play in three NBA games with the Sacramento Kings in the 1994-95 season. The Vancouver Grizzlies selected him in the 1995 NBA expansion draft, but he did not play for them before they renounced his NBA rights in 1996. He also spent some time during the NBA preseason with the Milwaukee Bucks, and Philadelphia 76ers.
In 1996, Phelps signed with the German team TTL uniVersa Bamberg, before playing for the CBA's Rockford Lightning.
From 2000–02, he played with the German club ALBA Berlin, with former UNC teammate Henrik Rödl. He then played in France with CSP Limoges, then returned to Germany, and had a brief stint in 2004, with Śląsk Wrocław in the Polish League.
Phelps also played in the Netherlands, in Germany with GHP Bamberg, and in the Russian Super League with Spartak Primorie Vladivostok.
In the 2009-10 season, he played with Gaz Metan Medias in the Romanian League.

Coaching career

In October 2010, Phelps was named the video coordinator for Fordham University's men's basketball team. In 2011, he joined the Monmouth University staff as an assistant coach. Prior to the start of the 2014 season, he accepted a position as an assistant coach at Columbia University. He served for three seasons as the associate head coach at San Francisco, before following Kyle Smith to Washington State after the 2018-19 season.