Aubrey Sherrod

Sherrod was born in Wichita, Kansas, the youngest of five brothers; his father died when he was 2 years old.^[1] Sherrod had an early growth spurt and in 2nd grade was already much taller than his peers: due to his height, his brother Avery invited him to join his team of 6th-graders.^[1] He decided to attend Wichita Heights High School, and he entered the varsity basketball team in his sophomore year. Under coach Charles "Goose" Doughty, JR (1933–2013), who Sherrod considered a father figure,^[1] in his junior year he averaged 24 points per game.^[2] He was considered a good defender and a smooth shooter.^[1][3][4]

In his senior year at Wichita Heights he averaged 27.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game,^[1] being ranked among the top 2 guards in the country together with Michael Jordan,^[5][6] and one of the top players overall.^[7] During his high school career he was selected 3 times in the all-conference first team^[8] and scored 1,735 points, which ranked him second all-time in Wichita behind Greg Dreiling of Kapaun Mt. Carmel High School.^[3] His senior year earned him a selection in the Parade All-America Second Team and he was named a McDonald's All-American. In the 1981 McDonald's game, which was played in his hometown of Wichita, he scored 19 points, shooting 7/14 from the field and 5/6 from the free throw line: he shared MVP honors with Adrian Branch.^[9] He also played in another high school all-star game, the Capital Classic, where he wore jersey number 21 and was the top scorer with 20 points (9/13 from the field, 2/3 from the line), being named the game MVP.^[10]

Sherrod was heavily recruited by many colleges, and he restricted his final choice between Kansas State and Wichita State.^[1][11] He signed for Wichita State in June 1981, along with the other local high school star Greg Dreiling.^[12] He chose to wear jersey number 22 and he was selected as a starter for the team by coach Gene Smithson, replacing former shooting guard Randy Smithson who graduated in 1981.^[13] In his first year Sherrod averaged 11.0 points, 1.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game while shooting an efficient 50.7% from the field, and he recorded the best free throw percentage for a freshman in Wichita State history with 77.2% (the record has since been surpassed).^[14] He started all but 1 game (28 out of the 29 played that season) and averaged 26.5 minutes per game for a Wichita State team that ended the season with a 23–6 record.

In his sophomore year Sherrod found more playing time, and his scoring average increased to 14.4 points per game; he also recorded 2.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.2 steals while his shooting percentages slightly decreased. At the end of the season he was named in the All-Missouri Valley Conference Second Team.^[15] Wichita State ended the regular season with a 25–3 record (17–1 in conference play) and ranked 1st in the MVC, but Illinois State won the MVC tournament.

Sherrod's junior year saw him improve again in scoring, and in 30 games he averaged 15.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists, with a career-high in steals per game (1.4) and blocks per game (0.3). He also recorded a career-high 30 points on February 6, 1984, against West Texas State,^[16] and was selected in the All-MVC Second Team for the second year in a row.^[15] Wichita State finished with a 18–12 record (11–5 in the MVC), ranking third in the conference.

In his senior season, Sherrod was second in the team in scoring (behind Xavier McDaniel) and he averaged 18.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.1 steals while shooting 51.1% from the field and 85.6% from the line. He recorded a career-high 31 points against Tulsa on March 2, 1985,^[16][17] shooting 11/15 from the field and 9/10 from the free throw line.^[18] He also recorded 11 assists on January 16, 1985, against Indiana State: it was a personal career high and one of the top assists performances in Wichita State history.^[19] For the third consecutive year Sherrod was selected in the All-MVC Second Team^[15] and Wichita State won the MVC Tournament after finishing the regular season with a 11–5 conference record (18–13 overall). The team then qualified for the 1985 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, where they were eliminated by Georgia in the first round.

Sherrod ended his college career at Wichita State placing 6th in scoring with 1,765 points, 5th in assists with 384, and he was the all-time steals leader with 148 (he has since been surpassed).^[17]