Ronald Shavlik Randolph was born November 24, 1983, in Raleigh, North Carolina, into basketball royalty with a twist. His grandfather, Ronnie Shavlik, was an All-American at NC State and a first-round draft pick of the New York Knicks in 1956. His parents, Ken and Kim Randolph, both attended the University of North Carolina. As a child, Shavlik worked as a ball boy for the NC State team. The family bloodlines ran cardinal red and Carolina blue. He would choose Duke.
At Broughton High School in Raleigh — just blocks from NC State’s campus — Randolph became the most talked-about recruit in the state since David Thompson. Former recruiting guru Dave Telep, now a director of player personnel with the San Antonio Spurs, called it the most intense recruiting battle in North Carolina since Thompson went to NC State. At 6-foot-10 with perimeter skills, a soft jump shot, and the kind of basketball IQ that comes from growing up around the game, Randolph was a generational talent.
The numbers at Broughton were staggering. He scored 56 points in a single game to surpass the school’s all-time single-game scoring record previously held by Pete Maravich — yes, that Pete Maravich, who attended Broughton before transferring to prep school. Randolph went on to pass Maravich in career points, rebounds, and blocks as well. He was named North Carolina’s Mr. Basketball, a two-time Associated Press North Carolina Player of the Year, a two-time Parade All-American, and a 2002 McDonald’s All-American. He was ranked 14th nationally by RSCI.
Duke, UNC, and NC State all recruited him fiercely. Jay Williams and Carlos Boozer attended his high school games. Coach K came to Broughton personally. Randolph chose the Blue Devils over the schools his family had attended, a decision that reverberated across the Triangle. But what the recruiting world didn’t fully know was that the injuries had already started. Problems with his foot and hip began in his final years at Broughton, masked by performances that were still dominant enough to earn every accolade available. Every game he played, he was losing a little more cartilage on his left side.