MEMPHIS – Almost 20 years after leaving Senatobia, former Northwest Community College basketball star guard Detric Golden is running for Mayor in Memphis in 2015.
Golden played for the Rangers during the 1995-97 seasons under head coach Marc Dukes and finished as the school's all-time leader in points scored (1,223), assists (642), assists/game (9.6), steals (192) and free throws made (315).
In 67 career games, Golden averaged 18.3 points, 9.6 assists, 2.9 steals and 2.9 rebounds-per-game while shooting 50 percent from the floor, 39 percent from beyond the arc and 73 percent from the free throw line. He scored a school-record 52 points against Pearl River on Feb. 25, 1997.
Golden helped lead the Rangers to a combined 58-10 record, two state championships, two division titles, a region championship and sixth place finish in 1995-96 at the NJCAA Tournament. He was a two-time all-state selection and 1997 NJCAA Second Team All-American.
Golden moved on to play his junior season at the University of Memphis, averaging 14.2 points, 3.0 assists and 2.7 rebounds-per-game in 29 games, and his senior year at Troy University, averaging 18 points, 5.9 assists and 3.8 rebounds-per-game. He was an All C-USA selection for the Tigers and became the first player in the Division I era to earn both Conference Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year honors as a senior at Troy.
Golden was selected by the Gulf Coast SunDogs in the USBL draft in 2000 and played briefly for Hamburg (Germany), Memphis HD (USA-ABA) and Brevard BD (USA-USBL).
He gave up his professional overseas basketball career to devote his life to serving, mentoring and adopting the youth around the Greenlaw Community Center where he's worked closely with the North Memphis youth for the past decade. This was a tough decision to make especially given his success in basketball. He developed a "family model" where his own family and children are available to the youth at the center.
Golden was raised in the former Hurt Village Projects, the same neighborhood that surrounds the community center. He grew up and lived through the pain of watching friends and today's generation of inner city youth fall victim to lack of opportunity and positive outlets that would have lifted them up and away from the ensuing social ills waiting to swallow them up and steal their futures.
Ten years after beginning his journey at Greenlaw, Golden is witnessing the first fruits that come from the long-term relationships fostered by simply being available to listen and work with the kids. That fruit is seeing the kids growing up and wanting to continue the work he started at the community center. Greenlaw Community Center has several former members, now young adults, who are preparing to launch their own careers working with kids in other community centers in Memphis.
Golden's work at Greenlaw started with his founding the nonprofit "Golden Child Ministries." In 2008, Golden was accepted and funded by the Urban Youth Initiative (UYI) where he was trained to "empower teens and pre-teens to become healthy, productive members of society." He remains an active member of the Initiative. Golden's training at UYI allowed him to further expand his work with the youth at Greenlaw Community Center.
In 2009, Golden became the Neighborhood Director at the center for Memphis Athletic Ministries (MAM), when MAM adopted the center, leasing it from the city. In 2011, Golden was awarded the Outstanding Citizen Award presented by Mayor A.C. Wharton, Jr. and the City Changers of Memphis. He graduated from Downline Institute in 2012 and has actively applied the principles of discipleship taught at the Institute in his work mentoring youth at the community center.
For more information about Golden, visit his website at
www.mayorgolden.com.
