Dwayne Washington, widely known as Pearl, is a charismatic point guard. He already became a legend as a school student in Brooklyn before moving upstate and helping Syracuse University reach a national basketball level. Read more about the Brooklyn native’s sports career at i-brooklyn.
Unstoppable Pearl
Dwayne Alonzo Washington was born in Brooklyn on January 6, 1964. His father, George, was a builder and his mother, Janie, worked in a factory. Washington was not a very diligent student in school, so he decided to go to Syracuse. His choice was influenced by the desire to play in the Carrier Dome and the school’s strong speech program.
Few young athletes could create such a magical aura as Washington did. He played three years in the National Basketball Association in general, two for the Nets and one for the Miami Heat. His reputation as a player was born even before he became a professional athlete. He was a sensation on the courts of Brooklyn neighborhoods of Brownsville and East New York. When playing at Boys and Girls High School, he was unstoppable and scored 35 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 steals. Washington was believed to be the most popular player in the country.
Hello, Syracuse
According to him, he was called Pearl when he was 8 years old after the star Earl (The Pearl) Monroe. The latter was a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, remembered for incredible spins and soft jumps. At 6 feet 2 inches and weighing around 190 pounds, Dwayne was not distinguished by high speed or bounces. His teammates at Syracuse called him Fat Butt. But his dribbling skills were second to none and his court vision was spectacular. Washington’s light movements and skillful maneuvering allowed him to easily get away from defenders to make his shot.
Although the accuracy of his shots was sometimes in doubt, he still did it better than 50 percent of players over three years at Syracuse. Сoach Jim Boeheim helped Pearl adapt there. Pearl’s game became much better, which made him a real point guard who controlled the game, passing the ball to teammates and beating his opponents who struggled to keep up with his crafty moves and powerful drives to the basket. Over three seasons, from 1983 to 1986, he scored an average of 15.7 points per game.
When Pearl Washington came to Syracuse, the Big East Conference was just beginning to gain national recognition. Other stars of the Big East when he was studying in college were Patrick Ewing at Georgetown and Chris Mullin at St. John’s. But Washington was perhaps the most attractive athlete.
Everybody, go to basketball
On January 21, 1984, at the beginning of his freshman season, Dwayne made a game-winning shot from half-court against Boston College just as the buzzer sounded. Syracuse plays at the Carrier Dome, a huge arena that also houses the university’s football stadium, which was packed to an unprecedented level when Washington played. Over 30,000 people witnessed his victory over Boston College. About 20,401 fans visited each game before his arrival. In his freshman year, the number of fans increased to 2,000, and in the third year, the average attendance exceeded 26,000.
Pearl left the university early to join the NBA. In 1986, he was drafted in the first round, 13th overall by the Nets. After the end of his professional career, he decided to complete his education. He pursued a master’s degree at the Syracuse College of Education.