Selection #11 Dru "The Hammer" Broadway

Dru Broadway - Drafted with the 1st pick of the 6th round, #11 overall by The King's Court

The annals of sports are littered with accounts of young, inexperienced athletes coming out of nowhere to lead their teams to prominence. Some of these players go on to Hall-of-Fame careers while others fade into black after a few seasons of brilliance. The common thread among these players is that regardless how their careers play out, they leave us, as sports fans, not only wanting more, but feeling that what we've just witnessed was greatness in the making, even if for one fleeting moment.

In April of 1984 the world was introduced to Dwight Gooden. "Doc" burst onto the sports landscape with one of the most remarkable individual seasons ever put together by a rookie, capturing the NL Rookie of the Year award while leading the major leagues in strikeouts. Gooden followed his rookie campaign with one of the most dominant individual statistical seasons in baseball history finishing with a 24-4 record while leading the majors in strikeouts (268) and ERA (1.53) while hurling 16 complete games.

While Gooden would go on to pitch fourteen more seasons in the majors, his career would be marked by off-the-field issues and injuries. Still, no baseball fan could forget what it was like to watch Doc Gooden blow a high fastball by a hitter and then follow it up with a knee-bending curve ball that left everyone in attendance in awe.

It's that kind of impact that the King's Court captain Jackie King talks about when he talks about his 6th round draft pick, Dru "The Hammer" Broadway. "I watched Dru go from being a perennial field filler to winning two events and finishing top four in the player of the year race last year," King said. "Anyone who watched his play at the final event last year saw him win a major in dominating fashion."

It's that kind of potential that left King giddy about the possibility of adding Broadway to his roster for the 2009 King Invitational. "If we can reign in some of that potential, Dru could end up being the Most Outstanding Player at the invitational. At the very least, I can promise you this: his playing partners are going to benefit from his tee balls more often than not. They'll be hitting approach shots from places they normally only dream of."
The 2009 King Invitational will mark Broadway's third consecutive appearance at the King Invitational.

• Role on the King's Court: The Henchman
• School: North Davidson High School
• Personal: Girlfriend, Christina. Dog Vegas
• Other notable athletes drafted #11 overall: Daunte Culpepper (Minnesota Vikings, 1999) Future Pro Basketball Hall-of-Famer Reggie Miller (Indiana Pacers, 1987)
• Hobbies: bowling, snowboarding, riding his motorcycle & playing video games
• Favorite teams: Duke Blue Devils, Don Juan's Strikers
• Did you know? Dru is a self-proclaimed Parrothead
• Who would play Dru in the sports movie version of the King Invitational: Jesse G. James, star of Monster Garage and CEO of West Coast Choppers