Rusty LaRue

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

LaRue attended Northwest Guilford High School in Greensboro, North Carolina, where he earned All-State honors in football, basketball, and baseball. As a senior, he was named the 1991–92 NCHSAA Male Athlete of the Year. He played both basketball and football at Wake Forest, and also played collegiate baseball for one season, becoming just the second player in ACC history to play three sports in the same year. He was one of only four players to beat Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium all four years. As a freshman quarterback in 1992, he was part of Wake Forest's football team that won the Independence Bowl. During his senior year, he broke eight NCAA records for passing, including most completions in one game (55). He finished second in school history in three-point field goals made and first all-time in three-point field goal percentage.

In Their Own Story

LaRue's professional path began in the minor leagues after college, where he honed his craft before joining the Chicago Bulls for the 1997–98 season. During that championship year, he averaged 3.5 points per game. Following the departures of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and Steve Kerr, LaRue received increased playing time in the next season, averaging 4.7 points and 1.5 assists while shooting 33.7% from three-point range. However, as the Bulls entered a post-dynasty rebuilding phase during the 1999–2000 NBA season, they cut ties with him. He briefly returned to the minor leagues, earning a spot on the All-Continental Basketball Association Second Team with the Idaho Stampede in 2000, before signing with CSKA Moscow in Russia.

Reader's Guide

After college, LaRue focused on basketball. Though undrafted, he earned a spot on the Chicago Bulls' roster in 1997. During the 1997–98 NBA season, he averaged 3.5 points per game and won an NBA Championship. The next season, he averaged 4.7 points and 1.5 assists per game while making 33.7% of his three-point attempts. The Bulls cut him during the 1999–2000 season. He later played for the Utah Jazz (signed January 28, 2002) and the Golden State Warriors. He also played in the CBA (selected to All-CBA Second Team with the Idaho Stampede in 2000), for CSKA Moscow, and for Pallacanestro Varese in Italy. He signed with the Boston Celtics in 2003 but was waived before appearing in a regular season game. LaRue began his coaching career after his playing retirement in 2004. He served as head men's basketball coach at Greensboro College in 2004–05, later was athletics director and basketball coach at Forsyth Country Day School, and was an assistant coach for Wake Forest from 2009 to 2014 under Dino Gaudio and Jeff Bzdelik. He was head coach at West Forsyth High School from 2015 until retiring from coaching in 2019. He is now the Chief Operations Officer of Dairi-O Restaurants.

Did You Know?

• LaRue was a multi-sport athlete at Wake Forest, playing basketball, football, and baseball in the same year—only the second player in ACC history to do so.
• He broke eight NCAA passing records during his senior year of football, including most completions in a single game (55).
• LaRue won an NBA championship with the Chicago Bulls in 1998.
• He is one of only four players to beat Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium all four years of college.