At Auburndale High School, as a junior, Tracy started to exhibit his potential for the game and began to turn heads. He played for two seasons under the guidance of Coach Ty Willis, who used him sparingly at the varsity level. In the third year on the court, he averaged 23 points and 12 rebounds a game. In the following season he was thrown out of the team for insulting a teacher. His final numbers for 1996-97 season were 27.5 points, 8.7 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 2.8 steals per game, these numbers attracted the attention of every major college coach.   

 

Tracy again came to limelight when Alvis Smith (who was a street agent for Adidas) took Tracy along to New Jersey to the shoe company’s prestigious ABCD Summer Camp, at Fairleigh Dickinson University. At the competition Tracy made news when he demanded to be matched up against Odom, a silky smooth lefty with the skills to play guard or center. Tracy was the catalyst. He could play all five positions, averaging nearly a triple-double.

Tracy Lamar McGrady, Jr., was born in Bartow, Florida. Tracy was not from a rich family, but the parents made sure he grew up with everything he needed. A group of relatives, meanwhile, made sure Tracy had lots of spending money near his birthday. He remembers receiving as much as $100 each year.

 A McDonald’s All-American, Tracy led Mount Zion to the #2 ranking in the country, and was named national Player of the Year by USA Today and North Carolina’s Player of the Year by the Associated Press.