No flash, just dash: Rose NBA's top rookie

Every few years, someone from a Chicago pro team wins rookie of the year. So the crowning of Bulls guard Derrick Rose on Wednesday wasn't unusual, certainly not unexpected.

But this one definitely was unique.

The whole city should feel proud of this honor. Rose didn't drop into town from Wilmington, N.C., or Peekskill, N.Y., like the previous Bulls who won the honor, Michael Jordan and Elton Brand.

Rose grew up in the Englewood neighborhood on the South Side. The skills he refined in Chicago also are being used here.

Not only do the Bulls have a rising star on the roster, the city produced someone every parent can point to and say, "This is how you should carry yourself as an athlete."

Rose has shown that it's possible to play with great passion but also stay humble. He doesn't need to celebrate every achievement, mug for the cameras or insult an opponent. There might even be a chance that Rose could make sportsmanship fashionable again.

Rose's older brother Dwayne recalled one instance when Derrick let his emotions flow on the court. It happened during Simeon's 2006 state championship in Rose's junior year. After dunking the ball, he pointed to his family in the stands and rocked back and forth a little, according to Dwayne. Nothing extraordinary, but quite a show for him.

"That was the first time I'd ever seen him on court show some real emotion," Dwayne said. "We would tell him, 'It's cool to be emotional, just don't be flamboyant and disrespect your team or disrespect the other team's players. Just be yourself.' "

Rose being himself means keeping just about everything inside. But just when he gives the impression that he might be too introverted, he will open up in a casual conversation and prove he has plenty of communication skills. He just chooses not to use them.

"He's always been quiet and humble," said Randall Hampton, Rose's best friend going back to seventh grade. "He's a real joker, funny. He's real cool around his friends. But around people he doesn't know, he has to get to know them first."

"There's four of us and he's the baby, so he didn't have to talk much," Dwayne added. "He always knew his role. He wouldn't overtask; he'd just sit around and listen and learn - pretty much like he is now."

The rookie vote wasn't close. Rose received 111 out of 120 first-place votes from a collection of media members. Memphis guard O.J. Mayo was a distant second, followed by New Jersey center Brook Lopez and Oklahoma City guard Russell Westbrook.

Asked what he plans to do with the trophy, Rose said he will hand it over to his mother, Brenda.

"I think that she deserves it," Rose said. "She'll probably clean it every day."

The proud mother was sitting in the audience at the Renaissance Hotel in Northbrook, and what better person to investigate the source of her son's constant calm. She remembered how when Derrick was little, he'd lie down with her and watch movies, never making a sound.

"He's always been calm," Brenda said. "Derrick was a good baby; he didn't cry that much. The only thing he wanted to do was eat and run around. Derrick's always been around older people. I always teased him and said he has an old soul."

What about at Simeon, where he led the basketball team to two state championships? He must have been the big man in the hallways.

"In high school, people didn't really notice him," Hampton said. "Some people didn't know who he was."

Rose has a quiet voice, but a loud game. He hogged the highlights last weekend by scoring a record-tying 36 points in his playoff debut against Boston but never watched them himself. He simply refuses to bask in his own glory.

After a rookie season in which he averaged 16.8 points, 6.3 assists and shot 47.5 percent from the field, there is no reason for Rose to change a thing.

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Photo Galleries</h2> <ul class="gallery"> <li><a href="/story/?id=288336">Rose's award-winning season </a></li> </ul> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=288565">Celtics using size to their advantage<span class="date"> [4/22/09]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>