Shoulder surgery sidelined him for much of his freshman season, but he began to recover late in the season and had a productive off-season in returning to form.
Suffered a torn labrum in his right shoulder on Oct 28, 2011 and had surgery on Nov. 1 to repair the damage. He began non-contact drills in early January, began practicing with the team on Feb. 1 and was medically cleared to play on Feb. 8.
Saw his first action of the season at West Virginia on Feb. 11 in the Cards' 25th game of the year. He totaled 13 points, four rebounds, one steal and one blocked shot in his debut on his 20th birthday (5-of-9 FG, 3-of-5 3FG). His 13 points tied for the eighth-highest scoring output in a UofL freshman debut.
Contributed nine points, four rebounds and a pair of dunks in 14 minutes off the bench in the national semifinals against Kentucky.
Made his first career start against Syracuse (3/3), contributing four points and an assist.
Had two points, three rebounds and a steal against New Mexico in nine minutes of action in the NCAA Championship Third Round.
Wore number 25 as a freshman.
High School:
Averaged 32.6 points, 14.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 3.7 steals as a senior to lead Morgan Park to a 20-7 record and the 3-A sectional finals, beating defending 3A state champions Hillcrest in the semifinals.
2011 McDonald's and Parade Magazine All-America selection.
Named the 2011 Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year and was a two-time all-area selection.
Ranked No. 16 nationally by Scout.com, No. 26 in the ESPN 100, 36th by Rivals.com, No. 29 by USA Today recruiting analyst Rob Harrington, and is third among shooting guards nationally by Scout.com. He was in the top five in the voting for the 2010 and 2011 Illinois Mr. Basketball award.
Top scoring effort as a senior was 56 points against Chicago Ellison, adding 21 rebounds, nine blocked shots and seven steals in the game.
Suffered a dislocated left shoulder in a collision in practice prior to competing in the McDonald's All-American game. He had surgery soon thereafter to repair his injury.
Averaged 29.2 points and 14.2 rebounds as a junior to lead Morgan Park to the 2010 Chicago Public League title. Blackshear's score with 13.4 seconds left was the game-winner in the Mustangs' 61-60 victory over Marshall in the championship game of the tournament. The CPL title was just the fourth since 1901 for Morgan Park, who fell in the Class 4A Oak Lawn Regional finals to Bogan, 59-55 (a game in which Blackshear scored 34 points, including 22 in the first half).
As a junior, Blackshear earned Class 4A first-team all-state honors from the Associated Press and Chicago Tribune.
Blackshear produced 41 points, 21 rebounds, and six blocks in Morgan Park's 76-74 overtime win against Hyde Park in the semifinals of the CPL tournament last year. He scored 42 points in a 77-47 win over Uplift, including 19 points during a 37-11 third-quarter run for Morgan Park. He totaled 42 points and 18 rebounds in an 82-69 triumph over East Aurora, with both outings coming during the Mustangs' 12-game season-opening winning streak.
Played for the USA 2011 squad at the 2010 adidas Nations Global Experience, held Aug. 5-9, 2010 in Chicago. He averaged 10.5 points in six games as his USA 2011 team defeated USA 2012 in the championship game 82-68.
Participated in the NBPA Top 100 Camp in the summer of 2010 and scored 27 points in his team's final contest of the camp.
Honored as the MVP at the Reebok All-American Camp in Philadelphia, Pa., in the summer of 2008. After posting a game-high 16 points in the camp's underclassman all-star game.
Played his freshman and half of his sophomore seasons at Chicago Curie High School.
Also considered Illinois, Texas and Kentucky before signing with the Cardinals.
Personal:
Born Feb. 11, 1992 ... Son of Carol Blackshear and Kevin Thomas ... Has two sisters (Laquisha, Janeisha) ... Major is undecided.
Enjoys drawing in his spare time.
Best moment of his athletic career to date was going to the Final Four last season.
Chose to attend UofL because "it was the best place for me."
Best basketball advice given to him was to stay positive.
Few people know that he Dougie's.
Most proud of his family.
His stepfather Kevin Thomas has had the greatest influence on his athletic career.
When he played basketball as a kid, he pretended he was Carmelo Anthony.
If you walked into his dorm room, the first thing you would notice is his shoes.
Best thing about being a Cardinal is his teammates.
What impresses him the most about Coach Pitino: his passion for the game.
Would most like to meet Carmelo Anthony.
Favorites:
Basketball Player: Carmelo Anthony
NBA Team: Chicago Bulls
Athlete, Other than a basketball player: Cam Newton
