Bilal is the perfect mix of size, strength, and skill. He rebounds the ball with tremendous success on both the defensive and offensive. He uses his size and decent footwork to defend players in the post without fouling. He was named to the Big East All Freshman team in his first year at Providence. He recorded several double doubles while a Friar and posted a 16 rebound game against future NBA lottery pick, Greg Monroe. After graduating in only 3 years, Bilal transferred to Towson where he anchored the low post the way he has on all levels. Bilal really understands the X’s and O’s of the game and will be a leader and player coach at the next level. With his back to the basket skill set and rebounding ability, Bilal is bound to be a professional basketball player for years to come. He also received his Masters degree from Towson.

2009-2010: PROV (NCAA): 31 games: 8.2ppg, 0.7apg, 6.8rpg, 0.9spg, 1.9bpg, FGP: 52.5%, 3PT: 0.0%, FT: 55.0%
2010-2011: PROV (NCAA): 32 games: 5.7ppg, 0.3apg, 6.4rpg, 0.3spg, 1.4bpg, FGP: 51.0%, 3Pt: 0.0%, FT: 45.1%
2011-2012: PROV (NCAA): 31 games: 4.3ppg, 0.2apg, 4.1rpg, 0.3spg, 1.2bpg, FGP: 55.8%, 3PT: 0.0%, FT: 76.7%
2012-2013: TOWS (NCAA): 31 games: 6.9ppg, 0.3apg, 7.3rpg, 0.3spg, 1.2bpg, FGP: 52.4%, 3PT: 50.0%, FT: 53.1%

Video:
Towson vs JMU 13 points, 13 rebs, 6 offensive, 1 block

Towson vs GSU 14 points, 12 rebs, 6 offensive, 1 block, 1 steal

Providence vs Rutgers 18 points, 10 rebs

Velton is a bruising PG molded by the basketball courts of Philly. He is a true PG with the uncanny ability to find the open teammate in perfect position to score which is why he is the 2nd all time assist leader in school history. Not only does he drive aggressively to the basket but he draws and finishes through contact. As a floor general and team captain at RMU, Velton became the schools record holder for most free throws in a season and in a career. He will bring passion, intensity, and the will to win to any club. Velton joined the NCAA’s 1000pt club as a junior in the 2011-12 season.

2012-2013: RMU (NCAA): 31 games: 10.6ppg, 5.1apg, 1.7rpg, 1.6spg, 0.1bpg, FGP: 36.7%, 3PT: 34.3%, FT: 76.6%
2011-2012: RMU (NCAA): 37 games: 16.0ppg, 4.5apg, 2.8rpg, 1.8spg, 0.0bpg, FGP: 35.4%, 3Pt: 32.3%, FT: 76.6%
2010-2011: RMU (NCAA): 32 games: 12.0ppg, 4.0apg, 2.9rpg, 1.6spg, 0.0bpg, FGP: 39.0%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 70.8%
2009-2010: RMU (NCAA): 35 games: 8.0ppg, 2.8apg, 2.2rpg, 1.5spg, 0.0bpg, FGP: 38.8%, 3PT: 37.3%, FT: 59.9%

Video:
vs Monmouth 35 points, 6 assists, 1 reb, 3 steals

vs Xavier 15 points, 6 assists, 5 rebs

vs Kentucky NIT Tournament win 8 points, 5 assists, 3 rebs

Marshawn is a high scoring 4/3 who can handle the ball, shoot the three, break his man down off the dribble, and score in the post. H has NBA talent and athleticism as seen by his ESPN top plays and being a multiple All-SEC selection while at Arkansas as well as being named All-Rookie as a freshman. Marshawn has been their leader the last three years. Offensively, there isn’t much that Marshawn can’t do. He’s quick, explosive, athletic, and really finishes around the rim. He shoots the ball well out to the three point line. He rebounds the ball pretty well and plays hard all the time.

Career:
2009-2010: ARK (NCAA): 22 games: 14.9ppg, 1.4apg, 6.7rpg, 1.0spg, 1.3bpg, FGP: 50.0%, 3PT: 21:6%, FT: 63.4%
2010-2011: ARK (NCAA): 35 games: 10.8ppg, 1.0apg, 4.5rpg, 0.8spg, FGP: 46.6%, 3Pt: 25.0%, FT: 66.0%
2011-2012: ARK (NCAA): 36 games: 19.5ppg, 1.5apg, 6.0rpg, 1.0spg, 1.5bpg, FGP: 71.4%, 3PT: 0.0%, FT: 69.2%
2012-2013: ARK (NCAA): 36 games: 14.5ppg, 1.3apg, 5.4rpg, 1.2spg, 1.2bpg, FGP: 48.7%, 3PT: 34.6%, FT: 64.2%

Video:
Arkansas vs Oklahoma 33 points, 6 rebs, 5 assists

Arkansas vs Auburn 28 points, 11 rebs, 3 steals, 1 block

Arkansas vs USC 22 points, 13 rebs, 3 blocks, 1 steal

Arkansas vs Syracuse 19 points, 7 rebs, 2 steals

Deshawn is a very skilled big man. At 6’9 is he a phenomenal shooter with three-point range. He is great at using his big body to set great screens in the half court and then popping to the open spot for easy jumpers. He is also a great post scorer being effective using both hands around the rim. He possesses very good hook shots, a faceup jumper, and spin move. Deshawn is very long, has greats hands and feet, and is a very hard worker. Defensively, he rebounds very well and uses his length and timing to block and alter a lot of shots.

Career:
2009-2010: NCST (NCAA): 22 games: 1.6ppg, 0.3apg, 0.6rpg, 0.3bpg, FGP: 36.4%, 3PT: 0.0%, FT: 64.3%
2010-2011: NCST (NCAA): 35 games: 4.6ppg, 0.2apg, 3.5rpg, 0.7bpg, FGP: 46.7%, 3Pt: 0.0%, FT: 63.2%
2011-2012: NCST (NCAA): 36 games: 6.2ppg, 0.4apg, 4.3rpg, 0.6bpg, FGP: 42.3%, 3PT: 0.0%, FT: 71.8%
2012-2013: ODU (NCAA): 36 games: 13.0ppg, 0.8apg, 8.4rpg, 1.0bpg, FGP: 43.5%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 60.9%
April 2013: Portsmouth Invitational: 9.3ppg, 0.0apg, 5.4rpg, 1.0bpg

Video:
ODU vs VCU 26 points, 10 rebs, 1 assists

ODU vs Fairfield 16 points, 11 rebs, 4 blocks, 1 assist

ODU 2012-2013 highlights

Painter Highlights Part 2

Darien is a dynamic combo guard who possesses a great body and excellent strength. He scores the ball in bunches as evidenced by his 39 point game this year versus Charlotte and 38 point game last year vs ODU. He has scored 19 or more points 21 times in the last two seasons. Offensively, Darien is a fantastic shooter with deep three-point range. He also uses his athleticism to make highlight reel plays at the rim with big dunks in the halftcourt and out in transition. Darien can also fill a backup pg spot due to his ball handling and passing ability.

Career:
2009-2010: RICH (NCAA): 22 games: 1.6ppg, 0.3apg, 0.6rpg, 0.2spg, FGP: 35.0%, 3PT: 22.2%, FT: 83.3%
2010-2011: RICH (NCAA): 35 games: 7.6ppg, 1.1apg, 1.8rpg, 0.4spg, FGP: 42.7%, 3Pt: 40.8%, FT: 69.0%
2011-2012: RICH (NCAA): 36 games: 14.6ppg, 1.7apg, 2.9rpg, 0.9spg, FGP: 42.3%, 3PT: 37.6%, FT: 89.1%
2012-2013: RICH (NCAA): 36 games: 14.1ppg, 1.2apg, 2.4rpg, 1.0spg, FGP: 42.9%, 3PT: 42.9%, FT: 87.3%
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Awards/Achievements:

Video:
Richmond vs UNCC 39 points, 8 rebs

Richmond vs Air Force 25 points, 4 rebs, 2 steals, 1 assist

Richmond vs George Mason 20 points, 5 rebs, 3 assists

Devon is a big point guard standing 6’4 who has a rare blend of size, speed, and passing ability. As a pure point guard he is able to find his teammates the ball in spots where they can make plays or have easy shots. This vision and playmaking ability helped Devon become the all-time assists leader in JMU history, first in the CAA conference in assists and second in assists-to-turnover ratio this last season. Devon excels in the pick and roll, getting into transition, and being able to break his man down one-on-one and getting into the lane. He rebounds the ball extremely well for his position and defends his position very well. Devon is efficient when shooting the ball as well, looking to take what the defense gives and not over dribble or force plays. He will be a force in the professional ranks creating a mismatch for smaller guards.

Career:
2009-2010: JMU (NCAA): 22 games: 10.7ppg, 2.9apg, 3.7rpg, 0.8spg, FGP: 50.4%, 3PT: 29.3%, FT: 84.6%
2010-2011: JMU (NCAA): 35 games: 11.4ppg, 4.2apg, 3.1rpg, 0.8spg, FGP: 47.5%, 3Pt: 36.4%, FT: 73.9%
2011-2012: JMU (NCAA): 36 games: 8.8ppg, 4.2apg, 3.4rpg, 0.9spg, FGP: 42.5%, 3PT: 25.0%, FT: 71.8%
2012-2013: JMU (NCAA): 36 games: 11.1ppg, 4.9apg, 3.7rpg, 1.3spg, FGP: 47.4%, 3PT: 39.3%, FT: 74.7%

Video:
vs W&M 20 points, 8 assists, 5 rebs, 1 steals

vs UNCG 22 points, 7 assists, 9 rebs, 3 steals, 1 block

vs George Mason 25 points, 5 assists, 4 rebs, 1 steal

vs UNCW 19 points, 7 rebs, 3 assists

Devon Moore 2012-12 season highlights

Career:
2007-2008  JC  31.2min 21.8pts 11.0reb 1.5ast  1.1stl  .602FG% .641FT%
2008-2009  JC  34.3min 25.2pts 13.7reb 2.1ast  1.3stl  .583FG% .601FT%
2009-2010  USF 29.7min 10.4pts 7.5reb 0.5ast 2.1to 0.5stl 0.7blk .527FG% .634FT%
2010-2011  USF 20.8min  8.7pts 5.4reb 0.4ast 1.4to 0.3stl 0.5blk .500FG% .758FT%
Nov. 2011: Iowa (NBADL): 8 games: 16.8ppg, 11.0rpg, 0.4bpg, 0.8apg, 0.6spg, FG: 55.1%, FT: 74.3%
Dec. 2011: Indiana Pacers (NBA Pre-season) 2 games No stats
Jan. 2012: Fort Wayne (NBADL): 8 games: 11.1ppg, 8.5rpg, 0.9bpg, 0.6apg, 0.8spg, FG: 42.7%, FT: 67.9%
2012: Meralco (Philippines): 3 games: 26.0ppg, 15.0rpg, 1.7bpg, 2.0apg, 1.0spg, FG: 58.3%, FT: 50.0%
July 2012: NBA Summer League Orlando (Pacers): 3.0ppg, 1.3rpg, 0.0bpg, 0.3apg, 0.0spg, FG: 50.0%, FT: 50.0%
July 2012: NBA Summer League Vegas (Bucks): 8.0ppg, 5.8rpg, 0.5bpg, 0.3apg, 0.0spg, FG: 59.1%, FT: 75.0%

Awards / Achievements
Draftexpress.com ranks him as the 47th best senior in NCAA basketball
Draftexpress.com ranks him as the 5th best Senior Center
NBAmockdraft.weebly.com ranks Famous as the 11th best Center
Posted 10 career double-doubles
One of 10 players named to the NJCAA Division I All-American first-team – 09′
Rated 11th best junior college player in the country by Rivals.com – 09′
Named Region 15 Player of the Year and Mid-Hudson Conference Player of the Year -08′

Video:
Defenders D-League 15pts, 15rebs, 5 blocks

Defenders D-League game 19points, 8 rebounds

Iowa D-League game 21 points, 11 rebs, 1 block

Iowa D-League 19pts, 12rebs, 1 block

One of the most explosive college pg’s, Randy Culpepper is a human highlight film. His 49inch vertical leap has been showcased on ESPN’s Sport Center on numerous occasions.  He can play on or off the ball and has shown flashes of brilliance and pure dominance in his 45pt and 39pt outbursts in which he hit 9 3ptrs in each game. Not only is he a scorer but Randy also possess great lateral quickness and toughness which allows him to defend bigger guards on the perimeter.
Last but not least, Culpepper has been racking up awards since he stepped foot on UTEP’s campus. He has won, Sixth Man of the Year, All Freshman 1st Team, All Conference 1st Team (2x) and Conference MVP. He is the second-leading scorer in UTEP and Conference USA history. He also ranks second in the C-USA record book for steals, third in three-point field goals, third in field goals and ninth in free throws. He also attended the annual Portsmouth Invitational Tournament put together for the NCAA’s top seniors.

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Career:
2009-2010: UTEP (NCAA): 33 games: 12.8ppg, 1.1apg, 2.1rpg, 1.6spg, FGP: 39.4%, 3Pt: 33.9%, FT: 71.3%
2010-2011: UTEP (NCAA): 37 games: 17.5ppg, 1.8apg, 2.9rpg, 1.8spg, FGP: 41.0%, 3PT: 34.6%, FT: 74.5%
2009-2010: UTEP (NCAA): 33 games: 17.9ppg, 1.9apg, 2.8rpg, 1.8spg, FGP: 47.2%, 3Pt: 36.8%, FT: 73.5%
2010-2011: UTEP (NCAA): 35 games: 19.3ppg, 3.1apg, 2.9rpg, 2.0spg, FGP: 43.6%, 3PT: 32.4%, FT: 75.9%
2011-2012: Ferro (Ukraine): 47 games: 21.8ppg, 3.7apg, 2.4rpg, 1.6spg, FGP: 50.7%, 3PT: 33.9%, FT: 80.1%
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Awards/Achievements:
UTEP’s all-time leader for minutes played
2nd in school history in 20-point games (43)
Tied for third in 30-point games (9)
Second in both UTEP and Conference USA history in points scored (2,270)
First Team All-Conference USA selection – 11′
Naismith Trophy Watch List selection – 11′
Preseason Conference Player of the Year – 11′
Preseason Wooden Watch List recipient – 11′
USBWA first team selection – 10′
All-District choice by the NABC (second team) – 10′
Honorable mention All-American by the Associated Press – 10′
Three-time Conference USA Player of the Week (Jan. 25, Feb. 15, Feb. 22) – 10′
Bank of the West Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational MVP – 10′
First team All-League selection – 09′
Third team All-Conference USA – 09′
All-Freshman Team selection – 08′
Conference USA Sixth Man of the Year – 08′

Video:
Ferro Playoff game 50 points, 5 assists, 2 rebs, 1 steal

Ferro vs Kryvbasbasket 26 points, 10 assists, 11 rebs

Playoff game vs Azovmash 30 points, 1 assist, 5 rebs

Ferro vs Kyiv 31 points, 10 assists, 3 rebs, 5 steals

Highlights vs Azovmash 40 points, 2 assists, 5 rebs, 3 steals

Click here to watch highlights of Randy.

Standing 6’5 with a wiry strong frame, Bazemore has great length (6’11.5”) and athleticism for a wing, possessing both tremendous speed and reactive leaping ability. Bazemore displays a high motor on the offensive end and frequently contributes on cuts, spot-up drives, and put-back attempts that allow him to take advantage of his explosiveness. Kent is a left-handed guard who can play the PG, SG, and SF. He is the two-time CAA Defensive Player of Year and National Defensive Player of the Year. Bazemore defends on the ball, gathers a ton of steals which usually result in highlight dunks, and emphatic blocked shots. He is a great playmaker with the ball is his hands and can get to the rim versus anyone largely in part to his quick first step. As a finisher around the basket, Bazemore shows nice creativity, instincts, and touch, often using glass on his finesse moves and being able to mix things up with floaters and runners or going up for a dunk. He elevates very easily both with and without the ball, something that shows especially in the half court where he’s a potent threat on cuts and backdoor alley-oop plays.
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Career:
2008-2009: ODU (NCAA): 35 games: 4.5ppg, 1.5apg, 3.1rpg, 0.9spg, FGP: 43.3%, 3Pt: 26.5%, FT: 42.9%
2009-2010: ODU (NCAA): 36 games: 8.4ppg, 3.4apg, 4.2rpg, 1.8spg, FGP: 48.6%, 3PT: 30.0%, FT: 48.6%
2010-2011: ODU (NCAA): 34 games: 12.3ppg, 2.9apg, 5.1rpg, 2.2spg, FGP: 40.8%, 3Pt: 34.0%, FT: 66.2%
2011-2012: ODU (NCAA): 35 games: 15.4ppg, 3.1apg, 6.1rpg, 2.1spg, FGP: 40.7%, 3PT: 32.1%, FT: 63.2%
April 2012: Portsmouth Invitational: 7.3ppg, 2.0rpg, 1.0bpg, 2.0apg, 3.3spg
July 2012: NBA Summer League Orlando (Thunder): Did Not Play (Injury)
July 2012: NBA Summer League Vegas (Bucks): 8.5ppg, 3.8rpg, 1.8bpg, 1.3apg, 1.5spg, FG: 46.7%, FT: 66.7%
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Awards/Achievements:
Lefty Driesell Award (Defensive POY) (2011)
All-CAA First Team (2012)
All-CAA Second Team (2011)
CAA All-Tournament Team (2010, 2011)
CAA Defensive POY (2011, 2012)
CAA All-Defensive Team (2010, 2011, 2012)
Hall of Fame Tip-Off All-Tournament Team (2012)

Video:
Kent Bazemore full game videos

Standing 6’0 and 180 pounds Reggie finished the season as the NCAA scoring champion at 26.8 points per game. Hamilton has the ability to break any player down and get to the rim. While at the rim he is able to finish with an array of moves in large part to his great body control. Reggie also does an excellent job of getting to the free throw line where is a great shooter. Reggie is also a lethal long-range shooter knocking down 42% of his threes. Not only is he the best scorer in the country he is a great playmaker and facilitator. Reggie averaged over 5 assists per game the last two seasons at Oakland. He excels at getting into the defense and kicking out to open shooters or dropping off passes to his big men for easy finishes at the rim. Defensively, Reggie challenges his opponents and gets his hands on a lot of passes.
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Career:
2007-2008: UMKC (NCAA): 31 games: 11.7ppg, 3.3apg, 3.2rpg, 1.2spg, FGP: 42.5%, 3Pt: 38.7%, FT: 76.3%
2008-2009: UMKC (NCAA): 22 games: 12.1ppg, 3.4apg, 2.6rpg, 1.4spg, FGP: 37.7%, 3PT: 34.0%, FT: 73.9%
2010-2011: OAK (NCAA): 35 games: 17.6ppg, 5.3apg, 2.5rpg, 1.3spg, FGP: 48.9%, 3Pt: 37.1%, FT: 83.9%
2011-2012: OAK (NCAA): 36 games: 26.2ppg, 5.1apg, 3.8rpg, 2.0spg, FGP: 44.7%, 3PT: 42.0%, FT: 87.7%
April 2012: Portsmouth Invitational: 5.7ppg, 3.7apg, 3.3rpg, 1.0spg
July 2012: NBA Summer League (Pacers):Played one game before spraining his ankle
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Awards/Achievements:
Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (2012)
First Team All-Summit (2011, 2012)
The Summit League All-Tournament Team (2011)
The Summit League All-Newcomer Team (2008)
College Insider.com All-Tournament Team (2012)

Video:
Idaho D-League vs Defenders 28 points, 6 assists, and 3 rebs

Idaho vs Bakersfield D-League 15 points, 11 assists, 4 rebs

Pesaro A1 vs Umana Venezia 13 points, 3 assists, 3 rebs, 1 steal

Pesaro Italy A1 vs Armani Milano 13 points, 1 assist, 3 rebs, 3 steals

Reggie Hamilton full game videos

Standing 6’9 and 235 pounds Jarrod has great size and length. Jones is a smooth athlete who runs the floor extremely well and often times leads to transition baskets. Offensively, he has a polished post game with a very good jump hook. He often times fights to get low post position enabling him to finish around the rim. His athleticism also brings highlight dunks off the rim or off of catches in the paint. Jarrod has added a face-up game and range on his shooting. This year he shot 37% from three. He is a good pick-and-pop option due to his improved shooting and increased range. He is a ferocious rebounder on both ends of the floor. Defensively, he is very active, plays with a high motor, and does a good job in man-to-man post defense.
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Career:
2008-2009: BSU (NCAA): 31 games: 11.2ppg, 0.7apg, 7.3rpg, 0.7spg, 1.1bpg, FGP: 45.8%, 3Pt: 00.0%, FT: 62.7%
2009-2010: BSU (NCAA): 30 games: 12.2ppg, 0.7apg, 7.4rpg, 0.6spg, 1.1bpg, FGP: 44.2%, 3PT: 00.0%, FT: 66.1%
2010-2011: BSU (NCAA): 32 games: 14.7ppg, 1.2apg, 8.4rpg, 0.8spg, 0.7bpg, FGP: 50.7%, 3Pt: 00.0%, FT: 67.1%
2011-2012: BSU (NCAA): 30 games: 14.7ppg, 0.8apg, 8.7rpg, 0.7spg, 0.8bpg, FGP: 48.2%, 3PT: 37.1%, FT: 76.8%
April 2012: Portsmouth Invitational: 7.3ppg, 0.0apg, 6.7rpg, 2.3spg, 1.0bpg
July 2012: NBA Summer League (Kings): 3.3ppg, 0.5apg, 3.0rpg, 0.5spg, 0.0bpg, FGP: 41.7%, 3PT: 00.0%, FT: 60.0%

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Awards/Achievements:
All-MAC First Team (2011)
All-MAC Second Team (2012)
All-MAC Honorable Mention (2009, 2010)
MAC All-Tournament Team (2011)
MAC Freshman of the Year (2009)
MAC All-Freshman Team (2009)
Great Alaska Shootout All-Tournament Team (2011)

Video:
Alba vs Kaposvari 17 points, 11 rebs

Alba Hungary 20 points, 10 rebs, 1 block

Hungarian Finals Game 3 14 points, 7 rebs, 5 steals, 2 assists, 1 block

Alba (Hungary) 2013 season highlights

Kiev (Ukraine) 2012-13 season highlights

Jarrod Jones college videos

Standing 6’11” with solid length. Steven brings great footwork in the post, solid fundamentals, great hands, and solid touch around the rim and on his jump shot. Maybe his biggest attribute is his mobility and that he runs the floor very well for a player his size often times leading to transition baskets or deep low post position. As a junior, 64% of Idlet’s used possessions came on post up opportunities, which was more than any other player in the country. He displayed solid footwork and a variety of moves in the post, with the ability to turn to either shoulder and finish with both hands with a soft touch. Idlet showed this year that he is solid as a mid-range catch-and-shoot option, and somebody who can be used in pick-and-pops. He connected on a solid 45% of his jump shots the past two years, showing a fairly smooth stroke and high release point. He also made over 70% of his free throws in each of his past three seasons, further backing up his potential as a floor spacer in the mid-range. Defensively, Steven is active, competes hard, and uses his excellent footwork to defend in the post. He blocks shots with either hand and is a good rebounder in and out of his area.
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Career:
2008-2009: TU (NCAA): 35 games: 3.9ppg, 0.1apg, 3.1rpg, 0.3spg, 0.7bpg, FGP: 47.5%, 3Pt: 00.0%, FT: 59.1%
2009-2010: TU (NCAA): 35 games: 6.4ppg, 0.8apg, 5.5rpg, 0.4spg, 1.0bpg, FGP: 51.7%, 3PT: 00.0%, FT: 74.0%
2010-2011: TU (NCAA): 31 games: 11.7ppg, 1.0apg, 6.4rpg, 0.9spg, 0.9bpg, FGP: 53.6%, 3Pt: 00.0%, FT: 71.2%
2011-2012: TU (NCAA): 31 games: 10.6ppg, 1.3apg, 5.3rpg, 0.5spg, 1.0bpg, FGP: 52.7%, 3PT: 50.0%, FT: 73.7%
April 2012: Portsmouth Invitational: 4.3ppg, 1.0apg, 6.0rpg, 0.3spg, 1.3bpg

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Awards/Achievements:
C-USA Sixth Player of the Year (2010)

Video:
Atomeromu vs Falco (Hungary) 24 points, 9 rebs, 1 block

Atomeromu vs Jaszberenyi (Hungary) 20 points, 5 rebs, 2 blocks

Travis Hyman is an extremely athletic 6’11 245lbs big man. He tested out as the most athletic Center in the 2012 draft. He posted the fastest full court sprint time of any player and had the 2nd highest maximum vertical jump. He also posted top 5 numbers in the bench press, vertical reach, and lane agility drills. Hyman is a defensive specialist. He protects the rim by blocking or altering tons of shots per game, he is aggressive in the paint and uses his long reach to swat away shots from the weakside. Travis uses his speed to defend the pick and roll extremely well too. Offensively, Travis runs the floor very well. He uses his speed to beat other big men down the floor for easy baskets. He also is a very good offensive rebounder who creates additional possessions for his team and creates easy put backs for himself. He finishes around the rim with ferocious dunks and also has good hands. Travis plays really hard and he is very aggressive.

Career:
2008-2009 JC 31.2min 18.8pts, 11.0reb, 1.5ast, 1.1stl, 6.1blk, .602FG% .541FT%
2009-2010 BSU 24.3min 10.3pts 6.5reb, 0.5ast, 0.3stl, 4.2blks, .463FG% .501FT%
2010-2011 BSU 24.1min 15.2pts, 10.0reb, 0.7ast, 0.5stl 5.1blk .507FG% .501FT%
2011-2012 BSU 26.6min, 10.1pts, 8.6rebs, 1.1ast, 1.2stl, 2.9blk, .471FG%, .434FT%, .100FG3%
April 2012 Portsmouth Invitational 20.6min, 4.0ppg, 5.0rpg, 0.7apg, 0.7spg, 3.3blks
July 2012 NBA Summer League – Toronto Raptors

Awards / Achievements
Draftexpress.com ranks him as the 47th best senior in NCAA basketball
Draftexpress.com ranks him as the 5th best Senior Center
All-CIAA First Team – 2012
CIAA Defensive Player of the Year – 2010, 2012
NABC Atlantic Region 2nd Team – 2012

Video:

DJ is a pure scorer. He has proved to over and over again. DJ has scored everywhere he has gone. His ability to get into the paint and finish at the rim is unbelievable. He is unstoppable in the open floor and moves well without the basketball. Rivera can play both guard positions and has advanced ball handling skills. He uses his crossover and change in speeds extremely well to get by his defender and then is able to score in the mid-range or at the rim with ease. He scored 19.9 points per game at Binghamton which lead the conference. Then, last year he carried Montevallo all the way to the Division II Championship. He earned All-American honors this year for his play where he averaged 21.6 points per game. Defensively, he rebounds the ball very well and gathers a ton of steals with his quick hands and long arms.
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Career:
2006-2007: St. Joes (NCAA): 32 games: 5.9ppg, 1.2apg, 2.6rpg, 1.3spg, FGP: 40.5%, 3Pt: 27.8%, FT: 61.5%
2007-2008: St. Joes (NCAA): 14 games: 4.2ppg, 0.3apg, 1.5rpg, 0.7spg, FGP: 26.9%, 3PT: 00.0%, FT: 68.2%
2008-2009: Binghamton (NCAA): 32 games: 19.9ppg, 1.1apg, 6.5rpg, 1.8spg, FGP: 47.3%, 3Pt: 31.5%, FT: 63.5%
2011-2012: Montevallo (NCAA2): 35 games: 21.6ppg, 2.4apg, 4.7rpg, 2.4spg, FGP: 45.0%, 3PT: 32.7%, FT: 62.6%
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Awards/Achievements:
America East Second Team (2009)
America East Tournament MOP (2009)
America East All-Tournament Team (2009)
NABC Division II All-American (2012)
MOP NCAA Division II Elite Eight (2012)
Elite Eight All Tourney Team (2012)
All Regional First Team (2012)
All Peach Belt Conference First Team (2012)

Video:
Full game video (Montevallo)

Kevin is a true post player. He is mountain of a man at 6’9 245. He is very strong, aggressive, and powerful underneath the basket. His strength allows him to get low in the paint and finish through contact which often times results in and-one opportunities. He has huge hands and a strong lower half which has allowed him to be one of the best rebounders in the NCAA over his career. He has collected over 1200 rebounds at Morgan State which has won the MEAC multiple times during his career. Offensively, he operates in the low post. He is an underrated passer out of the post as well. Defensively, he is tremendous. He understands timing, position, and blocks shots with both hands. Thompson has 165 blocks throughout his career. He has won Defensive Player of the Year in the MEAC as well as Tournament MVP, and 1st Team All-MEAC multiple times.
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Career:
2008-2009: MSU (NCAA): 35 games: 8.7ppg, 0.8apg, 7.1rpg, 0.5spg, FGP: 42.8%, 3Pt: 00.0%, FT: 55.4%
2009-2010: MSU (NCAA): 37 games: 12.7ppg, 1.8apg, 11.8rpg, 0.4spg, FGP: 52.1%, 3PT: 00.0%, FT: 60.0%
2010-2011: MSU (NCAA): 31 games: 13.1ppg, 1.1apg, 9.1rpg, 1.0spg, FGP: 52.0%, 3Pt: 00.0%, FT: 59.7%
2011-2012: MSU (NCAA): 29 games: 10.8ppg, 1.6apg, 8.2rpg, 1.1spg, FGP: 50.9%, 3PT: 100.0%, FT: 57.8%

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Awards/Achievements:
All-MEAC First Team (2010)
All-MEAC Second Team (2011)
MEAC Tournament MOP (2010)
MEAC All-Tournament Team (2010, 2011)
MEAC Defensive POY (2010)
MEAC All-Rookie Team (2009)
Cancun Challenge Mayan Division All-Tournament Team (2011)

Video:
Komarno (Slovakian Cup) 20 points, 17 rebs, 1 block

Komarno (Slovakia) 18 points, 9 rebs, 2 assists

Morgan State vs LaSalle
Morgan State vs Southern Cal
Morgan State vs Coppin State
Kevin Thompson Highlights

Standing 6’8 with good size and length. Rob is a flat-out shooter who can space the floor. He can shoot is extremely well from the three, in the mid-range, and at the free throw line. Rob has a quick and high release which makes it very difficult to be blocked especially considering his size. He has unlimited range on his jump shot as well. This makes him a threat on pick-and-pops, kick outs, and trailing the fast break. He also does a great job utilizing a pump fake and using one or two dribbles to score in the mid-range. Nyakundi is a matchup nightmare because he will post-up smaller forwards and score on face-ups and a nice hook shot or take big men on the perimeter. Defensively he can guard both small and power forwards. His solid 230 pound frame allows him to defend strong forwards inside because of his strength and his nimble feet and mobility allow him to defend smaller players on the perimeter when called upon.
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Career:
2008-2009: SMU (NCAA): 30 games: 6.2ppg, 0.2apg, 3.3rpg, 0.5spg, FGP: 41.6%, 3Pt: 39.2%, FT: 81.2%
2009-2010: SMU (NCAA): 27 games: 7.6ppg, 0.7apg, 3.2rpg, 0.4spg, FGP: 40.6%, 3PT: 40.0%, FT: 86.8%
2010-2011: SMU (NCAA): 35 games: 14.3ppg, 1.9apg, 4.3rpg, 1.0spg, FGP: 49.1%, 3Pt: 49.7%, FT: 90.0%
2011-2012: SMU (NCAA): 31 games: 14.8ppg, 1.0apg, 4.8rpg, 1.1spg, FGP: 46.3%, 3PT: 41.4%, FT: 78.0%

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Awards/Achievements:
C-USA All-Conference Third Team (2011, 2012)

Video:
Ploiesti vs Pitesti (Romania) 15 points, 7 rebs, 2 assists, 2 steals

vs Craiova 15 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal

Romania 2012-2013 season highlights

Jaytornah Wisseh is your prototypical New York guard. He’s a heady defender with great speed. He plays passing lanes extremely well and is always a nightmare on the defensive side of the ball. On offense, he’s able to use his creativity and phenomenal ball handling to either find an open teammate or get into the lane for an easy lay-up. He finishes strong at the basket and draws a ton of fouls.
Jaytornah finished his collegiate career at Long Island University with 1,693pts, 538asts, and 177stls. His numerous awards include two (2009,2010) All NEC 1st Team selections, an All NEC Tourney Team selcection, and an All NEC Freshman Team selection. Although Jaytornah only stands at 6’1″, his heart of giant and passion for the game will ensure that he plays basketball for years to come.
During his 2011-12 campaign in Romania, Jaytornah led the league in points(23.5), assists(7.3), and steals(2.9).

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Career:
2006-2007: LIU (NCAA): 29 games: 8.7ppg, 3.0apg, 2.6rpg, 1.2spg, FGP: 39.6%, 3Pt: 22.2%, FT: 73.7%
2007-2008: LIU (NCAA): 30 games: 15.7ppg, 5.1apg, 4.8rpg, 1.6spg, FGP: 43.5%, 3PT: 30.7%, FT: 79.5%
2008-2009: LIU (NCAA): 30 games: 15.2ppg, 4.3apg, 3.7rpg, 1.6spg, FGP: 36.6%, 3Pt: 37.0%, FT: 80.2%
2009-2010: LIU (NCAA): 29 games: 17.6ppg, 5.7apg, 4.2rpg, 1.6spg, FGP: 39.6%, 3PT: 29.1%, FT: 83.2%
2010: Croatia: (Kvarner 2010): 10 games: 5.6ppg, 0.9apg, 2.3rpg, 1.3spg, FGP: 51.2%, 3PT: 0.00%, FT: 80.0%
2011-2012: Romania (Sibiu): 28 games: 23.5ppg, 7.3apg, 5.4rpg, 2.9spg, FGP: 52.1%, 3PT: 28.9%, FT: 84.2%
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Awards/Achievements:
Led Romania in Points, Assists, and Steals (2012)
NEC All-Rookie Team 2007
All-NEC 2nd Team 2008
NABC Division I All-District 18 First Team 2009
NEC Regular Season Runner-Up 2009
All-NEC 1st Team 2009 & 2010
NEC Tournament Semifinals 2010
NEC All-Tournament Team 2010
NABC Division I All-Dictrict 18 1st Team 2010

Video:
Rovinari (Romania) 2012-13 full games 4 total

Two full games (Romania)

Jarrid Famous has secured an invite to the Indiana Pacers training camp after just three games of action in the NBA Development League, according to a source close to the player. NBA teams were allowed to begin contacting players on Wednesday morning, though agreements can’t officially be signed until Dec. 9.

Famous is playing for the Iowa Energy and, following Wednesday’s matinee game, the 6-foot-11 rookie out of South Florida is averaging 24.7 points and 12.7 rebounds — 6.7 of which are coming off of the offensive glass. The 23-year-old averaged 8.7 points and 5.4 rebounds during his senior season with the Bulls.

The Energy are off to just a 1-2 start, but Famous has held his own early on his first season of professional basketball. Against the Sioux Falls Skyforce, featuring the best front line in the D-League with Greg Stiemsma and Charles Garcia, scored 33 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in a losing effort.

Having only watched Famous for three games thus far, deferring to the always excellent Jonathan Givony on his shortcomings seems to be wise:

Defensively, Famous has some excellent tools to work with, as he has great size, length and mobility for his position and could develop into a very effective matchup down the road, especially with his ability to switch on the pick and roll.

Unfortunately that doesn’t help him very much right now, as he simply lacks the fundamentals and awareness needed to be effective at the moment, and he’s frequently targeted for isolation plays both in the post and on the perimeter by opposing coaches, often with great success. Famous tends to gamble a lot on this end of the floor and clearly isn’t as tough or active as you would like to see from a big man with his physical tools, something he needs to improve significantly if he’s to have any chance of making the NBA. While he’s an above average rebounder offensively, the same can’t be said about his production on the defensive end. Getting stronger should help in this regard, but at the same time, Famous must improve his effort level as well.

NBA training camps open next Friday and while Famous is only one of what is expected to be 30-40 players called-up from the NBA Development League, he might be the one with the most ridiculous upside

Read more:
http://www.ridiculousupside.com/2011/11/30/2601845/jarrid-famous-indiana-pacers-training-camp-2011

“I think this is the smartest route,” Walton said. “It’s something we talked about early on if Randy didn’t get drafted. The reality is that there might not be a summer league and no team can commit to any kind of contract.”

In his last season at college, Culpepper averaged 19.3ppg and 3.1apg.

Read more:
http://www.sportando.net/eng/europe/ukraine/28909/randy_culpepper_inks_with_ferrozntu.html

Goudelock finished his collegiate career as one of the most productive scorers in Division 1 history, ranking 39th all-time with his 2,571 points. The four-year player was named the Southern Conference Player of the Year as a senior after averaging 23.7 points, 4.2 assists and shooting 82.1 percent from the line.

“His confidence, being a four-year player, he’ll probably have more confidence than a player who is 19 or 20 (years old),” said Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak. “He’s a seasoned player who played for a very good coach*. We know him very well.”

Goudelock, who improved his scoring average by roughly three points a year from 13.2 as a freshman to 23.7 as a senior, said he started to realize he could play in the NBA heading into his final season. He was elated to be selected by L.A.

“I actually started crying, it was very emotional for me,” Goudelock said. “Going to L.A. is a great thing. I’ve always looked up to guys like Kobe Bryant (and) Derek Fisher. I was just really excited. Tonight I’m going to enjoy it, and it’s back to work for me.”

Goudelock participated in a pre-draft workout at the Lakers’ practice facility and impressed the team’s brass enough that they were pleased when he was still on the board at No. 46. Kupchak was looking for a player who could knock down perimeter shots and potentially earn some backup guard minutes, and Goudelock – whose strong points are different from those of fellow guard and No. 41 pick Darius Morris – fit the bill. Known best for his scoring and shooting, Goudelock made 41.2 percent of his three-point attempts in college with a high of 44.0 percent as a sophomore, and showed NBA-type range noted by Kupchak.

“Unless I get some type of disease where I forget how to shoot, I’ll be able to shoot until the day I die,” he said.

The Stone Mountain, Georgia native emphasized that his game is well-rounded, having scored the ball in a variety of ways and also led his Charleston in assists for three straight years. Kupchak said the Lakers liked that Goudelock had the ability to both pass and shoot the ball with skill.

“I’m very unselfish,” he explained. “Although I scored a lot of points at the College of Charleston, I was never selfish. Whenever there was an open man, I passed the ball. I’m a great teammate.”

Handling the basketball is another area in which Goudelock says he has prowess.

“I have a little junk in my game, so I like to do a lot of different types of things, mix it up a little bit,” he detailed. “Dribbling, coming off screens, spin off a guy, try a crossover … A lot of people know I can shoot, so I try to put it on the floor a lot, try to create a lot of things for myself and it usually works out pretty well for me. I’m not bashful about my game.”

When asked what he needs to work on most, Goudelock said he’d like to improve defensively.

“I think the farther I come defensively the farther I come as a basketball player because my offense is there,” he said. “I’m not going to back down from nobody. I’m going to get better every day. If it means I’m going to have to guard somebody 6-5 or 6-6, I’m going to have to do that.”

In fact, Goudelock could find himself guarding someone who knows how to score, a bit, in practice that happens to be 6-6. His name is Kobe. Yet Goudelock could fit right in…

“I’m not afraid of anybody,” he stated. “I don’t care who it is, whenever I step on that floor, I’m going to give it 150 percent and try to kill it.”

At the same time, Goudelock only wants to fit in to a team he knows is full of some of the world’s best players.

“I’m not going to try and come in and try to do anything that I can’t do,” he concluded. “I’m going to come in and play my game, whatever they need me to do, that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to be a team player first. First things first is winning.

“I know they want me to play my game … as long as you’re working hard, you don’t have much to worry about.”

Published by Mike Trudell (Lakers Blog)

The agent racket is Darwinian, replete with sharks and scoundrels. And rare is the fledgling with the business sense and connections to swim in these waters.

But if last week is any indication, Walton is onto something.

Thursday night his marquee basketball client was drafted by theLos Angeles Lakers, and Sunday one of his two track and field clients finished first at the USA Championships to qualify for the World Championships.

“Pretty surreal, I must say,” Walton said early Sunday afternoon from his Houston base.

And that was a few hours before former Hampton University star Kellie Wells, whom he represents, won the 100-meter hurdles at the USA meet.

Prior to Wells’ victory, Walton was most jazzed about another client. Andrew Goudelock, the College of Charleston’s career scorer leader with 2,571 points, went midway through the second round of the draft, 46th overall, to the Lakers.

Two things to know.

* A 6-foot-2 guard from Stone Mountain, Ga., Goudelock can play. He averaged 23.7 points last season while shooting 45.5 percent overall, 40.3 percent from 3-point range.

* Few franchises manage the draft as well as the Lakers.

Although Goudelock is his first draftee, Walton reacted with “mixed emotions. … I thought he was going to get drafted higher.”

But Walton, a 2003 Heritage High graduate, is no fool. The Lakers? L.A.? Hello!

“I couldn’t ask for anything better,” Walton said. “That’s a great market, and you’re on TV all the time.”

Like many kids, Walton envisioned himself making jump shots on TV. He played for Heritage and in the summer for Boo Williams but was not Division I-caliber.

So Walton earned his undergraduate degree in business from South Florida, master’s in sports adminisitration from Valparaiso and law degree from South Texas College of Law.

“I knew I wanted to have a job in sports,” he said. “It was going to be coaching or the agent route.”

Walton dabbled in coaching at Andrean High School in Indiana, alma mater of former Notre Dame All-American Luke Harongody. But the nomadic life of coaching did not appeal.

“I knew I could do this because I’m a people person and I know (basketball),” Walton said.

He worked for two large agencies and two years ago this month opened his own firm, Walton Sports Management, which offers representation, marketing and financial planning.

He recruits 24/7 and, befitting his youth, does so extensively through social media. Wells and David Payne, the 2008 Olympic silver medalist in the 110 hurdles, are his sole track clients. Everyone else is basketball.

“When I started rating all the agents, he seemed like the most genuine,” Goudelock said of Walton. “He was the hardest-working, and it was even better because he’s young. … I always liked Austin, even during the season when he was always messaging me on Facebook.”

UTEP guard Randy Culpepper, the Conference USA Player of the Year, and Massachusetts guard Anthony Gurley, along with Goudelock, were Walton’s highest-profile college seniors this year. All three competed in the Portsmouth Invitational NBA camp in Walton’s native Hampton Roads, and Culpepper has signed to play in the Ukraine. Walton also represents Virginia Beach native and former Maryland guard John Gilchrist.

“I’d like to get into football and baseball,” Walton said, “but not until I (establish) myself in basketball. That’s my pride and joy.”

Agents and the recruiters they employ, aka runners, are viewed as a pox on many college campuses, risking athletes’ eligibility with offers of gifts and money.

“It happens in every sport,” Walton said. “I can tell you every agent that pays players. It’s well-known. …

“We just don’t pay players.  I can name you plenty of players in college who already are (on an agent’s payroll). It’s hard to compete against that. But every year if you recruit 50 guys, you’ll find one or two who want to do it the right way.”

Walton’s way seems to be working. But as a competitor and former athlete, he understands longevity and endurance are paramount.

“I think this is just the beginning,” Walton said.

By David Teel (Daily Press)

John Gilchrist

From The Real Athlete Blog

Written by Susan Zaro

Part III: Alert and Prepared

AA: When you returned to the U.S. to play in The NBA Development League (NBDL), what did you bring back from that experience that will help you reach your dream of playing in the NBA?

JG: My plan is to get into a situation where I can prove who I am.  Prove what I’m all about – I never believed I was a bad guy.  I’ve had this thing when I was young where I was more of a loner that used to be misunderstood.  When I’d come and work out with my teammates and practice, no one really knew who I was.  That’s kind of hard.  One of the qualities of a leader is that you’ve got to be transparent.  You’ve got to know who you are because you’re held accountable.  I’ve had a lot of lessons of how to open up to my teammates and people around the organization.  I’ve experienced a lot of growth and I feel I am ready.  I’m not worried about the basketball.  I’ve played basketball my whole life.  I pretty much realize that’s going to take care of itself.

AA: It’s filling out the other details.  It’s about the team experience and being a part of an organization – the give and take thing.

JG: Right.

AA: How have the qualities of persistence and motivation – characteristics you must have – contributed to your goals as a professional basketball player?

JG: To me it’s pretty much the only way that I know how to be.  I can’t quit in life.  It’s something that I don’t do.  People that quit in life end up doing really bad.  Like how can you quit in life?  Those are the people that end up on drugs and basically you self-destruct.  To me nothing positive will come if you’re not persistent with trying to better your situation.  That’s the way I look at it.  I don’t know life any other way.  I really don’t.

AA: It’s a value you grew up with or is it a survival value?

JG: You see people make the wrong decision in life – people that I’ve known were on drugs.  “Sweet Pea” Whitaker was a big time boxer from my area.  He was a boxer in the 90’s.  He was a millionaire and lost it all.  He got on drugs and not only does it tarnish your legacy, it affects your family.  It affects so many different people.

AA: In a lot of ways the opportunities in sport give you a chance to lift your life to be in different environments – getting into college, having the opportunity to move onto the pros, and beyond into business once your playing days are over.  It’s a great window of opportunity.

In 2004, during the ACC tournament you played with a lot of emotion and had a dominant performance.  I read an article that said, “it was one of the most memorable in ACC history.”  Have you had a similar experience in your professional play?

JG: Yeah, I mean, that [ACC] was something great because it was on a national stage.  In high school, we won championships, but the ACC was a highlight in college.  Even overseas, I was on a successful team.  We were the underdogs and being able to really show those teams… I’m coming to realize it’s easy to sneak up on a team that takes you for granted.  I’ve been in that situation at different times.  But when you are on top, people are gunning and have a target for you.  Being able to manage your team.  That was the thing.  How can we go from a team with so much to being what we were?  I take credit for a lot of it because I wasn’t the leader that I needed to be off the court as well.  I realized that when I was in college I didn’t want to be that guy who says, “come on guys.”  I wanted to be one of the guys.  I didn’t speak up.  I just let things linger.  The team was like, “Gilchrist, it’s his fault.”  I didn’t know how to fix it.  I was really hurt by it.  Now that I’ve had time away and can look at different people’s situations, it happens all the time.  You watch a football team lose and hear, “he’s the worst quarterback.”  When they win a game, it’s “he’s the best QB.”

AA: John, I don’t think for most people the leader’s role is something people just step into.  It’s not a natural quality for many people.  People that become successful at leadership usually are mentored into it.  They are groomed and learn the skills by someone mentoring them.  It sounds as though you didn’t receive these skills sets until you went to Israel.

JG: My whole life I’ve been put in situations by being handpicked.  We’d go to these different places and I’d ask, “Am I going to be able to play?”  The coach would say, “We’re going to hand the team over to you. You’re going to come in and play a lot.”  You kinda learn because you’re baptized by fire in those situations.  You make a lot of mistakes because you don’t know.

AA: Because no one gives you a floor plan.

JG: Right.  Those are the things that I’ve learned that I’m willing to continue to learn.  I know I don’t have all the answers, but I know that I have a positive attitude.  I know my qualities.  My qualities are that I am a hard worker.  I am a competitor.  I refuse to lose.

AA: Those are huge qualities for athletes.

JG: So when anyone ever challenges me enough, I’m going to try my best to get over that hurdle.  That’s the reason I feel like all I need is the opportunity.  Any job you give me the opportunity, I’m not going to let you down.  I’m going to try my best.  If I’m not good enough to do it so be it.  No one is going to say “if you give Gilchrist a chance, he won’t value it.”

AA: Will playing in the NBDL again give you that window of opportunity to become visible under the NBA’s radar?

JG: That’s exactly what it is.  That’s the reason I want to play there if I can get into a situation where I’m able to play.  But if I go into a situation where the NBDL team already has a player that plays my position, then he needs to play a certain amount of time and I am forced to be on the bench.  It’s all about being in the right situation.  It’s like you said, it’s about being on the NBA radar.  They are the ones that play.  The ones the scouts want to see.  Teams want to get a report and watch them play.

AA: Are you getting closer?

JG: Definitely.  I’m getting feedback from teams.  That’s why I was up in the air about my decision whether to play in the NBDL or to remain in Israel.  I could pass up the opportunity to go Europe and make a little money or I can chase my dream.  I’m the type of person that will take that risk.

That’s what I am in it for.  Like I said, I went overseas the first couple of years and the guys told me, “you can always come back here.  You’ve already proved that you can play here.”

AA: The door’s open.

JG: Yeah, you learn you can return to Europe and play.  In the meantime, I’m going to try my best because in that situation guys can improve enough.  You’re not playing in the NBA, but it’s like a junior NBA.  You might not be playing, but you’re learning all these things [in the NBDL].  You’re growing because you’re being taught all these things.

AA: What are some tips that you can share with upcoming basketball players that are valuable in managing your emotions when tensions heat up both on and off the floor?

JG: The difference between me now and when I was younger is I feel like I had tunnel vision towards how I saw myself and how I saw my situation being.  I didn’t really see myself as being a pawn in the whole big business.  That’s pretty much what basketball is – it’s a business.  You have to stay marketable, be approachable.  You can’t do stuff that will hinder your chances of success.  You have to always give yourself a chance to win in sports period.  You don’t want to beat yourself.

AA: I like the expression “you don’t want to beat yourself.”  It puts it in a nutshell.  The phrase touches not only the competitive side, but the bigger picture.

JG: It’s funny because when you’re going through it, you think that it’s falling on you, but everyone goes through it.  At some point or another, everyone hits a roadblock in any career path.

I watched when the media made a big deal of LeBron James after they lost during the playoffs this year.  The media criticized him for walking off the court after the game without shaking the other team’s hand.  It was a heartbreaking loss.  I feel like our society can be ruthless with athletes, as they hold them to a whole other standard.  Who wouldn’t do that?  You can’t even think straight.  All LeBron wants to do is have some time to himself.

AA: That’s tricky though because the media wants to write a newspaper article.  They want a name to draw people to the article.  When a player doesn’t show up to a press conference after the game, they take him to task and frame it in a negative light.

JG: Make him look bad.

AA: I hear what you’re saying.  LeBron just needed time to himself to collect his thoughts and be upset for a while.

JG: That’s what got me into trouble.  [A] couple of times, I went into the locker room after losing a game and I was pissed off.  The reporters are shoving recorders in your face and you’re like “hey! What do you think happened here tonight?”  If I say the first thing that comes to my mind; for example, “if we rebounded better” or something like that, the reporter then says, “So you’re saying it’s the big man’s fault.”  Like I am not saying that necessarily, but they twist your words.  That’s basically how the rift between myself and Gary Williams happened.  The reporter would ask a question and I’d answer something like, “If they’d let me run my play….”  Because I was young, I didn’t even realize how I was setting myself up.

AA: Do you think it is the responsibility of the school to help players by training and coaching them in these situations so that they are better equipped to handle the media?

JG: You can’t point a finger at anyone.  That’s the type of guy I am.  That’s the reason a lot of times I’ve taken the fall for others because I’ve been taught a lot of times that things happen with me personally that have been my downfall.  Someone asks “what happened John?”  I don’t point a finger at anyone because it always comes back.  If they know me, they can’t say that about my character.  I take it on the chin and let it be what it is.  I’m not going to sit and talk bad about my teammate.  At Maryland, I know they tried to talk to us.  They give you like a little university course.  They have these things available to you, but most college students… all they’re thinking about is playing.  I was a kid.  All I was thinking about was playing basketball.

AA: At that age you don’t really want coaching about what you should and shouldn’t be doing; you just want to play.

JG: Exactly.

AA: What type of support team do you currently have in place to keep your goals on track to make it to the NBA?

JG: I just signed with Austin Walton of Walton Sports Management Group.

AA: So Walton Sports has a team of people who look out for your best interests regarding, contracts, endorsements, P.R., etc?

JG: When you go to them, they ask you what your needs are and point you in the right direction.

AA: They sit down with you and map out a path?

JG: Exactly.  It’s wonderful.

AA: What do you do to relax off the court that gives you the mental and physical pause you learned while you were abroad so you can re-energize?  I read somewhere that you enjoy fishing, boats, jet skis, and water sports.

JG: Stuff like that is very relaxing.  I like water sports, boats and things.  I feel that anytime you can get to the point where you can cut your phone off, people can’t bother you.

AA: How often do you get to do this?

JG: Now that I’m in the off-season, I get to go at least once a week.  I need time to sit back and get myself together.  I’ve been introduced to yoga.  I do a lot of reading, things that clear your mind.  Since I’ve been home, I’ve been able to go to church.  That’s something that’s hard to find when you’re on the road.

AA: Occasionally, do you speak to youth groups?

JG: I’m approached all the time about talking to kids.  Someone calls me and says they have a basketball camp going on and would I come over and talk to the kids.  Anyone who’s ever known me, knows I’ve never had a problem with doing that stuff.

AA: It sounds as though it’s rewarding for you to give back to others.

JG: Definitely.  Really I feel like that’s the reason why we’re put in this situation.  It feels like God has put everybody in a situation for a certain reason.  There’s a reason why these kids are looking up to me thinking you’re something special.  The only way I understand it is if I think about when I was their age – how I felt when I met Alan Iverson and other local stars.  I have to go back and remember that feeling.  These young boys… you’re talking to them and they’re like, “Man I used to come to your games.  I used to watch you on TV.  I love the way you play.”

All I can say is, “Thank you man.”  Then they get quiet and they want you to say something to them.  All you can say is, “Stay on track man.  Don’t beat yourself up.  You can’t play if you can’t get your grades.  You can’t play if you get in trouble.”

A lot of times we make our situation harder on ourselves.  We can say we weren’t guided right.  A lot of people just don’t see it coming.  I talk to them and I say I did this and this was good, but I would do something different in that situation.  I’ve been able to talk to a lot of up and coming guys that are going off to college – or are in college and trying to go and play basketball overseas.  They call me.  They want to get an agent.  I’m just thankful that I’m in a position that I can share information.

AA: It’s motivating for you that these kids come to you and look up to you.  It’s nice to be in a position where people have enough respect for you that they what to know what John G. thinks.

JG: It’s flattering, but for a while, I really fought it because I didn’t want it.  When I was younger, I didn’t have all the answers, and I still don’t have all the answers.  That’s when I was 21-22 years old.  Pretty much each year I’ve gotten more settled in myself, but it was like people come to you and expect your word to be the gospel, but you don’t even know – that used to bother me.  Honestly, now it’s to the point where if I don’t know, I’m going to do my research or I’ll tell them.  I’m not embarrassed to say, “I haven’t crossed that bridge yet, but from what I’ve learned I can tell you this.”

AA: It is really valuable for the younger players to hear from a player with experience.  I read somewhere that your grandmother was a role model for you.  Is she still alive?

JG: No, that was part of the reason I didn’t go back to Israel.  I had the opportunity to go overseas last year, but she had triple bypass surgery and she was in critical condition.  They wanted me to leave August 20th, but I was really close to her.  She took care of me when my parents were working.  I was always at her house.  I spent the summers with her.

AA: Did she make it through the surgery?

JG: No

AA: I’m sorry.

JG: That in itself has been empowering.  It made me feel like, “man I need to do this for her.”  It gave me more of – there’s so much that I do better through her.

AA: Inspiration.

JG: Something like that really affects you in ways that you can’t even put into words.  I know that it has made a difference in me personally because [it affects] a lot of stuff that I do now – in the way that I carry myself.  When you’re younger, you see your grandmother and she says, “cut your hair or put on your shirt,” and you’re like, “whatever grandmother.”  It gets to the point where I can hear her voice or hear what she would say.  I still have my parents, but she was like, the third parent.  We had a different kind of bond.  It really affected me.  It’s the type of situation now that I experienced it.  I still go and visit her gravesite every few weeks.  It’s that type of thing.  It prepares you for life.  It happens… you feel the pain, the hurt, and it makes you stronger and moves you forward.

AA: You have all these stored memories of her being with you.

JG: She definitely changed my life with the time we spent together.

AA: Do you have any favorite quotes or sayings that help you to remain motivated?  I know that my favorite from you so far is “don’t beat yourself.”

JG: A prayer I say is one my aunt always said when I was younger:

“I can do all this through Christ who strengthens me.”  Philippians 4:13.  It’s one I’ve always called on.

AA: Are you religious?

JG: I go to church when I am home.  It’s harder when I am on the road.

AA: Have you set a timeline for yourself to make it to the NBA or is it a play it out and see what happens type of thing?

JG: Just going to play it out and see what happens.  Like I said before, if it gets to the point where I’m 27-28 and it hasn’t worked and your body and athleticism slows down, you have to look at other options.

AA: Well it sounds as though you have good things going for you.  I appreciate the conversation we’ve had.  It seems like you’ve become a wiser person and that you’ve learned so much in the last several years.  No matter what happens you’re a wiser, stronger person, which in itself, is a great value.

Thank you for your time.  I hope you meet your dreams and your career goes forward in the ways you wish.  Keep me up to date!

Update on John Gilchrist

Practicing with the team.

John Gilchrist is currently playing for the Adelaide 36ers of the National Basketball League (NBL) in Australia.  The 36ers are one of the most winning teams in the history of the league.  They have won over 10 championships in their history and are a very professional and well-run team; from the owner on down to the coaching staff.  Last year, the team had Luke Schenscher, former Georgia Tech Center, and Julius Hodge, former NC State Guard.  So they attract big names and former ACC stars with some NBA experience.  It is a great team and city to play for, as they are the only team in the league with their own arena. They led the league in attendance as well.

He has been performing great for the 36ers and has really enjoyed the basketball and cultural environment.  He is getting along well with all of his teammates and the coaching staff.  He hopes to lead them to a championship this season.  After the season is over, we plan to explore EuroCup teams for the last 2 months and then hopefully have John land an NBA summer league job.

This update was provided by Gilchrist’s agent Austin Walton of Walton Sports Management Group (WSMG).

By BOTI NAGY

SCOTT Ninnis’ last-minute decision to skip the NBA’s Summer Pro League in Las Vegas is the strongest indication yet John Gilchrist will join the Adelaide 36ers.

The 191cm, 25-year-old American point guard will arrive in Adelaide tomorrow for a two-week trial for one of the 36ers’ vacant NBL import spots and the 36ers’ coach last night could not speak highly enough of him.

“I said I’d need to see (tape of) someone pretty impressive to change my mind about going (to Las Vegas) and John is that player,” Ninnis said. “He’s just knocked our socks off.

“We don’t think we can get a better player than this guy. I can’t see anyone who’ll be able to keep him out of the lane and as for his on-ball defence, he’s going to terrorise a lot of people in this league.”

Gilchrist in 2004 led University of Maryland to its first Atlantic Coast Conference championship in 20 years, winning tournament MVP honours en route to a 95-87 overtime final success over storied Duke University. Having outshone NBA AllStar and U.S. Beijing Olympics gold medallist Chris Paul (then at Wake Forest) and Julius Hodge (North Carolina State) during that tournament, the stage was set for an NBA career.

But that’s where it all went awry for Gilchrist, who has carried the baggage of his 2005 college season through a pro career which has still taken him to Israel, France, Latvia and the NBA’s D-League.

“He did so well in 2004 that he was being touted as a (NBA draft) lottery pick,” Ninnis said. “It seems that went to his head and he spent the next (college) season playing for an NBA contract. Instead his stocks fell and his coach was openly critical of him.”

Ninnis said Gilchrist’s “fall from grace” was a hot topic during the recruitment process. “When we spoke to him, we didn’t mince words,” Ninnis said.

“We said we saw a few red flags there.

“We gave him several opportunities to blame his coach, his circumstances, his team or whatever but he was very mature and took full responsibility for what had happened.

“He’d gotten ahead of himself.

“Talking with him now, it’s a great shame his career has been tainted by that one season but the fact he’s prepared to come and trial with us for two weeks shows the type of person he is now. I’m very excited by him.

“I don’t have any doubt he will quickly become a fan favourite.”

If Gilchrist impresses as expected, and with Adam Ballinger now naturalised, Adelaide remains in the market for a second import, a back-up “big” and an under-23 development player, as per Basketball Australia’s new rule.

Gilchrist playing in Israel

From The Real Athlete Blog

Written by Susan Zaro

Part II: The Lessons

AA: When you made the decision to leave for the NBA after your junior year in college, did you make that decision personally or did others influence your decision to leave?  If you feel you were influenced by others, do you feel they were giving you the right advice?

JG: Obviously, looking back on it, I wouldn’t have done it because what was said about me.  For whatever reason, my personality as a leader and all these other things were questioned.  They (ex-coaches) were saying I wasn’t a good teammate, which I disagreed with, but I knew I was confident and positive.  While I was going through the NBA combine, I knew I was talented enough to play at that level.  [Even] if you go and you do well, it shows you that it’s something bigger – that I didn’t understand.

Going overseas really taught me how to be professional.  It really taught me what it was all about.  Before I thought it was all about playing the sport.  If I’m good in the sport then basically – what can you say to me?  It’s all the things that come along with being a role model and being that person that I never looked at myself as being.  Being someone that when people’s eyes are on you, you have to be marketable.  People who are paying you, have to be able to trust you.

I feel that was the main reason.  Pretty much, what I’ve been told the reason I wasn’t drafted was because word got out that I wasn’t fit to handle that pressure.  I was background checked and they [NBA personnel] talked to my coaches and they were saying I was really immature.

AA: You decided to walk through that unknown door as a player when you left college.  I guess I’m wondering if you received enough advice from your support people at the time regarding the door you would be walking through.  I’m not sure you were ready for it in terms of all the “stuff” that comes with it.  When you decided to go to Israel to play, it sounds as though it was a positive experience.  How old were you when you went to Israel?

JG: I went to Israel when I was twenty-one years old.  You know it was really therapeutic for me because as I said before, I’ve been pushed in this direction forever.

AA: It’s kind of refreshing to get out of the country and start somewhere else.

JG: Definitely, because I always wanted to travel.  That’s something I always dreamed about as a kid.  Travel the world and go to different places and see different things.  My favorite subject growing up was history and social studies.  You’d look in the book and see a picture of a pyramid and it was like, WOW what is this?  I wish I could see this in person.  Also, I was away on my own and had time to grow up.  Time to reflect on a lot of things.  You hit the nail on the head.  Obviously, I didn’t get the right information or the right advice about leaving college early.  As far as my career was concerned, it was a bad move, but you know personally, it was really good for me.

AA: It gave you the opportunity to leave all these people that were in your face about your skills and abilities and what you should and shouldn’t do, and begin to meet your needs of “Hey I get to travel.  I get to be around new people, a new culture, and be myself.  To figure out who I am as a person.”

JG: Exactly.  To really find out who I was as a person.

AA: Did the coach in Israel help you with that?  Or, did being in a different environment allow you to start to do things and see yourself a bit differently?

JG: I was blessed in having a good coach over there (Guy Goodes).  He was a great player from Maccabi, Tel Aviv, which is like the NBA [team] of Europe.  He was a great player in his day, but he ended up getting hurt when he was 31.  He was only 33 in his first year as head coach when I met him.  Guy really gave me a lot of his knowledge.  I learned a lot about basketball.  Also, it was the first time I received money and the first time I was on my own.

AA: You were beginning to make your own choices.

JG: Exactly.  It’s not like when you’re in college where they dictate everything that you do, just like they do in high school.  You’re away, but they do keep the schedule.  It was a time for me that I was able to live a little.  I went to different places and traveled.  I sat around and reflected, and learned a lot about myself.

AA: Which is huge for any human being, particularly for an athlete that’s been on a track of what you’ve been describing.  When you’re in high school and college, you’re expected to be doing your homework.  You have to get to the gym.  People have expectations of you.  You rarely get to sort of kick back and just do life.  Yet at the same time, basketball gives you the opportunity to be visible.  You had this stardom thing going for you, which can work in some ways, but in other ways, it detracts from just being able to hang out and do things that young adults do.  It sounds as though playing in Israel paid off for you.

JG: It definitely paid off as far as improving my life.  Financially it hasn’t really paid off.  Maybe in the long run it will.  I know it definitely helped me personally.

AA: How would a team in Israel find a player like John Gilchrist and know he’s available?

JG: That’s what an agent is for.  That was part of the reason I signed with Joel Bell, my agent at the time.  Joel had played for coach Gary Williams when he was at American University.  His whole pitch was that he knew Williams was a tough coach and knew how it was playing for him.  Joel was going to talk to Williams and smooth everything out.

AA: Leading up to the NBA Draft, did your agent try to smooth out the noise that was out there about you?

JG: After the college basketball season, the coaches leave and go recruit.  When the season was over, I worked out at Maryland for another month.  Then I went to Philadelphia and continued to work out there to prepare for a pre-draft camp.  I never really had a sit down with my coach.  It was a situation that got blown up through the media.  There were a lot of articles that came out that there had been a fight between myself and Gary Williams.  I hadn’t gone to the media and said anything.  I didn’t understand where this was coming from.  I just thought it was something that would blow over.  But it got to the point where no one wanted to mess with me.  At one point, I read, “he’s something like a cancer to the team.”  That was really strong.

They say, “you are a cancer to the team and a head case.”  Did I think it was fair?  No.  But it taught me a lot about the business.  Sometimes you are going to be put in situations where there’s going to be dark times.

AA: Joel wasn’t able to soften these rumors, get the uproar under control, and get you back on track?

JG: The thing about it is I never say anything bad about Joel.  All I can do is take full responsibility for the things that I did when I was in college.  I could have been a better leader; I could have done this and that.  Joel tried his best to market me and the people [NBA teams] were scared to invest money in me.  That’s just the way it was.  Joel got me fourteen workouts and team interviews.

AA: The momentum was going in the wrong direction.  From your experience in Israel, how did you develop a better understanding of yourself as a basketball player emotionally and physically and what it takes to become a professional player?

JG: I mean basically just being around the veterans there’s a lot of players overseas that came over before me and were in a similar situation.  Everyone hits a bump in the road.  Everyone tells me you need to really try when you’re young because you can always come back to Israel.  You need to try to have the opportunity and really give it a full push to get in the NBA, if there’s a window of opportunity.

So I am trying to not worry about anything but playing ball.  I’ve read a lot of books and I really just try to focus on my leadership qualities.  I never really understood this part of myself.  I kept reading, “he’s a talented player, but his leadership and character issues are in question.”  I was like, “what is that?”  All I was doing was being the person that I’ve been.  I know I’ve never been perfect, but I was acting the way normal people I knew acted.  I run into people from high school that understand me.  This is how my friends were; this is the way normal people I knew acted.  That was what was different at college.  You have to be more universal and more sensitive to other people’s ways of living.  Spending time in Israel has broadened my horizons even more.  You have to have respect for other people’s cultures.  You might say something that might be offensive to someone and you don’t even know it.

The Washington Post

Former Maryland point guard John Gilchrist spent his Sunday afternoon at a grocery store on the southern coast of Australia, roughly 10,500 miles from his home town of Norfolk. The trip took longer than expected, but he didn’t mind. Gilchrist likes it in Adelaide, his new home, one of several that he’s inhabited since his last days in College Park more than four years ago.

Sure, people drive on the wrong side of the road in Australia, and for some reason the steering wheel is in front of the passenger seat, but you get used to such subtle differences. Besides, the food and the fashion are similar to those of the United States, luxuries Gilchrist didn’t have in Israel or Latvia, two of his previous stops.

“With all that I’ve been through, I’m just happy to have an opportunity to play basketball and to work,” said Gilchrist, the newest addition to the Adelaide 36ers, a storied franchise in Australia’s National Basketball League. “I get to do what I love, and I get to make a living off of it. However the chips may fall, I’m just along for the ride.”

Gilchrist’s ride has taken him from the ACC to the Fertile Crescent to the NBA Development League to the Baltic Sea. Last year alone, he moved from Colorado (where he was cut by the NBDL’s 14ers) to North Dakota (where his team folded under economic constraints), then back home to Norfolk. He lost a grandmother and close friend in the process.

And here’s what he said he’s learned along the way: That he’s ready now to be the leader everyone wanted him to be during his time at Maryland; that he wasn’t prepared back then for the responsibilities his talent laid upon him; that he made many gaffes during his final collegiate season; that he is sorry.

“When the ship is going down, when things ain’t going right, people try to find answers,” Gilchrist said in a telephone interview. “And I’m not pointing the finger at anyone. All I can do is point the finger at myself because of the fact that I made mistakes. I didn’t really show that I trusted my teammates enough, and I know that, which made me look bad and selfish.

“But when you’re a competitor and you’re trying to do something and it’s not working, you just try different things. And at that time, instead of taking a step back, I tried to force the issue. And that was something that I had to learn from.”

*****

You all remember Gilchrist, of course. He was named MVP of the 2004 ACC tournament as a sophomore while leading the Terrapins to their first conference tournament crown in two decades. In the final against Duke, Gilchrist spurred a comeback from a 12-point deficit with less than five minutes remaining, and Maryland won handily in overtime.

The following season brought high hopes but disastrous reality. Gilchrist was expected to lead the Terrapins back to the top of the ACC, and Maryland seemed a lock to return to the NCAA tournament. Instead, the Terrapins failed to reach the Big Dance for the first time in 12 years. Many fans and observers laid primary fault at the feet of Gilchrist, whose on- and off-court words and actions were perceived to be the root of the team’s undoing.

He clashed with Coach Gary Williams, his relationship with many teammates was fractious at best and his demeanor suggested he had other, more important matters on his mind than setting an example his teammates could respect and follow.

“The things that were in my control were my leadership abilities that I didn’t embrace,” Gilchrist said. “That was one of the things that I wasn’t ready to take on. I still was in college. I still was a kid. I still wanted to be a kid. I wasn’t mature enough to take on the responsibilities that I should have done.”

In retrospect, Gilchrist said, he’d have kept his mouth shut during post-loss media interviews, or at least he would have chosen his words more prudently. His tantrums portrayed a player frustrated with his role on the team and furious with his teammates’ production (or lack thereof). And at the time, he said, those were his honest feelings. But Gilchrist said he’s come to learn those feelings aren’t always best expressed in public forums.

Gilchrist acknowledges never having a buddy-buddy relationship with Williams, even at their partnership’s peak. But Gilchrist’s sentiments at the time implied a lack of respect for his coach, and the player stated that never was the case. They just didn’t talk that frequently, he said: “It wasn’t nothing abnormal to me.”

Gilchrist’s enigmatic departure from College Park fell in line with his perplexing three-year career. The 2005 season ended, he withdrew from classes and he was gone, off to Philadelphia to train for an NBA draft that would not call his name.

“I was kind of like a ghost to a lot of people,” Gilchrist said. “They were like, ‘Where’s John?’ But I’ve always been the type of guy like that. I just always had my own mission, just to succeed.”

Gilchrist acknowledges being distracted during his junior season at Maryland, though not by the source many people thought. He maintains it was his newborn daughter — not a pursuit of NBA fame and fortune — that diverted his attention.

He heard all the criticism during and after his final collegiate season, that he was self-serving jerk, a money-seeking miscreant. But he made sure to point out that had the team been successful that season, the labels affixed to his name might not be so pejorative.

“When things aren’t going well, people try to find answers, and I understand that, the older I get,” Gilchrist said. “It’s nothing personal. It’s just that at the time I thought people were trying to attack my character and they didn’t even know me, but how could they? That’s the reason I don’t take it personally anymore. It was just a misunderstanding and it happened and I learned from it.

“If I’m ever in a situation like that again, I’ll know how to conduct myself.”

*****

Gilchrist has kept in touch with several of his teammates from that ’05 squad. If there are any lingering hard feelings, they don’t make themselves readily apparent. He exchanges e-mails with James Gist. He chats with Chris McCray and Nik Caner-Medley on instant messenger. A few years back, during one of his three stints in the Israeli professional league, Gilchrist hung out with Ekene Ibekwe when Ibekwe came to visit the area.

More than their basketball pursuits, Gilchrist said he keeps tabs on how his former teammates are doing on a personal level. He’s trying to reach them on a deeper level now, an effort he knows he should have made years ago when he was their point guard, their supposed floor general at Maryland.

“I still have fond memories of that place,” Gilchrist said of College Park. “It’s just that I had to become a man overnight when I had my daughter. It rushed me as far as my maturity, as far as where I was and what I had to do. It was a rushed decision. I wanted to stay four years, but it happened and I just had to deal with it.”

There was something else Gilchrist had to deal with, one more connection he felt he had to try to make. In 2006, during his second season in Israel, Gilchrist typed out an e-mail to Williams, the coach with whom he’d had sporadic communication during his time at Maryland.

“I was like, you know, I’m sorry for everything,” Gilchrist recalled of his message to his former coach. “I took things personal, but I understand from a coaching standpoint you have a lot of pressure on you. And your point guard is like the quarterback — they get more responsibility. And instead of being the general and being able to rally everyone, I couldn’t get through to everyone. And that was a testament to my leadership inability at the time.

“At that point in my life, I felt that I wasn’t respected. The guys thought I was a good basketball player, but I wasn’t respected as a leader. And that’s been all that I’ve really focused on since I came overseas — to learn how to become a better leader. Because the basketball, skill-wise, you can become a better shooter, you can train and lift and run and do all the skill work. But you’ve got to know how to conduct yourself when you’re in those situations and when people are looking at you like, ‘Ok, what do we do now?’”

*****

The path that eventually led Gilchrist to Adelaide began on Aug. 13, 2008, the day Vernice Gilchrist had triple-bypass surgery. Vernice had been the one who raised him during the summers of his childhood, a best friend as well as a blood relative.

In order to stay closer to Vernice, who remained in critical condition following the surgery and passed away shortly thereafter, Gilchrist passed up another contract to play in Israel. Instead, he entered his name into the draft of the NBA developmental league and was drafted by Colorado 14ers. When he arrived in Colorado, he survived a tryout and made the team. But soon after, the New Jersey Nets cut point guard Eddie Gill, who previously had played for the Colorado NBDL team. In favor of a more familiar face, the 14ers cut Gilchrist.

“Obviously, I was kicking myself because I’d passed up on the opportunity that I had on the table [to play in Israel], but I was just like whatever,” Gilchrist said. “I had chose to stay home, and that’s what it is. Then I had to play the waiting game.”

Gilchrist got a call from another NBDL team in North Dakota, but he said the team folded soon after his arrival. For a while, Gilchrist took up a volunteer assistant coaching job at Booker T. Washington High in Norfolk. Then he joined a local travel team called the True Hope Trail Blazers, which Gilchrist described as “an aspiring D-League team” that played exhibition games against Division II colleges.

Finally, the summer of 2009 arrived and Gilchrist’s new agent, Austin Walton, got Gilchrist a two-week tryout with the 36ers in Australia. The team liked what it saw and offered the point guard a one-year contract.

Gilchrist said he’s matured as a player and as a person, that he’s more calm and wiser both on the court and off. He said his journey away from Maryland has taught him lessons that could have been put to good use back then. He regrets his decision to leave college with one year of eligibility remaining, but he’s at peace with the consequences of his actions.

“I kind of had to go and I tested the waters,” Gilchrist said. “Obviously, if I had to do it over again, I would have stayed all four years because I would have been in a better situation and I could have made more money. But things happened and I moved on from it.”

Gilchrist playing for Maryland

From The Real Athlete Blog

Written by Susan Zaro

In 2004, John Gilchrist was on a roll. He helped lead the Maryland Terrapins to win the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament, the school’s first ACC Championship in 20 years. In the tournament final against Duke, Gilchrist proved he thrived under the pressure of big moments, as he led the Terps back from a 12-point deficit with less than five minutes left in the game. At the end of the game, Gilchrist was unanimously named the ACC Tournament MVP.  NBA scouts were clamoring about his ability and his draft stock was very high.

Gilchrist decided not to cash in on his famous ACC performance and put his NBA dreams on hold.  In 2005, when Gilchrist returned to College Park, the Terps were ranked top 15 in the nation, but they closed out their regular season 7-9 in the conference. Although the team made it to the ACC Tournament, they lost in the first round. After the team’s poor showing, John Gilchrist’s opportunity to be drafted for the NBA began to dim. Gilchrist chose to leave Maryland at the end of his junior year and gamble on being drafted into the NBA. Despite having the physical tools of a solid NBA point guard with matching skills and athleticism, Gilchrist was not drafted.

John Gilchrist demonstrated that he had NBA talent in his college play. He discovered, though, that talent brings the athlete into the game and gives him a forum to play, but to take it to the next level—the professional level—requires more than physical skills and the desire to win.

Recently, I had the opportunity to talk with John Gilchrist. This interview is a look at where he is today in his professional basketball career and why he continues to be motivated and passionate about reaching his goal of playing in the NBA.

Part I: The Journey

AA: At what age did you realize your passion to play/compete in basketball?

JG: I started playing in the little leagues. My father put me in the game when I was about five. My dad was my coach the first five years and made it serious from an early age. When I was nine or ten, my dad passed the coaching role onto other people. He wanted me to get used to being coached by other people. He stayed involved in my career by overseeing what the coaches were doing. My dad picked out all the places for me to play and provided guidance until I got to college.

AA: As a kid, who were the athletic role models you looked up to? What qualities, work ethic, style of play, skills, or emotions on the court did they have that attracted you to them as role models?

JG: Basically just the guys that were from my area in Virginia. In my area, we don’t have a professional basketball team. When you look at the sports page, the best high schools are the ones that the kids tend to follow and go to the games. Some of the best players that came out of my area are like, Alonzo Mourning; he graduated from a high school about 10 minutes from my high school. He was a local hero. He worked hard and played hard. Iverson’s high school was about 25 minutes away and we’d travel to watch his games.

On a professional level, I didn’t have a specific role model, but I watched Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan… the typical players. I never saw these guys play in person, but when I got a little older, I got the opportunity to meet Michael Jordan working at one of his basketball camps when I was in college. It was awesome. I didn’t notice all the attributes, as far as how good of a team they were [Chicago Bulls], until I got older and began to understand the game in a different light. When I was younger, I just liked the highlights and the shots they made.

Michael Jordan is still the best guard and the best basketball player that ever played. He was a great role model, but I grew up watching and idolizing the players that laid the path that were from this area. At the time, meeting the local stars was as big as meeting Michael Jordan. Meeting Michael Jordan was definitely an experience because I knew that the average person wouldn’t get that opportunity. It was great. He’s definitely an icon for what he’s done for the game period.

AA: When did you or a coach/parent recognize that you had enough talent to take your game to the next level and compete in the NBA? Was there a particular moment that you or someone else recognized this? Or did you come to this conclusion through a series of events?

JG: Basically I have been pushed in that direction, as funny as this sounds, for a long time. It’s been kind of hard and it’s still a little difficult at times—things not flowing as smoothly as people had expected. Like a lot of people, including my family and people around me had always expected it. I was good in junior high school and in high school and had the skills then. Everyone asks me when I’m home where have I been playing? People ask why haven’t we seen you in the NBA?  I tell them I’ve been playing in Europe and here and there in the minor leagues. I kind of down play it. It’s still a goal [to play in the NBA] that is burning inside of me.

AA: John, when was the shift for you away from people saying, you have talent, to actually owning your talent and committing to the work that has to be done to become a professional basketball player?

JG: I had a lot of pressure on me even in high school. That’s when it began and it basically has forced me to grow up quicker. People hold me at a different level. I make a mistake and you know what I mean it’s so magnified. It’s been like that for awhile. As time goes along, I have learned to better manage it. It really helps me out with my job because it helps me to realize that I never looked at myself as anything special compared to anyone else. So it’s like in order to be successful, you can’t do what everyone else does when people are watching you. That was the hardest thing for me to accept.

I’ll be 25 this month. This year has definitely been like a process that’s helped me mature because I took some time away from playing overseas. I came back home and was able to be a part of my community. I volunteered for a lot of different programs around here. I volunteered at my church and I assistant coached a high school team. Anytime anyone calls me and asks me to come over and talk to kids I do, because I’ve been home. But it really affected me in a sense because before it was all about me. I wanted to be as good as I could be and that was that. I never fully understood the magnitude of the effect that I had on other people. This year through volunteering it dawned on me that people look up to me as I looked up to the local stars as a kid.

Before I used to hear people say, “John do this or John do that,” but I didn’t realize how when you’re put in a certain position you can’t do the things that everyone else is doing. It used to be confusing to me when I was in college. I put on glasses for a lot of things. I didn’t really understand. An example is if the whole campus is at a party and I go to the party the next day all these people are like, “he was at a party.”

AA: So if you went to a party with five friends and were messing around and something happens, the focus is on you for messing around, not the other friends.

JG: Right. I didn’t understand it. But you learn from those mistakes. Sometimes it doesn’t dawn on people until it hits home, you know.

AA: Did you feel you had distractions that you weren’t prepared for mentally and socially in 2004 when you were projected to be an NBA lottery pick if you entered the draft?

JG: Definitely, because there was a lot circulating. On a personal note, everyone was trying to position themselves to get closer to me to get something from me. I was hearing stuff that was going on around. People were telling me about what people were doing back home.

AA: People were setting up to freeload off you and your success.

JG: Definitely. The thing about it was it was kind of inevitable. I kind of invited it. Like I said before, like all those athletes that I was used to seeing did it like that. All the guys from here that used to say what they were going to do with their money. When I interviewed with the NBA teams and said that, they thought I was crazy. I just thought this is what you do— take care of your family, take care of your friends, and that was that.

You know but it was like I kind of felt that a lot of people weren’t doing what they were supposed to be doing on their own because they were waiting around to see what I was going to do. They thought they were going to work for my business.

AA: People around you weren’t focusing on your growth as an athlete. They were focusing on your growth from what they could get from you in terms of the monetary rewards that come with participating at that level?

JG: Right, exactly. For them it kind of worked hand in hand. The better that you do with growth as an athlete, you will be able to be more successful and make more money. But the thing about it is that I felt my maturity was the main thing because no one will really tell me the truth. It’s always been like that. If I had a good game but got in trouble at school it didn’t make a difference as long as I played sports.

AA: Did the teachers let you slip by in school because of your basketball success?

JG: Right, it’s always been like that. I feel like a lot of athletes come up that way. You get used to the treatment.

In 2004, John Gilchrist stormed into the ACC tournament as an unstoppable force. He led the Maryland Terrapins past Chris Paul’s Wake Forrest, Julius Hodge’s NC State, and Duke’s NBA lineup of Chris Duhon, Sheldon Williams, J.J. Redick, and Luol Deng to win the ACC tournament. Gilchrist averaged 24 points to claim the title and ACC tournament MVP honors. Many projected him to be a lottery pick if he declared for the draft as a powerfully built, physical point guard (6’3, 200 pounds) with the ability to score in multiple ways. He chose to stay, had a few media squabbles with coach Gary Williams, and went undrafted the following year.

After a few years in Israel and then the NBDL, Gilchrist came to me for skill development training. I had heard the labels. “Selfish.” “Head-Case.” “Egotistical.” These were the tags that were placed on a 20 year-old kid after a few moments of letting his emotions get the best of him. But the moment he hit the floor with me, I observed nothing more than a humble, hard working, and level headed competitor that still possesses the physical ability to be an NBA player. That is…if he can shake the unfortunate labels that have been placed on his shoulders.

Wanting to know what kind of individual John Gilchrist really was, I prodded him with questions about his experience with Gary Williams that ultimately led to John’s demise as an NBA prospect. I expected bitterness and animosity, but John turned down the opportunity to say anything negative about his former coach. Instead, he has only said things such as, “Coach Williams and I are close and everything that I have learned under him has helped me. He is a legend and it was an honor to play for him.” John has only taken full responsibility for the mistakes he made in 2005, stating that he lacked the maturity at the time to handle the “media magnifying glass” that he was under. He has demonstrated nothing but good feelings toward Coach Williams, and has made zero excuses for his own downfall.  That my friends is not a “head-case.” John Gilchrist is ready to be a leader.

Of course, there are important keys we’ve had to focus on in our training sessions. To play at the next level, Gilchrist has to drop his hips more often for better balance and explosiveness, he must be able to hit the floater with either hand with more consistency, and continue to improve his ambidexterity as a passer and finisher. John has handled my critique of him with class and a learning attitude and we will continue to work on his skills and knowledge of the game. If he ever lacked a basketball IQ, Gilchrist has definitely become a student of the game as he understands how to execute the pick and roll, knowing everything from the 5 ball screen angles to the four offensive options for the dribbler coming off a sideline pick and roll. When it comes right down to it, a point guard must be a leader, his team’s hardest worker, his team’s smartest player, and have the ability to control his emotions as an extension of his coach on the floor. At least now, John Gilchrist has these tools!

But as for where he is now, Gilcrhist is preparing for another chance to prove himself in the NBA summer league. He has come to me to improve his strengths and eliminate his weaknesses. I guess you could say he’s back to square one, going through pre-draft-like workouts and examining every detail of his game for a chance to make his NBA dream a reality. I believe his results may be more favorable this time around.

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Micah Lancaster is a skill development trainer with Ganon Baker Basketball Services. Ganon Baker Basketball is  one of the world’s leading basketball training services, from pre-draft workouts to working directly with NBA players. Ganon Baker, himself, is a Nike skills coach and currently Amare Stoudemire’s full-time trainer. Find out more at: www.ganonbakerbasketball.com

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Career:
Dallas, Texas Kimball H.S.
2006-2007: Arizona St. (NCAA): 13 games: 0.7ppg
2008-2009: N.Texas (NCAA, starting five): 32 games: 6.1ppg, 6.6rpg, 1.0apg, FGP: 45.0%, FT: 65.8%
2009-2010: N.Texas (NCAA, starting five): 33 games: 11.5ppg, 10.7rpg, 1.7apg, FGP: 60.4%, FT: 59.3%
2010-2011: N.Texas (NCAA, starting five): 32 games: 11.2ppg, 10.4rpg, 1.6apg, FGP: 54.9%, FT: 66.4%
2011: Halychyna (Ukraine – Superleague): 15 games: 8.5ppg, 8.1rpg, 0.8apg, FGP: 45.5%, FT: 69.8%
2012: Monthey (Switzerland): 4 games: 7.0ppg, 5.5rpg, 0.5apg, 0.3bpg, FGP: 62.3%, FT: 50.0%
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Awards/Achievements:
ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VI Team (University Division) -09
Sun Belt West Division Regular Season Runner-Up -09
Sun Belt Tournament Semifinals -09
Sun Belt West Division Regular Season Champion -10
Sun Belt Tournament Winner -10
Sun Belt All-Tournament Team -10, 11
All-Sun Belt 2nd Team -10
NABC Division I All-District 24 2nd Team -10
Sun Belt Tournament Finalist -11

Video:
Texas D-League 14 points, 8 rebs, 22mins

Texas D-League 10 points, 5 rebs, 18 mins

Click here to watch full-game video of George.