UConn

A couple of years ago a local high school teacher told me about a point guard (UConn) that I needed to watch. To her credit, the young man was actually a solid player. UConn had very good court vision and rarely made mistakes on the floor. Most 17 yr old point guards try to force a lot. This guy seemed to be cut from a different cloth, however. There was no flash to his game whatsoever. When I say there was no flash, I mean there was no flash. It was nice that he wasn't randomly putting the ball behind his back to awe his friends in the stands, but this point guard really had no flash. Whether it was a halfcourt set or fastbreak, UConn played at the same deliberate pace.

Sitting in the stands watching him interact with his coaches and teammates, it was refreshing to see "UConn" display a cool composure all the time. I decided to take a chance on UConn after watching him trudge through his third game with no crazy mistakes. In sports, it's common knowledge that certain qualities are not easily taught. UConn was born to be a point guard from a mental standpoint. My job was simply to add some pep to his step...that's when I discovered UConn was living in a different reality.

Me: Look, man. I've seen you play a few times. I like your game. You don't make mistakes and you're cool as a fan all the time. Are any other schools looking at you?
UConn: Well, this other school was looking at me but my grades need to get better.
(This anonymous school is a Division 3 college that doesn't play in an ultra competitive league)
Me: Oh, so coming to QCC makes sense for you then.
UConn: Yeh, I guess.
Me: You don't seem too thrilled about playing ball at QCC.
UConn: It's not that. I just wish my grades were higher right now, you know? I get that I can get a good education at your school and not pay as much. Y'all are like the bootleg version. I could get the real thing for a lot less.
Me: (thinking.. did he really say we were the bootleg version?)

**Fast Fwd to summer

Unfortunately, coaches aren't always honest about their players. I asked his coach about any red flags, and he said there weren't any. Within a week, I discovered that UConn had the work ethic of a grape. He found every excuse in the book not to come to summer workouts. His primary issue was transportation even though he was fifteen minutes away from campus (walking). It didn't take too long for us to have a sit down to discuss his work ethic. During that conversation, he said a couple of things that were really alarming.

Me: Do you realize what kind of opportunity you have here to be playing college ball in your backyard, and not pay a dime for school?
UConn: I hear you, Coach. Can I tell you something?
Me: Sure.
UConn: I was the MVP of a summer camp at UConn. They wanted me.
Me: Which UConn?
UConn: The D1 in Connecticut. They wanted me. They were sending me letters and stuff.
Me: (waiting for punchline..)
UConn: I went to this camp and averaged like 27 a game and I was killin' it. I was competing with guys who get burn for them!
Me: (puzzled) You were being recruited by UConn
UConn: Yeh. I got letters! Oh and wanna know something else?
Me: What's that?
UConn: I can dunk!! I dunked in a hs game before.
Me: No, you didn't. You're 5'8 and barely get up on your lay-ups.
UConn: See, Coach. I just ain't show you everything. Watch when we get to the gym.

**The day of reckoning

I watched UConn go up on three separate occasions and basically throw the ball at the back of the rim and pull it down with the two fingers that barely got up there. After the last failed attempt, he explained to me that his jumping ability had been compromised by a recent bout of Jumper's Knee which is also why he was reluctant to work out during the summer.