From Highly Touted to Being Undrafted

Prudential Center

                                          Source:  http://www.trevorsnbablog10.blogspot.com/


Last June 23, 2011 (June 24 here in Manila), the NBA draft was held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. It was considered by many as a “weak” draft, but still, for some reason, according to NBA TV analyst David Aldridge, it garnered higher TV ratings than the past drafts. It was just an indication of how much interest people have for the NBA.

                Kyrie Irving

                                        Source: www.bleacherreport.com 

New Jersey’s own Kyrie Irving was drafted number one by the Cleveland Cavaliers. The former Duke point guard who played in only 11 games last season still ended up as the top overall pick and he is now expected to be the foundation of LeBron’s former team. (I never want to refer to him as the king). Yet, basketball junkees all over the world know about these things already. And so now, I will be moving on to what I really want to talk about in this article.

           Scotty Hopson

           Source: www.bleacherreport.com

Some 3 years back, Scotty Hopson, the now former Tennessee stand- out, was regarded as one of the top high school prospects in his batch which included Demar DeRozan and Ed Davis of the Toronto Raptors, former NBA Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans, Milwaukee Bucks young star Brandon Jennings, Philadelphia 76ers explosive guard Jrue Holiday, and even the reigning 2011 Final 4 Most Outstanding Player Kemba Walker who was drafted ninth overall by Michael Jordan’s Charlotte Bobcats. Scotty Hopson was the typical high school stud, who had so much potential and with the prototypical body of a wingman, around 6’7 200. And yet, he had a reputation of not bringing his “A” game day in and day out.

From Slam Magazine’s May 2008 issue, writer Ryan Jones mentioned in his article,

“Guarantees are rarely a good idea with high school hoop stars, and Hopson isn’t without his critics; mostly, they cite a suspect J and a history of half- hearted effort that keeps him a notch below the nation’s real elite. “I watch tape of myself sometimes, and I see where I could’ve made a deflection, got a rebound there.” Hopson admits. “I know I need to work on making things happen on the court.”"

When I read the article in 2008, I thought Scotty Hopson could turn it around when he eventually goes to college. He had all the God- given abilities and it was just a matter of using them well and not settling for mediocrity. Unfortunately, it did not turn out that way. In his freshman year, Hopson only averaged 9.2 points per ball game. He shot 42%  from the field and only 35% from the three point area. In his Sophomore year, his average went up to 12 points per ball game but he shot only 33% from the three point area. His Junior year, which was this past season, he had his best year. He averaged 17 points per game, shot 45% from the field and 38% from the three point land. Yet, he still had the reputation of not bringing his “A” game every time he steps on the court.

As a result, this past week, during the NBA draft, Scotty Hopson, went undrafted, meaning no one picked him. 60 players were chosen and he was not one of them. I felt bad for the guy because I thought someone would at least gamble on him, but obviously, no GM even dared to pick him.

And I guess, that is just how it is in life. People who end up truly succeeding (I do not consider stealing money from people’s taxes as a valid way of succeeding) are those who really work hard and commit themselves to what they do. I am not saying that Scotty Hopson did not work hard but he unfortunately, was a victim of the judgmental tendencies of people who regarded him as lazy and mediocre.

Kenneth Faried
Source: www.everyjoe.com

And just to add on, a work- horse player like Kenneth Faried from Moorehead State was drafted in the 1^st round, 22^nd overall by the Denver Nuggets. Faried was never regarded as the most talented player but everyone considered him as a very hard- working player and with a very high motor (someone who works his butt out).

Of course, the lesson here is that in order for anyone to succeed in whatever endeavor he/ she has, he/ she doesn’t really have to be the most talented person in the world. As long as he works very hard and is very passionate about what he is doing, then the chances of him succeeding is very high.

So, as we continue on with our lives, let us all just keep on working hard and committing ourselves to what we do. Eventually, all of our efforts will be rewarded.