“We had a much better urgency tonight,” said Coach Brad Jones.

The intensity of the game was much higher than the night before. Maybe it was the crowd. Maybe it was because it was Friday night. Maybe it was because both Greg Ostertag (7 pts, 7 rebs) and Yi Jianlian (17 pts, 11 rebs) were in attendance for the Legends.

“Those guys are good. They’re in the NBA for a reason,” said Jones.

Size was a disadvantage for the Toros as they were going against three 7-footers. Yi’s height is questionable as ESPN’s Jeff Caplan has listed him at 6-10, last night’s roster 7-0 and Del Harris said he was 7-1. Regardless of how tall he actually is, the Toros were still able to drive to the basket as they added 52 points in the paint.

In his second game on assignment from the Spurs, Cory Joseph, added 10 points and four assists for the Toros. Joseph notched an extra six minutes in tonight’s game.

“He looked like a first round draft pick tonight,” said Jones.

The Toros are hitting the road for a five game roadtrip, including two at the D-League Showcase. With the wide variety of talent on the league-leading Toros it wouldn’t be a shock if after the road trip the Toros lose a player or two to overseas teams. Last season Eric Dawson left the Toros after attending the Showcase for Korea’s KCC Egis

Dawson led all in rebounds (12) and added 18 points.

The Toros (10-3) provided another win at home for their fans as they beat the Maine Red Claws (4-11) on Thursday night. Currently sitting on top of the league standings, it was the team’s fifth win in a row.

Consistency at the line (24-28) was key in the 109-103 victory.

Both teams exchanged the lead 15 times throughout the night. The Red Claws gained their largest lead of the night after a 12-1 run to start the second quarter. A pair of Terrance Woodbury jumpers cut the lead and gave the Toros the confidence boost they needed. By halftime the Toros had regained the lead, 54-51.

“There were a lot of times tonight where we couldn’t get to the right spot whether it was offensively or defensively.”

The teams kept it close in the second half with the Toros holding the lead the entire half. Austin’s nine point lead dwindled in the fourth quarter. The lack of Toros defense made it a one possession game multiple times in the final minutes of the game. Lance Thomas’ dunk with 46 seconds remaining sealed the win.

Thomas, who was recently cut from the New Orleans Hornets, hadn’t played under Jones for close to a month. It was hardly noticeable as Thomas added 18 points (7-8) and regained his starting spot on the roster. The return of Thomas marks four Toros players that have returned in the past few weeks from NBA training camp. The only one remaining in the NBA is long-shot Squeaky Johnson (Hornets).

Thursday night was supposed to be about the addition of the youngest and highest paid guy on the team, Cory Joseph. The 2011 first round NBA draft pick was assigned by the Spurs earlier this week.

“Cory had some good moments tonight; had some bad moments tonight,” said Jones. “He should be a sophomore in college and he hasn’t played much pro basketball.”

Joseph got off to a slow start, adding only one point in the first half. As the game progressed the starter found his rhythm at the charity stripe adding 7 of his 11 points.

It’s likely that the former Longhorn will remain a Toro for the next few weeks as he could benefit from playing time as well as further development of the Spurs system.

Justin Dentmon led the team with 24 points and four assist. Eric Dawson was the only player to record a double-double (12 pts, 10 rebs). Leo Lyons led the bench with 15 points.

The Toros play host to the Texas Legends tonight at the Cedar Park Center.

The Austin Toros gained their second double-digit win, 94-80, over the Tulsa 66ers at the Cedar Park Center last night. It was the third time these teams had faced off against each other all season, and even more interesting in the past week.

The home team jumped out to an early lead after the first quarter, 23-16, despite losing new player Keith Clark to what looked like a wrist injury and was later pronounced a shoulder injury. After logging 2:41 in his first game of the season Clark left for the locker room and returned to the bench later in the game with an ice pack and what could only be described as a make do ace bandage sling. If the injury is capable of keeping Clark on the bench for several games it could be assumed that Clark could be cut from the team to make room for a new player. However, due to NBA training camp starting tomorrow, and the possibility of five Toros players being invited to training camp (more on that in a minute) it’s in the Toros best interest to hold on to Clark.

Tulsa outscored the Toros in the second quarter and had the opportunity to go in to halftime with a two-point lead. A hard foul committed by Ryan Reid (12 points, 12 rebounds) at the buzzer sent Terrance Woodbury to the line. Woodbury closed the gap with the Toros trailing 45-44.

Back from the half the Toros faced another injury. With 9:15 remaining in the third center Luke Zeller suffered a broken nose. His two points weren’t missed as the Toros began to pull away in the third compliments of their strong defense. The team limited Tulsa to 12 points and stretched their lead to double-digits, 67-57.

During the game the Spurs twitter community was abuzz with news of TJ Ford likely signing with the Spurs. When the Ford news was brought to Coach Jones’ attention by yours truly his facial expressions were similar to an ecstatic deer in headlights. Ford’s signing could be significant to the SSE organization as the Spurs would be able to send Ford down to Austin if they please.

“That would be terrific. I’m not so sure that TJ Ford’s thinking about coming to play for the Toros if that is true. The one thing that we have is a great relationship obviously with the Spurs and when they come here we try to make it as much like the Spurs in professionalism and the same type of comfort level that those guys have. Whether it’s him or Cory Joseph the rookie they drafted we get those guys it would be fun for our fans.”

With training camp kicking off tomorrow and China not agreeing to let NBA players out of their contract until the end of the season, many D-League players will be making appearances at training camp.

“I don’t think anything is official just yet but I could potentially lose five guys as of tomorrow night” Some guys who have had some interest are Squeaky Johnson, Justin Dentmon, Lance Thomas, Luke Zeller, and Leo Lyons all have had conversations back and forth with their agents and different NBA teams.” 

Still recovering from an injury, it’s great to hear Leo Lyons, who competed in the Pan-Am games with Lance Thomas this summer, has a chance at being invited to training camp. Lyons was seen sitting on the sidelines with a walking boot

“Leo is close to being back. He’s been cleared to start doing some stuff and the teams that have been talking to him know where he is. So he may or may not go. They know what’s going on and if they still want to bring him in that’s great for Leo.”

It should be interesting to see who is still a Toro tomorrow night as the team takes on the Rio Grande Valley Vipers on the road at 7 pm CST.

Potential Training Camp Notables

• Justin Dentmon- 27 pts, 4 asts
• Lance Thomas- 11 pts, 11 rebs
• Squeaky Johnson- 13 pts, 6 asts
• Luke Zeller- 2 pts, 5 rebs, 1 broken nose
• Leo Lyons- DNP

Justin Dentmon

Many expected former Phoenix Suns forward Alando Tucker to be headed to the Capitol city with the Austin Toros’ second overall pick in the 2011 D-League Draft.

Just before draft night started, the Toros decided to shake things up, by hipping the rights to the second pick to the Texas Legends in return for guard Justin Dentmon.

Dentmon, a 6-foot guard out of Washington. averaged 19.1 points, four assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game for the Legends last season.

While Dentmon declined a bit with fewer minutes in the playoffs, he shined in the final two regular season games against the Toros, which obviously had a lasting impact. In 39 minutes, the former Mavericks prospect finished the game with 22 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals as he slashed through the Toros defense and Toros guards had troubles staying in front of him.

I’m not too surprised about the trade considering Dentmon gives the Toros added scoring and some depth at the guard positions. The Toros front court is also jam-packed with players that can play small forward, including Lance Thomas, Leo Lyons and Kevin Palmer. The addition of Tucker, while a good prospect for the Spurs, would likely stunt the growth and development of the Toros’ young forwards.

Here’s a rundown of some of the Toros’ other draft night selections.

• Tristan Thompson

Tristan Thompson

With their next pick in the draft, the Toros selected Tristan Thompson, a 6-5 guard from North Texas, not to be confused with the former Longhorns center.

Thompson played all four years at North Texas, averaging 18 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. Thompson is primarily regarded as a high-percentage shooter, finishing his senior season with a career high from the field (.459) and from beyond the arch (.418).

His best game of the season came late in the season against Florida Atlantic. He shot 60 percent from the field, made both of his three-pointers and got to the line 20 times, finishing the game with 36 points. Thompson also led the Mean Green in big wins over Texas Tech and LSU.

Thompson could see some time behind Aubrey Coleman at shooting guard.

Omar Reed

• Omar Reed

In the third round, the Toros picked up Omar Reed, formerly of Bluefield College.

The 6-6 swingman is yet another scorer, but he plays big for his size. In his last season at Bluefield, Reed averaged 24 points and nine rebounds per game.

Reed is comfortable playing inside and backing his man down. On the wing, he has the speed and athleticism to drive to the rim. While he can shoot the outside shot, his shot selection is suspect.

He’ll be able to play at either shooting guard or small forward for the Toros, but his best bet is competing for minutes at shooting guard.

• The Rest

The Toros also selected guard Solomon Bozeman (6-1, 175 Arkansas-Little Rock), guard Myles McKay (6-4, 195 Wisconsin-Whitewater), forward Dan Vandervieren (6-10, 265 Concordia), guard James Lewis (6-3, 200 Fresno Pacific) and forward Jerel Hastings (6-5, 215 Albany).

With so many guards, that’ll leave several players competing for a few spots. They’ll have the opportunity to battle it out when training camp starts in Austin on November 14.

“At this time in my life I’m at a crossroad” said Joiner. “Ever since I came back from China I’m not playing. I didn’t have the passion or drive to want to play.”

Joiner will be turning 30 later this month and is beginning to transition in to corporate America.

“I’ve been on the hunt fixing my resume and going to job fairs.”

The Florida State alum has a few things going for him that many who are unemployed don’t have the luxury of having: a bank account stocked with money from an overseas contract and a pair of degrees – Bachelors and Masters – that are ready to be put to use. Both degrees were acquired via scholarships. Due to the partnership between the D-League and University of Phoenix online Joiner was able to receive his Master in Business Administration specialization in Human Resource Management while playing basketball.

The realization of moving on in life and past the D-League is easily summed up by Joiner, “Eventually all of us have to get a job and find another source of income.”

Though Joiner knew last season was going to be his final season with the Toros he still enjoyed the opportunity that they gave him. Often seen on the bench in the second half of the season, Joiner was still able to bond with his teammates and this off-season was able to provide them advice as to what they should do with their basketball careers.

These talks led to Lyons and Thomas returning to the Toros this season.

“That’s my wolfpack and this is a good situation for them… It’s a chance for them to show what they worked on all summer.”

Lyons, 24, and Thomas, 23 are in their basketball prime and have the opportunity to stand out and be noticed by a scout in the D-League. Though currently NBA Call-ups are non-existent due to the NBA lockout, the opportunity to receive a lucrative contract overseas is still possible.

So while the future looks bright for two of the Toros’ youngest stars, it’s not all doom and gloom for Joiner. Aside from having a respectable pro basketball career under his belt, he is thankful to the D-League for providing the opportunity to be more than just a former player. Now Joiner leaves the sport with two degrees listed on his curriculum vitae that are much more impressive than any double-double he totaled throughout his basketball career.

Austin – a metro area with a population of nearly 1.8 million but without any major-league sports franchises – could financially support teams from the NFL, NBA and NHL but might have a hard time supporting a Major League Baseball team, according to a new study.

According to the study, Austin has $67 billion in income to support NFL, NBA and NHL teams, but the fact that the city does not have the space to build a new stadium and that Austin would have to compete with the San Antonio Spurs doesn’t give them much of a chance to land a team.

And if Austinites want to catch an NBA game, when or if there is a season, they can always drive 80 miles down to watch the Toros NBA affiliate, San Antonio Spurs.

The ABA is not the only league that flew under the radar of most casual fans. And the great players of yesteryear were not solely men. Ever heard of the WBL? That would be the short-lived Women’s Basketball League. Ever heard of Nancy Lieberman? Perhaps serious basketball fans know the name, but most don’t. That’s a shame. Lieberman blazed trails that paved the way for every female playing basketball today on any level.  Lieberman continues to pioneer: She just became the Assistant GM for the Texas Legends, the D-League affiliate of the Dallas Mavericks.  Lieberman continues to defy conventional wisdom. Jackie Moon would be proud.

Who is Lieberman and what has she done? To understand Nancy Lieberman, perhaps a story from her childhood best explains her passion for the game.  As a youth, Lieberman played all sorts of sports. She loved basketball, softball and football. When it came to hoops, she only played with the boys in her neighborhood (Queens, New York).  During her early teen years she decided basketball would be the one sport she would devote herself to.

Her mother wasn’t particularly thrilled with her love for basketball or her continual ball-handling drills, especially since much of it occurred inside the house during the cold months. On one occasion, her mother, angered by the noise in the house, grabbed Nancy’s basketball and then grabbed a screwdriver and punctured the ball. Undeterred, Lieberman grabbed another ball and continued to work on her handle. Her mother, also undeterred, punctured the second ball with the screwdriver. Five balls later, Nancy decided to practice outside in the freezing cold.  That’s Nancy Lieberman.

In 1975, at the age of 17, she was selected to the U.S. Women’s Pan American Team, the youngest player by three years on the squad.  From 1976-1980, she played college ball at Old Dominion where she won two consecutive national championships (1979, 1980). During her four years of college, Lieberman was named player of the year, and earned three consecutive All-American awards.  Nicknamed “Lady Magic” (a nod to Magic Johnson), Lieberman averaged 18 points per game and racked up 961 assists, 561 steals and 1,167 rebounds.  The assists and steals were not officially recorded by all women’s teams during her days of play but those numbers are still thought to be Women’s NCAA records today.

Lieberman also played on the 1976 Women’s Olympic team and was on the 1980 team that did not go to the Olympics due to President Carter’s boycott of the games that year.

During her professional career she played for the Dallas Diamonds of the WBL, a men’s league (that’s right, a men’s league), the USBL (United States Basketball League) and then for the Washington Generals, the regular opponent of the Harlem Globetrotters.  Lieberman was selected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996 and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999.

In the inaugural season of the WNBA, and at age 39, Lieberman played for the Phoenix Mercury—the oldest player in the WNBA.  New doors opened for Lieberman in 1998 and she was hired as GM and Head Coach of the Detroit Shock.  She coached for three seasons but left under a cloud of suspicion as unnamed Shock players accused her of having an affair with a rookie point guard for the team.  At this point one would think Lieberman’s basketball story would end. That assumption would be wrong.

On July 24, 2008, Lieberman signed a seven-day contract, again with the Detroit Shock, this time as a player, and at age 50 played ball for the last time on a professional team.  “Fifty-year old former basketball wonder signs seven-day contract with professional team” sounds like something straight out of Semi-Pro.  Truth is often Stranger than Fiction.  On an unrelated note, Stranger than Fiction is another great Ferrell flick, but I digress.

In November of 2009, Lieberman became the first female coach of a men’s professional team as she was named the Head Coach of the Texas Legends.  Co-Owner and President of Basketball Operations  Donnie Nelson said, “I felt the best man for the job was a woman” when speaking of Lieberman.  Lieberman led the Legends to the playoffs. Now, with her son, T.J. Cline, playing his senior year of basketball at Plano West, Lieberman wanted a position that would allow her the opportunity to attend her son’s games.  She hasn’t ruled out coaching again, but believes the front office is the more strategic place for her and for other women who hope to one day coach men’s professional basketball. Lieberman said that working in a front office capacity “might even be a quicker path (for women) trying to make it (as a coach).”

She envisions a day when women will break through the glass ceiling and coach on the NBA level.  When asked about a woman coaching in the NBA, she said:

“It might not be in my lifetime, but there will be a woman coaching in the NBA and being a significant part of a team. Maybe it will happen in my lifetime. But it will happen, because we’re qualified.”

I agree. There is one genius of a coach about three hours north of San Antonio named Kim Mulkey who has done a remarkable job with the Baylor Women’s program. Mulkey is a brilliant x and o’s coach and has a great way of motivating and teaching her players.  I’d put her up against half the men coaching in the NBA right now. But the league isn’t ready for that…yet.

Lieberman is right-these things take time, and it takes a special person to ignore the critics and to not back down from seemingly overwhelming obstacles to achieve an improbable goal. Jackie Moon was a parody of such a person. Lieberman is that person in real life.  Nancy Lieberman: Assistant GM for the Texas Legends of the D-League.  No one would have believed such a story back in the day.

Last season, the 24 year old former Texas A&M Corpus Christi star played 50 games for the Toros, averaging 13 pts; 5 rebs; and just under 2 steals a game—solid, but not spectacular numbers on the offensive end. Palmer’s strength was his perimeter defense. He would have been a likely starter for the Toros this season.

Palmer is 6’6” and a wiry 210 pound guard/forward. His biggest assets are his athleticism and willingness to mix it up defensively which is why he is an intriguing prospect for an NBA team.  His offensive game is still a raw and his shooting mechanics need work.  While Palmer may get a better pay check playing in Japan for one year, it is debatable if he will continue to evolve on the offensive end as he would had he stayed with the Toros. The level of talent in the Japanese league is nowhere near the level of talent in the D-League.

With the Toros, Palmer would have played with and against higher caliber players. He would also likely received starters minutes. While he does have a clause in his contract with Fukuoka to opt out should the NBA lockout end that allows him to pursue a roster spot with an NBA team, his move is risky.

When your name is Kobe or  D-Will, you are an established player and going overseas makes sense in that as long as you avoid injury, you can stay in playing shape and bring home a large paycheck while racking up ridiculous numbers against lesser opponents and having a bit of an adventure and something else to put on your basketball resume. Once the lockout is over, these elite players will return with fatter wallets and will be in game shape. For players like Palmer, while there might be the potential for greater pay playing overseas, his greatest need is to improve his offensive game.  It is questionable he will elevate to an NBA ready player while playing in Japan.

While Palmer takes his talents to Japan, other players will see this vacancy in Austin as the opportunity they need to get to the next level. One player’s gamble is another player’s golden opportunity. It doesn’t look like there will be an NBA season this year and the highest caliber basketball you will see in America will be in the D-League. The Toros have an opening. It will be interesting to see who steps up to fill the void and prove that he deserves to play with the big boys.

(source examiner.com)

You see, Jerrells has something few athletes do. You see, “thick face” and “black heart” are the way of the warrior. It is a “way” that must be embraced. Few have the stomach for it.

I will admit up front: I am a Baylor graduate so I am partial to Jerrells. The former Bear is a tough player. He doesn’t back down. He embraces challenges and isn’t intimidated in the least by the resume or hype of others. His basketball career is testimony to his warrior spirit.

Generously listed at 6’1”, Jerrells plays with so much heart and passion he seems larger on the court. Jerrells’ game is all about relentlessness. He is quick, loves contact and knows how to get off his shot in traffic. He takes every challenge personally. Don’t tell him that he’s basically an undersized combo guard and can’t make the transition to pure point guard. Don’t tell him he can’t succeed. He won’t believe you. Players like Jerrels don’t let others define them.

The undrafted free agent nearly made the final cut with the Spurs. His play was impressive enough for Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and GM R.C Buford. to sign him and reassign him to the Toros so he could get the playing time he needed to continue developing. Jerrells didn’t back down in Spurs training camp or when he played for the Toros. During his 50 game stint with the Toros in 2009, Jerrells averaged 21 pts and six assists.

Jerrells’ basketball career from college to the present has been one of embracing challenges and proving others wrong. To get an insight into his mind, consider the following: The Austin native (Del Valle High School) signed with Coach Scott Drew and the Baylor Bears shortly after Drew took over the Baylor program. The program was in shambles. Dave Bliss, the previous coach, resigned in shame after Baylor was rocked by the horrific shooting death of player Patrick Dennehy by teammate Carlton Dotson. The further the university and the NCAA investigated and the more that came to light about the Bliss administration, the uglier it got. The program almost received the death penalty. The sanctions imposed were considered by many experts to be the near equivalent. Baylor would never rise again in basketball, at least not in this life-time.

Enter Scott Drew in August 2003. Baylor was put on probation until 2010, scholarships and recruiting visits were severely limited until 2007. Post season play was cancelled for the next season, and only conference games were allowed through 2006. And did I mention most of Baylor’s players left the program? Baylor gave players the option to transfer. Most of the team took them up the offer.

It was this environment and challenge that Drew embraced. If his vision for redemption was to become reality, he would need players who would embrace his vision and the hard work it would take to resurrect the program. This is the kind of program and environment most basketball players with dreams of the NBA dancing in their heads avoid like the plague.

High school players were not exactly lining up to play for the Bears. The first significant name to sign with Baylor was Aussie Aaron Bruce. The next: Curtis Jerrells. Drew kept casting the vision of rebuilding and being a part of something special. Jerrells was not an All-American, but was recruited enough by respectable schools to be considered a good catch.

Jerrells had other choices. Better choices. He chose the hard route. He chose Baylor. He caught Drew’s vision and accepted the challenge. Jerrells doesn’t run from challenges. He runs to them. Why? “Thick Face, Black Heart.”

After four years of playing at Baylor, Jerrells became the first player in Baylor history to lead the team in points and assists for four years. During his time at Baylor, Jerrells made the All Big 12 Championship All Tournament Team, was a consensus All Big 12 selection and was named to the 2009 NIT All-Tournament Team.

In retrospect, it was two players: Aaron Bruce and Curtis Jerrells that led the way for other players to catch Drew’s vision and turn the Baylor men’s basketball program into a Big 12 powerhouse. Jerrells quickly became the heart and soul of the team. He willed those around him to rise up.

Without Curtis Jerrells, there would be no Tweety Carter, no Ekpe Udoh, no LaceDarius Dunn and no Elite 8 appearance by Baylor two years ago. Jerrells made Baylor basketball respectable again. Don’t tell Curtis Jerrells something can’t be done.

When I first met Curtis, I was with my son who was 14 at the time, and we were talking with assistant coach Matthew Driscoll at the Baylor practice facility. Driscoll was telling my son, also a basketball player, about the importance of playing with passion and intensity and having a “never back down” mentality. He pointed out Curtis as an example. And, in a serendipitous moment, at that time, Jerrells walked down the corridor of the practice facility to hit the weight room. Driscoll called Jerrells over. “Curtis—show Christian (my son) your shoes,” Driscoll said.

Jerrells walked over. There, written in black marker on his basketball shoes were the words “Thick Face” and “Black Heart.” I had no idea what any of this meant. Driscoll then went on to explain: “It comes from China. This guy (Chin-Ning Chu) wrote about the Warrior Spirit. A ‘thick faced’ person isn’t hurt by others criticism. If you believe in him or his dreams. Fine. If not? He doesn’t care. He’s not defined by you or anyone else. A ‘thick faced’ person is not intimidated. He channels any fears he has into productive energy and uses that to move forward.” That made sense. Playing for Baylor certainly would require a “thick face.”

Driscoll continued: “Black heart” means you are passionately committed to reaching your goals. A “black heart” person may be a nice person, but in competition he is ruthless. He doesn’t care how hard his opponent has trained or how big his opponent’s dreams are, he is determined to crush him. He doesn’t care if his opponent cries or gets his feelings hurt. There is no mercy asked for, no mercy shown in competition. black heart.”

Driscoll went on to explain: “Curtis has this mindset and he sets the tone for the rest of the team. He’s a great guy, but on the court, ‘thick face, black heart.’ If he wants to make it to the next level and help us get there, he has to be this kind of player. And the same goes for you. If you want to make it…” you get the idea.

Jerrells caught the attention of the Spurs after his play with the Toros. These qualities made him a continual work in process. Always evolving. Never backing down. During the 2010-2011 preseason his play caught the attention of New Orleans Hornets GM Dell Demps who traded for Jerrells, sending the Spurs a second round pick for his rights. After one week of training camp with the Hornets, however, Jerrells was waived.

Thick face, black heart. Never back down. Don’t listen to what others tell you about yourself. Prove them wrong. Pursue your goals. Be relentless.

Jerrells wasted no time. One month after being waived by the Hornets, the former Toro and Spur signed with BC Partizan, from Belgrade, Serbia. Jerrells led that team to the Serbian National Title in 2011 while also winning the 2011 Serbian National Cup and the 2011 Adriatic League. His game continued to evolve. New challenges, new opportunities.

In June, Jerrells took another step toward reaching his goals, signing a two-year contract with Fenerbahce Ulker in Turkey. A better league, a greater challenge. More mountains to climb. More obstacles to overcome. No problem: Just more opportunities to develop into that NBA pure point guard.

Don’t bet against Jerrells returning to the NBA. I say this, not as a Baylor fan, but as a fan of players like Mario Elie, Bruce Bowen and Avery Johnson—guys who had those qualities, kept grinding and proved everyone wrong by working hard and taking the long, difficult route to make their mark on the league. I believe Curtis Jerrells is that kind of player and has that kind of character and drive. I wouldn’t bet against him at all.

He was ahead of me in line. We were the only two in the store and he had some kind of friendship with the clerk behind the counter. I kept hearing the man refer to him as “Sweet Lou” and then the clerk asked “Sweet Lou” how he thought his boys would do that year and Lou said, “We’ll be good. D’Antoni and Nash gonna work some magic.” That made me curious, so I did something I normally wouldn’t do—I followed the man to the parking lot.

He was about 6’3”, and somewhere in his late 50’s I thought. I asked him: “Did you play for the Phoenix Suns?” He smiled and the stories started. Evidently “Sweet Lou” played for Phoenix a few games during the Connie Hawkins era.  His specialty? “I had a great ‘j’-I could hit from anywhere.” He showed me why his shot was effective—perfect form and a high release and high arc. “Most players today don’t know how to shoot at all,” he explained. “That’s basic basketball. All these guys today just want to be on Sports Center. All about dunking the ball.” He shook his head and frowned. “These kids today—they don’t know the fundamentals.”

“Sweet Lou” was a great shooter, so why didn’t he stick? Well, like most players, he had weaknesses. He admitted as much. His weaknesses? Well, to hear him explain it he didn’t take defense or instructions from the coach too seriously. “I was young and stupid. I didn’t care if my guy scored 15 on me because I knew I could drop 25 on him,” he explained. “And, coach would tell me to do something and lots of times I just did my own thing. I was a shooter. He wanted me to defer to the guys making more money with the bigger contracts. If I was open—I was shooting. Wasn’t going to pass.” Lou dropped 24 in one preseason game but sat on the bench the next. “Didn’t get along with the coach,” he said.

He blew out his knee in a practice game. His brief stint in the NBA was over. He tried to rehab and come back, but the quickness was long gone. “They didn’t have the ability to fix guys up back then like they do now. I could still shoot lights out.” This stranger talking to me in the parking lot explained how he then went overseas and jumped around from one team to another and kept playing, hoping to get back to the NBA. But that never happened. The legend of “Sweet Lou” was short-lived but his basketball career was not. He played until his body couldn’t play any longer.

He explained: “That’s what baller’s do-they ball,” he chuckled.  We talked for about an hour—Well, he talked for about an hour. I just listened.  I wondered as I drove off that night how many “Sweet Lou’s” there are out there in the world “Ballers ball.” Guys who love the game will keep playing, trying to make it to the NBA or play until their bodies won’t cooperate any longer.

Darius Washington is a baller. His journey is every bit as strange as “Sweet Lou’s” and the former Toro and Spur is still grinding, trying to get back to the NBA.  Currently he’s playing in Puerto Rico for the “Pirates de Quebradillas”. Quebradillas is the city. Washington plays for the Pirates of Quebradillas (not the Pirates of the Caribbean). And, while Puerto Rico is geographically closer to the U.S. mainland than Europe, in NBA terms, European ball is a lot closer to the NBA than Puerto Rican ball. In other words, if the NBA is still the dream, it’s usually a better sign that a player is succeeding in Europe than Puerto Rico. Washington has played in Europe. He’s played in Greece, Czechoslovakia, Italy, Russia and Turkey, not to mention Austin and San Antonio. At 25 years old, Washington keeps balling, because that’s what ballers do.

Washington has been serious about basketball since he was a pre-teen. At the age of 10 he won his first national AAU championship. He was a star High School player at Edgewater High School in Orlando Florida. His senior year he played in a high school showcase game on ESPN. The sky was the limit.

Washington then signed his letter of intent to play basketball in college for the University of Memphis. He was an All-American as a freshman and Conference USA Rookie of the Year, averaging 15 pts and 4 assists per game. The basketball trajectory toward the NBA that had been set when he was ten years old seemed to be perfectly on track.  Washington was playing as he always had—dominant.  But his seemingly bullet-proof aura was shattered in one game. His story turned at the free-throw line of one game.  Mention Washington’s name to fans of Memphis basketball and he is not remembered for his stellar prep career or how he produced at Memphis—he is remembered for this one incident.

In the 2005 Conference USA Tournament, in a game against Louisville, Washington had the opportunity to win the game (or send it to overtime) at the free throw line. Down by two with a few seconds left, he had three shots. A 72% free throw shooter, statistically, he would at least make two. Fans held their breath as Washington sank the first to pull the Tigers within one. Washington looked tight and tense at the line as he released the second shot. The fans groaned as he missed that second shot. The full weight of making that third shot was obvious on Washington’s face as he tensed up and the third shot rimmed out.  Fans stared in disbelief. Guys like Washington come through in the clutch. They don’t disappear. Washington wasn’t the first star to collapse under pressure and he won’t be the last. But for Memphis fans, Washington is remembered for this—and for something else: A decision.

Washington returned for his sophomore year. He led Memphis to an Elite 8 appearance where the Tigers lost to eventual runner-up UCLA. During his sophomore season, Washington was named All Conference USA First Team and was an earned honorable mention All American by the Associated Press.  Washington was still growing as a player. He needed to return for his junior season and continue his development as a point guard.  He needed at least another year of experience, needed to work on his handle and on his floor generalship.

But Washington was confident he was ready for the Big Show and that he would be drafted, so he hired an agent and in doing so was declared ineligible to return for his junior year.  The 2006 draft came and went, and Washington was not drafted. Every team passed on him. The 10-year-old national AAU champion, the 18-year-old high schooler playing on ESPN was now the 20-year-old with nowhere to go.  Undeterred, Washington did what any baller would do: He balled.

Washington played summer league ball. He tried to land a spot on different teams during training camp until he was finally drafted by the Austin Toros.  Still confident he had more to offer than toiling in the D-League, Washington signed with PAOK Thessaloniki of the Greek League. The stay was short.  From Thessaloniki, Washington left PAOK and signed with ČEZ Nymburk in the Czech Republic League and led that team to the Czech title.

Back to the States. On August 23, 2007, Washington signed a contract with the Spurs and was assigned to the Toros in November. After less than a month of playing for the Toros, Washington was called up by the Spurs. His moment had come. The Opportunity arrived when Tony Parker went down with an injury.  In 18 games with the Spurs, Washington averaged 3 pts, shot 43% in 8 minutes per game.  Parker returned, and Washington was waived by the Spurs on December 28, 2007.  So close, yet so far.
But remember: Ballers ball. Washington signed a 2-year contract with Aris Thessaloniki in the Greek League.  He played one season for the team and was released.

Back to the U.S. Again. This time Washington lands in Chicago. He played for the Bulls in the 2008 pre-season but was waived before the season started. Another door opened. Another door shut. If Washington was listening to the voices from the NBA and from Europe, the message was clear: You have peaked as a player and are not good enough to play in this league—whether it’s the NBA or Greece.

But Ballers ball.  After Chicago Washington landed in Russia. In October 2008, he signed with Ural Great Perm of the Russian Super League. The story doesn’t end there:  In July 2009 he signed with Galatasaray Cafe Brown in the Turkish League. In April 2010 he signed with Lottomatica Roma of the Italian League and from there went to Puerto Rico.  Washington is the quintessential globe-trotter.

And, along the way on this wild journey, Washington applied for and was granted Macedonian citizenship and plays for their national basketball team. In Macedonia he is known as Darius Vašington (Дариус Вашингтон in Cyrillic).  Is all this clear now? At 25, Washington has, to borrow from Johnny Cash, “been everywhere, man.”

Why does he put himself through this? Why keep playing? Why doesn’t someone tell him “You had a good run, but you’re not going to make it to the Big Show. Come home. Settle down and find a normal 9-5 job. It’s over.”  Simple: Even if someone were to tell Darius Washington ‘it’s over’—in his mind, it’s not.  He’s one break away from getting one more chance which is all he wants.

And besides, he’s a baller. His body can still take the punishment and the passion is still there, so he’ll keep grinding. He does what he has to do, what all ballers do—he still believes and he still balls.  I think “Sweet Lou” would approve.

(source: lostletterman.com)