“You know the dream. There you are in the NCAA Tournament. The stadium is packed with thousands of people—and millions more are watching on TV. They know your name, they know you’re talented and they know that when the game is on the line with seconds to go, you are going to shoot the ball to win the game. The next day you have your name all over the front page of The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, and almost every single other newspaper in the United States. That dream is dreamed by thousands, maybe even millions of kids every day of their lives. There is only one problem. That’s what it is: A dream.
All you people playing basketball on your high school varsity team, this is a headline for you: YOU ARE NOT MAKING IT TO THE NBA! Of course there are always exceptions. There are always going to be a few Kobe Bryants, players who are just meant to go to the NBA.
But let’s face it, God made you in a certain way and if your body is saying no to the NBA (like if you’re only 5’8”) don’t count on a pro basketball career. There are hundreds of thousands of varsity high school players that have the same goal as you. You think that because you can dunk, you are worthy of a scholarship? Think again.
Take your grades as seriously as your game
It doesn’t bother me that people want to play at Division 1 schools and then hope to go to the NBA. What bothers me is that some athletes have this attitude: “I don’t need school or education, I just come here to get my basketball skills developed.” How can anybody have an attitude like that when in a split second your dream of getting to the NBA can be gone? You fall the wrong way, your knee goes out, or maybe your shoulder, and after that what do you have? Nothing. You get what every kid gets when they mess up in school—the chance to say, over and over: “May I take your order?”
What can you do to avoid this fate? Don’t let your basketball skills alone guide your future.
Follow the example of Brimah Vanjo, an Los Angeles High graduate who is 6’6″ forward/guard for Southwest Junior College. Here is a kid who in the 11th grade barely started to play organized basketball in Katella High in Anaheim for his junior varsity team. His parents moved to Los Angeles where in his senior year he tried out for varsity at Los Angeles High. One of the assistant coaches noticed his height and started giving him conditioning to improve his speed and his ball handling skills.
He worked hard, and they put him on the team. But he didn’t get to start. Instead they started a younger kid. Just imagine a 6’6″ player getting news like that. You might think his ego would be devastated. Not Brimah. He took the news and kept it to himself. He was mad, but he was also happy that he made the team. Sure he wanted to play more, but throughout his senior year he just sat. Recruiters never got to see his talent, so he had no scholarship offers.
At community college, he’s working hard
He had the grades to attend a four-year university, but he wanted to play college basketball at a Division 1 school. He went to Southwest Middle College to work on his skills, hoping he could apply to a Division 1 school later. He lifts weights and runs about two miles at least three times a week. As a result, his game has improved.
“I’m stronger, I have better leaping ability, I can control the ball better, I can go to the basket with either hand, I can finish with either hand. I’m developing a hook shoot, and a turn-around jumpshot.”
He said he’s not ready to play at a Division 1 school—he believes he would not even be an average player at that level. “I’m not as quick as I want to be, I need more jumping ability, and more awareness in my game.”
He added that if he played against a team like USC right now, he’d probably be blown away. “These are blue-chip-type guys, eventually they may play in the NBA. They are better than average players, probably the best players you will play against in your life.”
In addition to working hard at basketball, Brimah has focused on his grades. He got offers of academic scholarships from Tennessee State and Paine State. Rather than shooting for the NBA, his plans are more realistic. “I want to get my degree to become a guidance counselor to help out kids.”
Brimah said too many young athletes assume they can follow in Lakers player Kobe Bryant’s footsteps. “I think that high school players going to the NBA and college players leaving after a year or two is creating an adverse affect on college basketball because the talent level isn’t as high in Division 1 sports. This changes the attitude on kids coming out. They say they don’t need the education, they can just take the money. They don’t realize that without the education it increases the probability that someone who is educated will take their money.” “