I had the luxury to play for the wolfpack as a walk-on for basketball 98-00 and football spring workouts in 01. I will have to say the common denominator in the majority of successful people is their work ethic. Case in point. I truly believe, my sophomore year, we had one of the most talented teams ever. That year we went to the NIT Final Four. We had NBA talent on that team from at least 4 players. Only one went to play in the NBA. That was Damien Wilkins. Like him or hate him, you can't complain about him bc he worked his ass off. I will admit, he was not super talented like his uncle or father but he gave 100 %. Most people thinked he had a bad attitude. NOt true. His father is the reason of why Sendek didn't invite him back. Think about the background. He came in as the #1 player in the nation. Joseph Forte and Jason Williams was in his class. They were all americans and his father could not figure out why they did better than Damien. Newsflash, Damien wasn't as talented as them and his game did not fit very well in college. He micromanaged Coach Sendek and made Coach Sendek promise that he would take more shots at 2 guard the following year when Julius Hodge came in.

Back to what I was talking about. Damon Thornton, Kenny Inge and Ron Kelly truly had NBA talent but had no desire to work on their game. They had fun with the ladies and just went out. (Not Kenny). Coach had to yell and scream at them to work out and they still complained. They did the least amount of work possible. Plus winning was not a priority. I will never forget when Julius, Marcus and Scooter came in. They said they refuse to lose and they will do something special at STate. I play with all of them and have been for years. They have heart and desire and bust their ass working out, that is why State won and went to the NCAA tournament. As far as this year's team, I worked out with them this summer. They didn't impress me from a talent level, but they are demonstating in this tournament that they have heart. I believe there is only 2 people on the team with the physical talent to play in the NBA but talent doesn't mean much without working on your game.

3/11/2007 11:17:26 AM

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[Edited on March 11, 2007 at 11:20 AM. Reason : or not]

3/11/2007 11:18:49 AM

Quote :

"Ron Kelly truly had NBA talent"

3/11/2007 11:20:37 AM

if u dont have above 100 posts no one reads your shit

3/11/2007 11:20:55 AM

words words words. summary plz k thx

3/11/2007 11:24:06 AM

I dont quite understand the point you are trying to make.

3/11/2007 11:26:58 AM

Quote :

""Ron Kelly truly had NBA talent""

he also used to drink beer and listen to david allen coe with me.

3/11/2007 11:28:47 AM

I think he is saying when he played, they had talent

And now, short of two players, we only have heart and hard work.

But the biggest thing you need in this game is heart.

3/11/2007 11:29:14 AM

Hey Idris, I was one of your suitemates freshman year in Bowen - good to hear your perspective. I remember when you got the walk on spot.

I think talent can be squandered for sure especially if you don't include hard work. The same is true for heart, even if you don't have the pure talent, your heart can be diminished without hard work.

What do you think the odds are for today?

3/11/2007 11:30:33 AM