If you are a senior who goes undrafted by the NBA, the odds are stacked heavily against making it. Maybe there’s a chance in the summer leagues, but more likely you would find yourself either playing in the NBDL trying to get a crack. Maybe scoring the occasional 10-day contract because injuries have piled up to such a degree at the parent club that they need a body, or the team is trying so hard to tank they bring up guys who they figure can’t compete.
The smart play is to immediately look to the overseas leagues to start making money. Earn a good living for a while playing the game you love. You can earn a much better rate of pay, and one would like to hope start saving some to plan for the future. Trying to crack the NBA is more dream.
You do it, because when you were a kid playing. Whether in high school, college or even on the street; you dreamed of suiting up for your team in the NBA. To play on what is the biggest stage. Where everyone could see you play. Even if you are on the fringe of the NBA, making the leauge minimum as opposed to a bigger deal you could get in Europe or Russia.
Brad Wanamaker knows getting to the NBA is not as likely, but he’s going to stick with the poor pay of the NBDL a while longer.
Wanamaker knows sooner or later that he’ll have to make a decision on whether to chase the money or the dream of playing in the NBA.
“I’m only 22, and I feel like I have a lot of basketball ahead of me,” Wanamaker said. “I have a lot of time to make money. Right now, I’m still chasing my dream.”
He even left playing overseas to join the NBDL Austin Toros after the lockout ended for this year.
His squad won the NBDL title and Wanamaker came on strong by the end. In the final two championship games that the Toros won, Wanamamer had 33 points, 11 rebounds, 7 steals and 10 assists. Just like his time at Pitt. He did a little of everything.
Luckily, Wanamaker is not locked into just the Spurs for the summer league. He has been invited to play on their team, but he will choose a team on his terms.
Spurs general manager Danny Ferry, who asked him to leave Italy to play for the Toros, has offered him a spot in San Antonio’s entry in the NBA summer league. Wanamaker has offers from a few other NBA teams as well, but he is going to wait until after the NBA draft in late June before deciding which opportunity is best.
In the meantime, he’ll return home to Philadelphia soon before coming back to Pittsburgh, where he will reunite with some former teammates for workouts this summer at Petersen Events Center.
He and several other former Pitt players including Gary McGhee and Gilbert Brown are also expected to take part in the Greentree summer league.
The fact that so many former players now come back to Pitt in the offseason is such a positive change.
While they’re training, they will mentor Pitt’s current players. It’s become a tradition for former Panthers to return every summer, and it’s one of Jamie Dixon’s proudest accomplishments.
When Dixon took over as head coach in 2003 former players didn’t come around very often. Now dozens of former players make their way back to campus every summer.
“Guys did it before me,” Wanamaker said. “Levance Fields is a guy I look up to. We kept in contact throughout the season. He did the same thing for Tray Woodall. He’s a guy we all look up to.
“I only feel like it’s right for me to pass on my knowledge to the younger guys.”
Make no mistake, Wanamaker and Brown could stay closer to home and play against better competition in Philly for summer league games. Same with Aaron Gray. McGhee could probably find a better summer league in Indianapolis or even Chicago. Fields and others from NY and NJ could as well. They come back to Pitt because they loved their time at Pitt, and they still feel connected and welcome.
Tradition is built this way. By the players themselves coming back and connecting to the present team.
I had heard that Pete Dimperio at Westinghouse High School used to keep some of his former football players involved as volenteer assistantants. Those kind of things are special, it creates a great enviroment and can make all the difference.
Would Revis, Fitz and Shady be allowed to participate at summer camps as mentors/coaches?
When kids realize all the great players to have come from Pitt, shouldn’t Pitt be a destination school?
Why does State Penn have kids growing up as Nitter fans and high school football players jumping at their offers even after the Pedophile scandal/cover-up while Pitt seemingly has very few top athletes interested in the program?
State Penn and Pitt have roughly the same win/loss record over the past decade. It’s not like State is tearing up the Big 10. Is it because of the Nitter Kool Aid? Is it because only 30k fans show up at our off campus stadium?
Oh and good for Wannamaker. His improvement as a player seems to continune trending upward, just like during his 4yrs here.
He looked rusty. Some skinny 6’9″ kid who played D2 basketball and was playing overseas someplace SCHOOLED HIM. I think his name is Donaldson?
In general, the former players make an appearance, but aren’t regulars.
And remember people saying some no-names schooled him. This happens from time to time in unofficial games, but its pretty much always because guys like Blair arent going to try very hard since they need to protect themselves for the real games. Stakes way too high.
Dont mean to name drop, but this was fun. Back when i was still in grad school, during the summer between his Jr & Sr year (i think) I was playing at Trees during the summer and Jaron Brown came up so i got to play with him. One of the kids “crossed-over” Jaron and couldnt stop bragging about it. But Brown played at about 25% speed/effort the whole, not sure he broke a sweat and still scored at will (and only passed me the ball once, which i was totally ok with). He let the kid go on his ‘crossover’. The kid will brag about it but it doesnt mean anything at all. Same thing with the kid who allegedly schooled Blair.
The kid that ate him up was far from a scrub. He’d been playing in Europe for years (think he played at Edinboro) and must have been a late developer.
There are plenty of really good players out there and luck and timing and connections have a lot to do with who makes an NBA roster.
If Blair faced Donaldson this summer, he’d probably get schooled again and that’s because Blair’s skills fit better into a very proscribed, defined role in an NBA game than they do into a free-wheeling summer league game.
Kid has a good head on his shoulders it seems.
I wonder if chevy troutman had similar offers to come back and try out for the nba. Even though he is tearing it up in europe.. and is on energy drink cans.
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