[ad_1]
Obi Toppin’s fairy tale journey from a skinny high school tweener without a single offer from a four-year college to an NBA lottery pick began with a promise. It happened four years ago to Rodrick Harrison, the basketball coach at Mount Zion Prep, near Washington.
It came after the disappointment of Toppin’s final year at Ossining High School in Westchester County, New York, when, according to Harrison, Toppin didn’t even receive a scholarship offer from a Division II college. Toppin had an option at junior college, until a mutual friend suggested Toppin deserved the chance to play for a year for Harrison at Mt. Zion in Lanham, Md.
Harrison watched a game in Ossining and instantly fell in love with Toppin’s ability and hard work. Later that day, the two spoke on the phone.
“He said to me, ‘Coach, if you give me a chance I promise you I won’t fail,’ Harrison recalled in a phone interview Thursday.” I’m going to work as hard as I can. will do whatever you need me to. That’s where it clicked for me. When someone is so humble and so talented, it’s like they’re a blank canvas.
Toppin made the most of his year at Mt. Zion, turning him into an offer from the University of Dayton in Ohio, where he played two seasons, averaged 20 points per game in his senior year, then was drafted by his hometown Knicks with the No. 8 pick in the NBA draft Wednesday night.
The Knicks are also expected to acquire Immanuel Quickley, one of the University of Kentucky’s top shooters who was selected with the 25th pick by the Oklahoma City Thunder.
It was an unusual draft, kept at bay due to the pandemic, and several players were overwhelmed on the occasion, including Toppin. He broke down in tears when he was interviewed on ESPN, both because he was moving back to New York – he grew up in Brooklyn – and because he had come out of almost total darkness to become one of 10. first choices.
“Hearing my name called is a blessing,” he told reporters. “A lot of people dream of it, and there are only 60 choices, and I was one of those choices.”
When Toppin first walked through the gates of Mt. Zion, he was 6ft 5in tall, weighed around 185 pounds, and struggled to catch the attention of top AAU teams in his area. Today, he is 6-foot-9, weighs 220 pounds, and is the 2020 John R. Wooden varsity player of the year award holder after leading the Flyers to a 29-2 record last season.
He shoots long-range and mid-range, and hits the rim, and he’s known to electrify audiences with his innovative and acrobatic dunks.
“I don’t rank his dunks,” said Anthony Grant, Dayton’s head coach, “but he will definitely excite a crowd with his explosiveness, variety and showmanship. It is fun to watch; Unmissable TV. “
Toppin has been trying to show off his talent for years when few people are watching, so when he gets the chance he doesn’t waste it. At Mt. Zion, when he had started the process of stretching the extra four inches in height and becoming an outstanding player, he finally started to gain the attention of colleges across the country. A group of coaches from state universities like Minnesota and Wyoming came to watch him practice one day in February 2017. But Toppin had injured his thumb on his shooting hand during a tournament the day before. . Harrison has told all the disappointed coaches not to expect much.
Toppin still trained and put on a show by shooting from the left-hander. Harrison said he went 6 for 8, all with his free hand.
“It’s unheard of, right there,” Harrison said. “I was like, ‘Why didn’t you tell me you can shoot with your left hand, Obi?’ But he wasn’t afraid to do it.
By April of that year, Toppin was still available, and that’s when Grant persuaded him to go to Dayton.
Grant recalled a game last year in St. Louis, when Toppin had a poor performance in the first period. The visitors’ bench was right next to the student section and the students rode hard on Toppin as the Billikens took a 13 point lead midway through the second half.
But Toppin was fueled by the taunts. During a timeout, he categorically told his teammates that they would not lose the game. He scored 8 points in the final four minutes of regulation to help force overtime, and Dayton won. But it was more than just the points: his demeanor and confidence permeated the whole team.
“The things he did to get us to overtime and then win the game,” said Grant, “and to be able to handle what was ahead of him, that really impressed me.
Toppin said he modeled his game on Anthony Davis, the Los Angeles Lakers’ all-round center, but admitted he had a long way to go before he could match Davis as a defensive mainstay.
Defense is indeed the only aspect of Toppin’s game that requires work, but he will be mentored by Tom Thibodeau of the Knicks, one of the best defensive coaches in the NBA. A lot of defense is about hard work and commitment. , and Grant said when Toppin was in Dayton he was always eager to learn and quick to figure things out.
“I don’t see Obi as the defensive player of the year in the league,” Grant said. “But I also think he can be a great player and an asset. He’ll be all he needs to help the Knicks succeed. I still think he hasn’t scratched the surface.
[ad_2]
Source link