Post by bballfan72031 on Sept 5, 2005 0:43:58 GMT -5
Hometown Boys Jazz, Skillz Taken in the Third Round
In the inaugural City Slam Draft, Oregon boys Jazz and Fresh Skillz were taken in consecutive order. With the fifteenth pick, Reebok selected Jazz, and right after that Skillz was taken by Converse. Both players looked ecstatic going up to the podium.
“When my name was called, it was just like.....wow, ya know?” Said Jazz. “And then when Fresh’s name was picked next, everyone was jumping up and down, it was amazing.”
Both players have graduated from college despite still being only seventeen years old. Since the age of fifteen, their lives have been filled with hype. For their two years in college, Jazz and Skillz led the Beavers and Ducks to two NCAA tournament berths, respectively. Though bitter rivals on the court in high school and college, Jazz and Skillz have grown to become great friends.
So, it was fitting that the two would meet each other in their first ever preseason games. Jazz put up a spectacular rookie performance, scoring 31 points, grabbing 18 boards, and swatting four shots, all while shooting with a 1.39 PSA. Skillz played out of his natural 2 guard position, playing the point in his first performance, but still put up a solid showing, scoring 21 points and leading all players with 13 assists. In fact, Skillz may have played better if his team didn’t have to play three on five for much of the game. The one big rookie mistake for both of them came in the turnover department, where they both gave the ball away five times. All in all, though, it was a good start for these two players’ careers.
Skillz was sporting new Converse kicks at the post-draft interview conference. “I think I’m in a good situation here. I hope to show everyone that I’m a better defender than I’m given credit for, and if I’m gonna keep playing the point, I’ll have to improve my handles. We’ve got a young team, and there’s definitely a bright future here. I’m just glad we’re both here. Finally, we made it, we’re here. Now I’m just counting down the days until I meet Jazz in the playoffs.”
Jazz was so excited, he was struggling for ways to express himself verbally. Finally, he was able to get out some words.
“It’s like a dream come true.”
