duncan228
06-27-2009, 12:03 AM
Elonu determined to make Lakers (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Elonu_determined_to_make_Lakers.html)
By Brent Zwerneman - Express-News
COLLEGE STATION — An elated Chinemelu Elonu watched the sun rise Friday morning, hours after his selection by the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the NBA draft.
Had Elonu been up all night, celebrating his move from Texas A&M to Tinseltown? Hardly, prompting Aggies assistant coach Byron Smith to marvel at the resolve of the 6-foot-10 A&M forward who's on a mission to make the NBA.
“Some guys, when they learn they'll be taking it to another level, take it to another level all right — that night in the clubs,” Smith said. “But he was up early in the morning, running sprints and running hills.
“He understands what's ahead of him.”
What's ahead of Elonu, who spent Friday in College Station saying goodbye to his teammates and coaches, is a fight to make the roster of the NBA champions, after the Lakers selected him 59th, next to last, in the draft.
“Whenever you go from college to the NBA, you have to start all over again,” said Elonu, who had a year of eligibility remaining at A&M but has already graduated. “To show how hard I work, the hustle, rebounding, shot-blocking that I'm capable of — it's a process that starts all over again.”
Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak told reporters that Elonu will earn every chance to prove himself in the NBA's summer league.
“We'll evaluate him there and if he's as good as we think he is, then he could come to camp and end up with a contract,” Kupchak said.
Three years ago, Elonu offered Reed Arena fans a first hint he might develop into something special, when he swatted what looked to be an open layup by a Prairie View A&M player deep into the stands.
The crowd, including President George H.W. Bush, roared its approval. The play was that kind of uncooked athleticism that first caught the eye of Smith, Elonu's AAU coach with the Houston Swoosh before their arrival at A&M.
“He was raw (in AAU ball), but he had some ability,” said Smith, a former Houston Cougars standout. “I always thought he was a guy who could make it in the NBA because of his defense and his athleticism. He's by far the hardest working kid I've been around.”
One of the first congratulatory calls Elonu received Thursday night came from former AAU and A&M teammate DeAndre Jordan, a second-round selection of the Los Angeles Clippers a year ago. Now, the two big men will be in the same city, 1,500 miles to the west of College Station.
“I told him that he has a roster spot, and now I need to go out there and just work my butt off so I can have one, too,” Elonu said.
Elonu averaged 10 points and 7 rebounds per game last season for coach Mark Turgeon and the Aggies, the only Big 12 team to have a player selected in the draft in each of the past three years.
Elonu began earning attention this past season with solid defensive efforts against Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin, the top selection in this year's draft who will join Jordan on the Clippers.
“I really started playing basketball when I was in the 10th grade,” Elonu said of blooming late. “I never really thought about the NBA at that time — at least with me in it. But when I started getting recruited by Division I schools, I realized playing in the NBA was a dream that could become reality.
“Now, I'm overwhelmed to have been drafted by the world champions.”
By Brent Zwerneman - Express-News
COLLEGE STATION — An elated Chinemelu Elonu watched the sun rise Friday morning, hours after his selection by the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the NBA draft.
Had Elonu been up all night, celebrating his move from Texas A&M to Tinseltown? Hardly, prompting Aggies assistant coach Byron Smith to marvel at the resolve of the 6-foot-10 A&M forward who's on a mission to make the NBA.
“Some guys, when they learn they'll be taking it to another level, take it to another level all right — that night in the clubs,” Smith said. “But he was up early in the morning, running sprints and running hills.
“He understands what's ahead of him.”
What's ahead of Elonu, who spent Friday in College Station saying goodbye to his teammates and coaches, is a fight to make the roster of the NBA champions, after the Lakers selected him 59th, next to last, in the draft.
“Whenever you go from college to the NBA, you have to start all over again,” said Elonu, who had a year of eligibility remaining at A&M but has already graduated. “To show how hard I work, the hustle, rebounding, shot-blocking that I'm capable of — it's a process that starts all over again.”
Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak told reporters that Elonu will earn every chance to prove himself in the NBA's summer league.
“We'll evaluate him there and if he's as good as we think he is, then he could come to camp and end up with a contract,” Kupchak said.
Three years ago, Elonu offered Reed Arena fans a first hint he might develop into something special, when he swatted what looked to be an open layup by a Prairie View A&M player deep into the stands.
The crowd, including President George H.W. Bush, roared its approval. The play was that kind of uncooked athleticism that first caught the eye of Smith, Elonu's AAU coach with the Houston Swoosh before their arrival at A&M.
“He was raw (in AAU ball), but he had some ability,” said Smith, a former Houston Cougars standout. “I always thought he was a guy who could make it in the NBA because of his defense and his athleticism. He's by far the hardest working kid I've been around.”
One of the first congratulatory calls Elonu received Thursday night came from former AAU and A&M teammate DeAndre Jordan, a second-round selection of the Los Angeles Clippers a year ago. Now, the two big men will be in the same city, 1,500 miles to the west of College Station.
“I told him that he has a roster spot, and now I need to go out there and just work my butt off so I can have one, too,” Elonu said.
Elonu averaged 10 points and 7 rebounds per game last season for coach Mark Turgeon and the Aggies, the only Big 12 team to have a player selected in the draft in each of the past three years.
Elonu began earning attention this past season with solid defensive efforts against Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin, the top selection in this year's draft who will join Jordan on the Clippers.
“I really started playing basketball when I was in the 10th grade,” Elonu said of blooming late. “I never really thought about the NBA at that time — at least with me in it. But when I started getting recruited by Division I schools, I realized playing in the NBA was a dream that could become reality.
“Now, I'm overwhelmed to have been drafted by the world champions.”