League offers second chances

  Photos by EDWARD LIN/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Former
Bruin Ed O’Bannon dribbles downcourt. He scored 26
points in a Summer Pro League game on Sunday.

By Scott Bair
Daily Bruin Reporter

LONG BEACH ““ Here’s a riddle: Where can you find an
NBA legend, a rookie, an unemployed veteran, a rap star and two NFL
players all in one place?

For the answer to the enigma, look no farther than the Pyramid
at Long Beach State, where the different paths of many players
converged, all with the goal of living out their basketball
dreams.

The Summer Pro League is a collection of independent and NBA
sponsored teams that allow established players to hone their skills
in the offseason and unsigned players to showcase their talent in
hopes of landing a job in the NBA and professional leagues all over
the world. This audition process goes on from July 8-29 but
Saturday’s game was special. Magic Johnson made a one-time
appearance on the court and used his status to help draw attention
to the unestablished players.

“Helping out the younger guys is the single most important
thing that I have done here today,” Johnson said. “For
many players, this league is their chance, their big shot. Looking
good in front of the scouts from both the NBA and abroad is the way
to get another shot or get their first chance to follow their
basketball dreams.”

Johnson, whose team to the delight of the crowd included rap
mainstay Snoop Dogg, also played the role of teacher to the unknown
players, teaching them about the subtle nuances of the game like
defensive footwork and mental preparation.

One player that Johnson singled out as having excellent footwork
and a good all-around game was ex-California Bear star and current
Kansas City Chief Tony Gonzalez. The All-Pro tight end can’t
shake the basketball urge inside of him and combats that by playing
in the SPL every year.

While Gonzalez is getting in shape for the NFL season,
he’s also impressing NBA scouts after performances like his
26 point, 11 rebound outburst on Saturday. There are rumors that
Gonzalez might experiment with the NBA after the next football
season.

“A lot of people are talking about it now that I’m
starting to put up some numbers,” Gonzalez said. “As
far as playing two sports is concerned, I’m just playing it
by ear and trying to see what happens. If it happens it happens,
and if it doesn’t, I’m not going to lose any sleep over
it.”

One player sent to the SPL to hone his skills and prepare for
the NBA was UCLA alumnus Earl Watson, who was selected in the
second round by the Seattle Supersonics. Watson is a candidate for
a roster spot and a position backing up current Sonic point guard
Gary Payton.

Fresh out of college, Watson set the tempo for the Seattle game
against the Dallas Mavericks’ team, notching 10 points and as
many assists, despite the fact that his playing time was cut short
when he took a forearm to the nose.

“In this summer league and in every game until I establish
myself, I will play for each moment, take it one day at a time, and
always try to be better than I was in the last game.” Watson
said. “So far the transition to professional ball has been
smooth. With each passing day I become more comfortable with my
teammates and coaches, so things can only get better from
here.”

One of the most inspirational performances of the day came from
UCLA alumnus Ed O’Bannon. O’Bannon, who led UCLA to its
last NCAA championship, was selected in the first round of the 1995
NBA draft by the New Jersey Nets and cut from the team a few years
later. Since that time, O’Bannon has been bouncing around in
small independent basketball leagues, living from paycheck to
paycheck, trying to keep the flame of his NBA dreams alive.

O’Bannon relies on the hope that scouts will notice his
performance and give him that second shot the majority of the
players in the SPL are hoping for. Amid all of the commotion
surrounding celebrities like Johnson, Snoop Dogg, Gonzalez and
another NFL player, San Francisco 49er wideout Terrell Owens,
O’Bannon turned in a gritty 26 point performance.

“My life has been a long and winding road over the past
five years,” O’Bannon said. “But on the other
hand, what doesn’t kill you will make you stronger. I may be
down right now, but I’m not done fighting for my dream.
I’m not dead yet and I have the confidence in myself that I
will survive.”

There are many different roads converging in Long Beach. The
Pyramid stands as a training site for some, a way to alleviate
summer boredom for others, but for Ed O’Bannon and hundreds
like him, it stands as a beacon of hope that their hoop dreams will
turn to reality.