Roy leaps towards NBA
Even at the beginning of Brandon Roy’s
senior year at Garfield High School, the 6-foot-6 wing spoke to his former
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teammate Anthony Washington of the NBA.
A few months later Roy has decided to
pursue that lifelong dream and make himself eligible for the upcoming NBA Draft.
A senior from Seattle’s Garfield
High School, Roy sent a certified letter to the league on May 8 notifying it of
his intentions. However, a new NCAA rule permits high school seniors to retain
their eligibility if they do not sign with an agent and meet the June 19
deadline to reclaim it.
“I’m pretty excited about it,” Roy said.
“I don’t think anybody’s actually ever done it out of Garfield.”
The past two years Roy has earned KingCo
4A MVP honors and was rated second best small forward on the West Coast behind
UCLA bound Evan Burns of Los Angeles, California. Last season Roy averaged 22.9
points per game leading the Bulldogs to the quarterfinals of the 4A State
Tournament before losing to eventual and defending champion Lincoln 67-48.
“At this point he’s a very skilled high
school player and I think he’ll be an outstanding player in college,” said Husky
coach Lorenzo Romar. “If he works hard [in college] he will be in a position to
get drafted. Whether he’s ready or not now doesn’t matter.”
Roy will likely receive an
invitation to play at the NBA’s annual predraft camp in Chicago from June 3-7.
At the conclusion of the camp, Roy will have a much clearer idea of his draft
position after evaluations from teams. In the 2001 draft, the NBA chose five
high school players including three of the top four picks overall.
“I was pumped up when he told me,”
said Washington, also a Husky signee. “I think all he doesn’t have is experience
and age. Skill-wise he’s there and I think he’ll definitely make it.”
“I really feel with just showing my
ability I have a good chance at it,” Roy said.
The 17 year-old Roy plans on graduating
from Garfield on June 15, but has not academically qualified to play in college
and still awaits results of an SAT test taken on May 4.
“My concern is kids reversing their
priorities so that now going to college is a letdown,” Romar said. “I don’t want
to see it get to that point.”
This year four players along with Roy
have decided to make themselves eligible for draft with three projected to be
picked among the total of 58.
During the early signing period last
November, Roy signed a letter of intent to play basketball at the UW for former
Husky coach Bob Bender. With the firing of Bender and hiring of Romar from Saint
Louis University, Roy held firm in his commitment to the Huskies after choosing
them over Arizona.
With the rule change Roy likely would
not have put himself in consideration for the draft, but now he can do so
without penalty. Roy will begin working out twice a day including a high
intensity session with his AAU coach Lou Hobson right after school.
If Roy seems like a second round
pick, he will likely return to the UW with the contingency that he obtains the
necessary SAT score.
“I can see myself in an
NBA or Husky uniform next year,” Roy said.