LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – He was kind of skinny. That’s the main impression I remember of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as he walked into the gym for his first practice before the 2017 Kentucky Derby Festival Classic.
In those days, WDRB would broadcast the games live from time to time. And we sometimes got the chance to interview a lot of the players at their first workout for the game. Through that, both Rick Bozich and I came away impressed with this guy – not just as a player, but as a talker. And we were impressed with how he handled himself.
Some guys you just know. Donovan Mitchell was the same way. He might’ve been an amateur in those days before NIL, but the second you talked to him (and we had spent a good bit of time with him too, a couple of years prior during the Derby Festival Classic), you knew he was a pro.
So this was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, long arms and elbows and pure player. On the court, he could just get himself where he wanted to be on the basketball court – and score. Off the court, he had a knack for saying the right things.
He wasn’t the top-ranked signee in Kentucky’s class. P.J. Washington, Nick Richards and Quade Green were in the spotlight, playing in the Jordan Brand game that same night. But Gilgeous-Alexander showed up in Louisville, and was the best of that group, even then. Calipari didn't send his players to the Derby Festival game in those years, so it tells you something about what they thought of SGA that he was even in Louisville for the game.
He scored 29 points in Freedom Hall, making 12 of 15 of shots, while grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out six assists.
We’re not always right, but in this case, Bozich and I were. We were on the SGA bandwagon from that night on.
This season, the bandwagon pulled into the NBA MVP station. You can watch it beginning Thursday night in the NBA Finals.
This week, The Athletic ran a feature in its “Peak” series — which explores leadership and personal growth through sports — with SGA’s longtime trainer sharing five keys to his rise.
The story requires a subscription to The Athletic or The New York Times to read, but one of the secrets was creating an alter-ego.
Gilgeous-Alexsander channeled Allen Iverson. We were all kids, at one time, pretending to be some famous player while on the court. SGA just used his to push himself forward, to make himself throw his slight frame into places he wouldn’t have otherwise.
Dwayne Washington, who coached Gilgeous-Alexander in high school and club basketball, and still works with him today, said this:
“For some people, I suggest creating an alter ego, such as the Incredible Hulk or Batman. You can use them as examples to take your mind somewhere else, other than where you are at that moment. You can use them to eliminate the fear, uncertainty and doubt.”
It's not a bad trick. Certainly, it’s worked out well for Gilgeous-Alexander. Just like he once pretended to be Allen Iverson, there are kids now pretending to be him.
Quick sips
- Rick Bozich writes about how the University of Louisville baseball team used some wisdom from Hannibal Lecter as inspiration this season.
- Louisville men’s basketball will get some solid prep for an early season rivalry showdown against Kentucky by welcoming Kansas ot the KFC Yum! Center. It’ll be a return to the building for Trey White, who transferred to the Jayhawks after playing last season at Illinois. He may not recognize the program he sees. Louisville likely will come into the game ranked higher than Kansas.
The Last Drop
“Be true to yourself. Make each day a masterpiece. Help others. Drink deeply from good books. Make friendship a fine art. Build a shelter against a rainy day.”
Words from Hall of Fame basketball coach John Wooden, who died 15 years ago today
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