Sports Illustrated: Damian Lillard's journey from Weber State to top-10 NBA Draft prospect
Damian Lillard, of WSU, celebrates as the game ends and Weber State University defeats the University of Utah in NCAA basketball in Ogden, Thursday, Dec. 22, 2011.
Ravell Call, Deseret News
Our take: For the second year in a row, a collegiate basketball player from the state of Utah could go in the lottery range of the NBA Draft. Sports Illustrated's Sam Amick examines the journey that has led Damian Lillard from Oakland to Ogden to the cusp of basketball stardom.
Lillard has been struggling with his hometown since he was small, trying to appreciate the people who support him while protecting himself against the ones whose intentions he questions. For every good neighbor who offers him genuine well wishes on his hoops journey, there's another asking for a handout — albeit not at gunpoint — even before he's earned his first NBA paycheck. So Lillard chose the path of solitude, blocking out the pressures and most of the people who surrounded him and developing a singular focus on improving his game.
Read more about Weber State basketball star and NBA prospect Damian Lillard on SI.com.
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Here's hoping Lillard gets on a good team. He is so talented and plays a team concept. I think he will have a much better NBA career than the Fredette a.k.a. the great white hope.
xert - "completely unnoticed"? Only if you didn't follow college basketball this year. Lillard was on the radar all year. He's the real deal. He didn't get Jimmer attention - but then again, his name is not as fun to say, More..
I'm not saying that the kids career went completely unnoticed, but he's a top ten draft pick--has Utah had a ton of those? There are some "sports writers" in Utah who are scratching their noggins over this.