Toros Tryouts: Day Two

When I walked into the Delco Activity Center for the second day of the Austin Toros open tryouts, I made two quick observations: one, the tension and competitiveness among the players had been ratcheted up from the previous day to almost unbearable levels; and two, I had no business being awake at 9 o’clock in the morning. Normally 9 o’clock would mark the halfway point of my nightly dance with the sandman, but no one ever said the life of a sports blogger was a warm slice of chocolate cake, and I’m willing to make sacrifices, so I beat back my lingering exhaustion to put pen to paper and bring you my observations from the final day.

There were now about 30 guys left on the court, and coaches Johnson, Knight, and Collier were doing their best to break them on the rocks when I walked into the gym. They had been split into three groups. Collier was bellowing like a weight-training coach, demanding more effort from the centers as they practiced post-up drills and battled down low for rebounds and lay-ups. Standing 15 feet away I could hear their bodies pounding into one another as they fought for position below the basket, and I thanked the fates I was a writer. Down at the far end of the gym, Knight was running drills with the guards, working them over and over again on their cross-overs, lay-ups, and rebounds. Like Collier, Knight bellowed at his players throughout the drill, and I could hear every word he said, regardless of the distance. Which only served to emphasize the distinctive coaching style of Dennis Johnson, who was working with the forwards. Johnson’s style, like it had been the day before, was patient and reserved, quiet almost to the point of inaudibility, with a focus on fundamentals and the unwavering and unquestioned principles of basketball technique and knowledge. The players crowded around the NBA legend, straining to gain a little knowledge at the feet of a master.

My man in New York, Devin Thompson, who I introduced in my last entry, took over an up-and-under drill that provided the opportunity for those involved to finish strong. I’m not generally a dunk guy, being a longtime fan of chest passes, the Princeton offense, and short shorts, but watching Thompson get up in the air like he did and throw down with such conviction and creativity – like he was painting a picture - almost made an old cynic like me believe in something.

The day continued with top-speed, full-court, four- and three-man weaves, which are things of beauty when done right, each group a moving double helix levitating a basketball in the air. When a group did the drill right, the other players would applaud and cheer. When things fell apart, coach Johnson would stop the drill and deliver a stern lecture on the importance of mental toughness and dedication to team play.

I won’t go into the hour-long full-court scrimmage that followed, won’t talk about how fast it was, how intense, how physical, how dangerous – how more than one player ended up on the sidelines checking for blood after getting clocked in the face by an errant elbow or a wandering hand – how loud; I won’t bother you with the details of the swift guard play, the no-look passes, the drives, and the dunks. When you’ve got 30 top-notch basketball players all reaching for the same brass ring, you can imagine how serious the last game at an open tryout can be. Sitting back and watching these athletes do what they do, it was all I could do to keep myself from putting on my headband, jumping onto the court, and making a giant ass out of myself.

With the end of the scrimmage came the resumption of tension in the air. Once again the three coaches disappeared to discuss the fates of those who had participated, leaving the 30 judged souls out on the court to ponder what the could have done or should have done better. A couple of players next to me passed the time joking about how most of them would only be getting a Toros practice jersey for their troubles. “The hundred and seventy-five dollar T-shirt,” they called it. Camaraderie was high as a sense enveloped the players that what was done was done and that it was too late to change anything now.

Devin Thompson was happy with his performance. “I left it all out there,” he told me simply. “Can’t ask for more than that.” We got to talking about what he’d do if he didn’t make the cut, where he’d go next to fulfill his NBA desires. I told him that all the NBDL teams were holding open tryouts and that with the new expanded list, there were now 12 teams to choose from. He said he’d consider it, and I told him there was little to lose, except that he might end up playing in Idaho or South Dakota. “Man, I’d play on the moon if it meant getting a shot at the NBA,” he told me. Man, I wanted him to make the team. Every time I tried to show a little journalistic integrity and objectivity with this guy he’d turn around and make me like him again. Damn him, but my enthusiasm and favoritism were starting to get the better of me.

Coach Johnson came back onto the court and gathered the guys around him. In his calm and quiet way he elevated four players to previously uncontemplated heights of joy and dropped the other 26 down into the well of disappointment. Devin Thompson, unfortunately, was among the 26, and he quickly grabbed his things and his father, David, and the two were headed back to New York. I imagine one could have read the disappointment on my face; I felt like I’d been cheated. This is what I get for allowing myself to care.

Anyway, without further ado, the four chosen ones. Note: Only one or two of these guys will be chosen in the end to go to Toros training camp, which starts in a week. And even then, they’re not guaranteed a shot at the roster. No, they’ve simply jumped the first hurdle in what will turn out to be a lengthy steeplechase. For now, though, it was time to bask in the glow of victory and achievement, here in Austin, one step closer to the NBA.

Kevin Butler and Jason Gaines:

Despite cutting my guy Devin, the Toros did provide me with a good story by picking both of these young guards. Two guard Butler and one guard Gaines went to high school together back in Oakland, Calif., where they were friends. Butler lives in Dallas now, and the two of them had been up in Fort Worth the week before, trying to earn a spot on D-League team the Fort Worth Flyers. When that didn’t happen, Butler convinced Gaines to stick around for the week and drive with him down to Austin. He did, and the two lit up the Delco Center, Gaines with his floor-general directions and court vision and Butler with his dead-eye shooting and speed. I told them that, by all rights, if Gaines made the team, he would owe Butler his life. At the very least, if Gaines makes it to the NBA, he’ll owe Butler a part of his salary.

Jonathan Burris:

A two/three swingman out of Ann Arbor, Mich., Burris played for several schools, including the University of Mary in North Dakota and Division 1 Bethune-Cookman. He currently lives in Dallas, and like Butler and Gaines, he participated in the Fort Worth Flyers tryout.

O’Neal Mims:

Local kid makes good. Mims, a 23-year-old forward, hails from Austin and graduated from Reagan High School. In all honesty, he was the guy who people kept pointing out during the tryout. Tall and lanky, Mims showed an ease and comfort with the game you can’t teach. What that means to coach Johnson I can’t say, but the guy looks great on the court. If he makes it to the tryout, I’m going to ask him to teach me a few post moves in exchange for some flattering blog entries, maybe even a lengthy and painfully biased profile.