Tim Duncan

Interesting article from the Fayetteville Observer-Times which talks about
the kind of person Duncan is. 
********************

Tim Duncan much taller than 6-11

By Howard Ward
Sports editor

The legend of Tim Duncan grows with each victory by his Wake Forest
basketball team. Duncan
may only be 6-foot-11, but the legacy he leaves will be a mountain for
other players to climb. 

It's not just the awesome talent for playing the game that makes Duncan
special. There are
other players his age who are blessed with as much of that, but they're all
playing in the NBA
already. 

No, what makes Tim Duncan really special is his love of the college game,
his coaches and his
teammates. He's special because he remembers that his father promised his
dying mother that
he would get his degree. And that promise means more to him than the
multi-million dollar
contracts he could have signed several months ago. 

He's special because of loyalty -- a forgotten word to the greed merchants
- -- to a program that
he has helped move to its highest level. 

Tim Duncan plays basketball because he loves it, not because he wants to
endorse the next pair
of sneakers you buy. He plays the game with immense skills no one, except
perhaps for Wake
Forest coach Dave Odom, dreamed he possessed. 

And he does it all so quietly. Sure, he gets excited occasionally over a
great play in a big game.
He'll pump a fist in the air as he races down the court. But you'll never
see Tim Duncan taunting
an opponent. You'll never see Tim Duncan making a spectacle of himself in
some misguided
attempt to attract attention. 

He doesn't need to do any of that. Duncan comes from the Grant Hill class
of gentlemanly
conduct. And he's going to take Wake Forest with him as far as he can go,
then graduate on time
and still take the millions. He waited a year to become a wealthy man, but
he'll be far richer for
it in years to come. 

*******************

 A 1 in 3 chance of getting Duncan? Well, here's hoping the leprachaun
shows up on draft day. 

- -Marc