More Forte in the Globe

["j.hironaka" <j.hironaka@unesco.org>]

In the Globe, Joe Forte sounds a bit discouraged (after all he had been 
aiming for Rookie of the Year) but sees some opportunities to make an 
scoring impact down the road. We take it for granted these days, but its 
pretty amazing to hear a 6-4 player saying he's too "undersized" to play 
anything other than point guard in the NBA. He'd be forced to play center 
on my Paris club team.

Joe

------
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/285/sports/Forte_biding_his_timeP.shtml

''There is not much you can do in four minutes,'' Forte said yesterday. 
''Just take care of the basics, don't turn the ball over. It's part of 
building a career.''

''In the pros, there are super athletes, but there is always room for guys 
like me who can shoot the ball,'' Forte said. ''Shooting is a natural 
thing. I always felt like I could shoot, ever since I was in eighth grade, 
and I've worked on it a lot.

''I will take [an important] shot, I hoped I proved that in college. We 
have two superstars and my role is to back them up. All they want is for 
you to hit the open shot when they are double-teamed. How hard is that?''

''You have to be eager, you have to want to get in, but you have to be 
patient, too,'' Forte said. ''I believe I can break into the lineup here 
because I shoot the ball extremely well. I'm undersized for the 2-guard, 
and I need to learn to play the 1.

''This team has two superstar players, and everyone else who is out there 
is a role player.

''There are a lot of spots, a lot of opportunities open because the team 
didn't make the playoffs. You don't want to go to a top team because, then, 
you are really not going to play because the coach doesn't need to put you 
in. But when a team is not winning, they are looking for remedies, and 
there are opportunities for rookies.''

''In the pros, there are super athletes, but there is always room for guys 
like me who can shoot the ball,'' Forte said. ''Shooting is a natural 
thing. I always felt like I could shoot, ever since I was in eighth grade, 
and I've worked on it a lot.

''I will take [an important] shot, I hoped I proved that in college. We 
have two superstars and my role is to back them up. All they want is for 
you to hit the open shot when they are double-teamed. How hard is that?''