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Sidelines Kalani Simpson |
Acker ready for
NBA educationTHE first question I wanted to ask Chris Acker, the former Chaminade sub, was, "How exactly does one make himself officially eligible for the NBA Draft?"
It turns out all you have to do is fax the commissioner's office. Now, many of us already fax the commissioner's office all the time. So when we're delivering our weekly diatribes (about conspiracy theories, the demise of the "traveling" call, demanding that TNT not shoot Charles Barkley from the side) we can add this: proof of age, our height, team and a letter announcing we, too, want in.
Then, Acker says, they send a form. "Then they call you and ask a couple questions" -- Is this really you and not a friend of yours pulling a prank? Are you sure you want to do this? -- "and that's pretty much it," Acker says.
And that's how Acker, who averaged five points, two rebounds and 13.3 minutes (he started three games last year) for the Division II Silverswords, got his name in the transactions section of most every sports page in the country this week. Going early, giving up his senior year.
The reaction here, in Chaminade's hometown, was immediate: Who? What?
Even his coach was surprised, which should come as no surprise, if he's playing you 13.3 minutes a game.
Aaron Griess expresses sadness at Acker's move to leave school, calls his application for the draft "a poor decision."
Well, of course it is. He's a 6-1 sub from Division II. He's not going to be shaking David Stern's hand. We don't need to get Marty Blake's breakdown on this one.
There are a handful of head-scratchers in every early-entry list. This is our head-scratcher.
The story? Well, Acker knows getting drafted is a biiig reach. But basketball wasn't working out at Chaminade. He wasn't connecting with his coach. (Hey, it happens; not everybody clicks, not every college sports career is a fairy tale). He loves to play ball more than anything in the world. And it didn't look like his senior year at Chaminade was going to be very much fun.
So he jumped.
"I'm getting older," he says. "If I'm going to do it, why not do it now?"
"Some people," he says, "are like, 'Wow, what are you doing?' "
The funny thing is, he was Joe College. A good student. He was on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
"He's a great kid," Griess says. "I like Chris. I told him that, I like him a lot."
Now he's walking away from a senior year paid in full.
He'll miss it, he says. But "the happiness I have for playing basketball" trumps all right now.
And so he faxed the commish. Maybe he'll get noticed. Maybe he'll end up overseas. He just wants to play ball.
He knows "a million guys out there" have NBA dreams.
He can't really believe he has a chance to get drafted. Can he?
"I hope so," he says. "I mean, why not?"
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Kalani Simpson can be reached at ksimpson@starbulletin.com