On Wednesday, June 25th, 1997, I found myself in Charlotte, North Carolina, enjoying a huge expense account steak and simultaneously being grilled by two of America’s sports writing gods: Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe and Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News.
If you’re thinking surely, I was not that interesting in 1997, you’d be correct. However, I WAS the publisher/executive editor of the only Virgin Island-based publication of the Tim Duncan NBA draft. I was also the only reporter Duncan stopped to speak with and bestow a quick dap and hug. At the time, Duncan was the top collegiate basketball player in the nation, and being acknowledged by him meant I was also suddenly newsworthy.
Ryan and Lupica weren’t the only notable people who took an interest in me because of Duncan. I found myself in an elevator with Julius “Dr. J” Erving, who struck up a conversation after reading my name tag. During our conversation, I suddenly remembered seeing a photograph in my buddy’s college yearbook. I asked him if he remembered a University of Rhode Island player named Albert “Bud” Hazard. After a moment, his face brightened, and he blurted out, “Yeah! Big mean dude with sharp elbows!” We laughed, I promised to give Hazard Erving’s best wishes and parted ways.
More so than meeting legends I respected both on and off the basketball court, I remember immense feelings of overwhelming pride. Was I proud of myself for nurturing and building a publication capable of standing beside international ones such as the Boston Globe and the New York Daily News? Yes, beyond any doubt.
Yet, as a Crucian father, I was prouder still of Duncan’s achievements, both on and off the court. A true gentleman, he always conducted himself as one who knew the eyes of the world were always upon him. As a scholar, he graduated from Wake Forest in four years and became known as one of the most cerebral players and the greatest power forward in NBA history.
The opportunity to have been there as a respected sports journalist and a Virgin Islander created a feeling that will never leave me. It transcends time and place and remains a vivid reminder of what is possible and what we may all achieve together.
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