Coasters: NBA Draft won’t include Burwell

Steve Virgen

Today is the NBA Draft and Nick Burwell will not be selected.

If Nick Burwell is selected, my nephew is a monkey.

Perish that thought.

Ever since Burwell declared his name for the draft, I have done

nothing more than laugh at the decision. The Los Angeles Times and the

Orange County Register have given Burwell so much ink, I feel shameful

writing about him.

With no more than a decent junior college season played for the Orange

Coast College men’s basketball team, Burwell decided to set his sights

for the NBA. Apparently, he is blind because he can’t see the odds

stacked against him.

The Lakers’ Tyronn Lue would have a better chance at beating Toronto’s

Vince Carter in a dunk contest.

In a draft where Shane Battier, of NCAA 2001 National Champion Duke,

is hoping he makes the top five, what makes anyone think Burwell will be

selected?

There are two rounds in the NBA Draft, consisting of 57 selections ...

Nick Burwell will not be selected.

There will be traffic on the 405 North at 4 p.m. and Burwell will not

be on an NBA team.

But that has not stopped Burwell from seeking out his dream.

Otherwise, he would have pulled his name out of the draft a long time

ago.

Instead, he helped make history as a record six high school seniors

and 58 underclassmen declared for this year’s draft. The number is now at

41. And that’s not counting the seniors, like Battier. You do the math.

It all equals to Burwell sitting at home watching TV, as he is doing

today, and never seeing his name flash up or his name called.

He should’ve listened to OCC men’s basketball coach Mark Hill.

“I thought the best thing for him was to go to college and get his

degree,” said Hill, who spoke with Burwell earlier this month. “But he’s

23 and he’s mature enough to make his own decisions.”

“Do I expect him to be drafted? I don’t know,” he continued. “The only

time I watch the NBA is when the college basketball season is over. I

don’t know. It will be interesting.”

Interesting? Mark, let me save you the “suspense.” Nick Burwell will

not be selected in the 2001 NBA Draft.

“That’s your own personal opinion,” Burwell told me Tuesday. “You’re

entitled to that.”

And here’s the rest of that conversation:

Me: Nick, do you honestly think you will be drafted?

Burwell: “I don’t know. I’m out there.”

Me: Yes or no, will you be drafted?

Burwell: “I don’t know. People have been criticizing me and talking

about me ever since I put my name in the draft, so it’s not a big deal.

People can say what they want. People will talk about me for years.

You can’t let that stop you. They can say whatever they want.

Me: Who gave you the idea to declare for the draft?

Burwell: Myself. I had a pretty good season and I’m at the peak of my

game right now. I’m ready to go and take my game to the next level

(Burwell scored 637 points, 22.8 points per game, in his final season

with the Pirates, 214 of 520, .412 and 80 for 261 from three-point land,

.306).

Me: Do you have a message for the people who say you will not be

drafted?

Burwell: I’m not like that. Hey, when they watch the TV, and I’m

playing, they’ll realize that I should’ve been there all along.

Me: (laugh) OK. Sounds good to me. Could I get the phone number of

your agent? I would really like to hear what he has to say.

Burwell: He said I shouldn’t give out his phone number.

Me: Fair enough. Can I give you a call tomorrow (today)? What will you

be doing?

Burwell: I’ll just be sitting here, watching TV. Watching the draft,

you know. But, you can call.

I’ll be calling. And if you are, in fact, drafted, I should clear out

my desk. But, I won’t. I will say, “congratulations.” I will say, “Wow!”

Everyone will laugh at me and I will believe in miracles.