[外電] Curtis Withers: A Hometown Star

看板Hornets (夏洛特黃蜂)作者kerrys (台北不是我的家)時間19年前 (2006/07/11 08:37)推噓0(0推 0噓 0→)

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原文出處： http://0rz.net/a71BF -- Many young basketball players grow up dreaming about playing for their hometown NBA team. Shooting hoops in the driveway, they pretend to be the star player, the one who is always on the front page of the local newspaper. Even the very few who actually make it to the NBA usually end up playing far from home. But Curtis Withers is different. He is playing for the Charlotte Bobcats, his hometown team, for the duration of the Orlando Summer League, which starts July 10. 許多年輕的籃球員從小都帶著希望將能來為家鄉的NBA球隊打球的夢想長大，他們在家中車道投籃，假裝自己是個總是佔據了地方報紙頭版的明星球員。即使其中的極少數人真能擠進NBA的窄門，他們通常還是只能為距離家鄉相當遙遠的球隊效力。但C.Withers不一樣，他將在7月10日開始的奧蘭多夏季聯賽期間為家鄉的球隊夏洛特山貓打球。 “It’s a dream come true,” Withers said. “I’m playing professional basketball, and I’m still at home. There aren’t many guys who can say that.” Withers說"美夢成真了，我在打職業籃球，而且我仍住在家裡，沒有很多球員能這樣的。" Withers, 21, is a native of Charlotte. He was a standout player at West Charlotte High School and was the Charlotte Observer Player of the Year as a high school junior, when he averaged 19.4 points and 11.0 rebounds. 21歲的Withers是土生土長的夏洛特人，他就讀於西夏洛特高中時就是一個傑出的籃球員，而且在高二時以平均每場比賽19.4分、11籃板的優異成績當選了"年度夏洛特觀測者球員"。 Although he was recruited by other programs, he decided to play college basketball for his hometown school, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He averaged 14.9 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists during his four-year career, including 16.1 points and 11.3 rebounds with 18 double-doubles his senior season. 儘管還有其他學校向他招手，但他仍決定就讀家鄉的學校 - 北卡羅來納夏洛特分校。他四年的大學籃球生涯平均每場比賽可以拿下14.9分、8.9個籃板和1.8次助攻，尤其大四這一年，他平均得分和籃板更是飆高至16.1分和11.3個，其中還包括18次單場兩個雙位數的優異表現。 Despite his college success, the 6-8 forward went undrafted in last week’s NBA Draft, thus automatically becoming a free agent and able to sign with any team he wanted. 儘管大學籃球生涯表現優異，這位6呎8吋高的前鋒在上週的NBA選秀會仍未獲得任何球隊青睞，因而自動成為一個自由球員，擁有和任何一支喜歡的球隊簽約的權力。 “Not being drafted was a humbling experience,” Withers said. “It let me know that you are never done working; you always have to stay at the gym and be resilient.” Withers說"沒被任何一支球隊挑中是個令人挫折的經驗，那讓我知道自己還有所不足，還必須待在體育館裡認真訓練並保持充沛的精力。" Although he was disappointed, Withers has made the best of his situation in Charlotte. He tries to listen to everything the coaches say and improve upon all aspects of his game. 雖然他很失望，Withers還是為自己在夏洛特找到了最好的出路。他嘗試聽取教練們所傳授的每件事情，藉以增進自己對於比賽各方面的能力。 “It’s been a big learning experience for me,” he said. “[The Bobcats coaching staff] is showing me what I can do in the NBA.” 他說"那對我來說是個珍貴的學習經驗，山貓教練團隊讓我知道自己能在NBA裡做些什麼。" Because Charlotte is home to him, Withers is comfortable in his surroundings, more so than the other players who have traveled cross-country to participate in the mini-camp. Summer League Head Coach John-Blair Bickerstaff has noticed, and he believes that it has helped Withers on the court. 因為夏洛特是Withers的家鄉，所以他對於週遭環境感到相當熟悉而舒適，比其他那些離家遠行，橫越好幾個州甚至國家去參加夏季聯賽的球員們還幸運的多。夏季聯賽的總教練JB Bickerstaff已經注意到，這熟悉感將對Withers在場上的表現有正面的幫助。 “Curtis brings toughness and energy,” Bickerstaff said. “He doesn’t have a problem being physical and setting screens. His teammates appreciate him for it , and that’s what this is all about.” Bickerstaff說"Withers為球隊帶來拼鬥精神和活力，他不介意有激烈的身體對抗也願意為隊友進行掩護，他的隊友們都很感激他的貢獻，而我認為那就是他應得的。" Not only is Withers familiar with his environment, but he is familiar with some of his teammates as well. He played USA Basketball with Sean May and Adam Morrison, and together they captured the gold medal in the 2004 USA World Championship for Young Men Qualifying Tournament. The knowledge of his teammates’ games has helped Withers better display his strengths for the good of the team. 讓Withers倍感親切的不只是環境而已，他和某幾位隊友也一樣親密。他曾和香妹及A. Morrison一起為美國男籃效力，而且在'04年美國世界男籃錦標賽青年組中勇奪金牌。他隊友們的籃球知識已經幫助Withers更懂得如何展現自己的優勢，為球隊貢獻所長。 “The more you play with someone, and the more you are around somebody, then the more they understand you,” Bickerstaff said. “In basketball, it’s all about being understood and [teammates] knowing who you are and what your role is. Curtis has been a good fit with his teammates, and I think that’s very important.” Bickerstaff說"你越常和某個人一起打球，越常待在他身邊，他們就會越了解你。在籃球界也是如此，這是普遍為大家所接受的。隊友們會知道你是個怎樣的人，扮演什麼樣的腳色。Withers和隊友們相處融洽，而我認為那是相當重要的。" Like most of the Bobcats Summer League roster, Withers has his sights set on a bigger goal: solidifying a spot on the Bobcats roster. 就像山貓夏季聯賽球員名單上的大部分人，Withers把他的目光設定在更高遠的目標上：在山貓正式球員名單上佔有一席之地。 “He has a pretty good chance,” Bickerstaff said. “He’s done a good job. It’s just a matter of us determining what we need for the upcoming season.” Bickerstaff說"他有相當大的機會，他表現得很好，接下來我們只要坐下來好好想清楚下個球季球隊的需求。" “I just try to do things that other guys don’t do,” Withers said. “I also do things that everyone else does, but I try to do them better. I set screens; I crash the boards every time. I am an animal on the court.” Withers說"我只是試圖做到其他球員不做的事，我也會去做其他每個人都做的事，只不過我會試著做得比他們更好。我為隊友掩護並盡全力拼搶籃板，我在場上就像一頭饑渴的野獸。" From shooting hoops in his Charlotte driveway to shooting hoops in Charlotte Bobcats Arena, Withers is a Charlotte star, just like those he grew up watching . 從夏洛特家中的私人車道投籃一路投進山貓球場的籃框，Withers是一個夏洛特的在地英雄，就像那些他從小看到大的明星球員一樣。 -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 210.241.111.125