[外電] Prep teammates Hassell, Marion relish memories
http://www.startribune.com/511/story/968067.html
Separately, Timberwolves guard Trenton Hassell and Phoenix forward Shawn
Marion each had the same response.
The subject was their Clarksville, Tenn., high school basketball team --
where they were teammates for three seasons -- and how good it must have been
to have produced two future NBA starters.
"It was a pretty good team, I'll say that," Hassell said. "But we never won
the state title."
Said Marion: "We won a lot of games, but we didn't win state."
They must have had some pretty tough competition. Marion, who moved to
Clarksville from Chicago in junior high, was a year ahead of Hassell. But
Hassell was the top offensive option.
"I was the big scorer," he said with a smile. "I played just about every
position. I averaged like 25 points per game, and he averaged 22, 23. It was
close, but I did more things."
Marion agreed.
"He went from being a scorer in high school and college to not really being a
scorer in the pros," he said. "He can still score, but not like he did at
Clarksville."
The roles have reversed a bit. Hassell is valued mainly for his defense and
has never averaged in double figures in the NBA. Marion, meanwhile, is
averaging 18.8 points per game this season, which is about his career average.
That doesn't surprise Hassell.
"I knew he was a great athlete," Hassell said. "He's become a good rebounder,
shot-blocker and he can play defense. And he's done improved his three-ball a
lot."
But you never won state?
"We always ended up losing to the team that won state," Hassell said. "My
junior year we won like 24 games in a row. But we didn't win state."
Friendly advice
Amare Stoudemire, who underwent microfracture surgery on his left knee in
2005, has some advice for Wolves guard Rashad McCants, who is close to coming
back from the same procedure: Know the difference between pain and discomfort.
"He's going to feel some discomfort with the knee," Stoudemire said. "Coming
back from that injury is going to be tough, especially at first. But you have
to keep playing, pushing through that discomfort."
But pain? That's another issue.
"When you feel the pain and it's a sharp pain, that's when you have to ease
off," he said. "You have to be smart about it."
Wolves coach Randy Wittman said if McCants continues to practice hard without
any setbacks in the coming week or two, it will be time to work him into
games.
Etc.
‧ Marko Jaric, who in recent weeks had expressed a desire to be traded, said
he feels much happier with the Wolves now that he's been given a bigger role
on the team since Wittman became coach. Jaric played 22 minutes Monday,
scoring 11 points in the 121-112 victory over the Suns.
‧ Foward Justin Reed missed a second game in a row to deal with a family
illness in his home state of Mississippi.
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