Basketball Season is upon us..

Golden State Warriors guard Kelenna Azubuike (7) shoots the ball as New Orleans Hornets players Desmond Mason (24) and Rasual Butler (45) look on in the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2007, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Ty Russell)January 2, 2007



Waymon Tisdale....Mark Price [Enid].....Richard Dumas....Anthony Bowie.....Lee Mayberry... John Starks.... ummm.... the list of TULSA HIGH SCHOOL area basketball players that made/make it to the NBA is a pretty short list......well it's time to add a new name! Kelenna Azibuike~~

Now is the time of year that football winds down and basketball gets goin full throttle. Celtics and former Celtics are playing for their high schools in Oklahoma, Kansas and Washington State (Kale Larkin) and it sure is fun checking the box scores and watching live the kids I've coached and played against for the last 8 or 9 years. Cascia Hall, Booker T. Washington, Victory Christian, Bishop Kelley, Broken Arrow, Jenks, Bixby, East Central, Holland Hall, Enid, Verdigris, Pawnee,...I want to see all of them play this season.

Today I took my son Brock and fellow Celtic Alan Santos and their drummer friend Chris to Oklahoma City to check out the injury plagued NBA Hornets (Chris Paul the most recent to leave the lineup due to injury) go up against the Baron Davis led Golden State Warriors, who recently lost Jason Richardson.

Thinking back a few years....
I remember as if it was yesterday watching Kelenna Azubuike play high school ball for Victory Christian. One memorable game was catching him at the Memorial High School gym; truly a man among boys, if I remember correctly he quietly scored 39 points~ but still I scoffed at the idea that his father believed him to be an first round pic in the NBA draft out of high school. "Maybe after he plays 4 yrs of college", I said.

He ended up playing for former Tulsa Coach Tubby Smith and the Kentucky Wildcats. Kalenna came out after his junior year but spent his first season in the Developmental league. In fact, he played two straight games in Tulsa a few weeks ago and was near the top of the league in scoring.

CELTIC TIES?
Remember who Don Nelson played for during his NBA Career? you give up????? Red Auerbach,,, and the BOSTON CELTICS!
The Warriors superb and respected new coach, Don Nelson, evidently believes it's Kelenna time, as Azubuike made his NBA debut tonight in his home state. He played 17 minutes, had 3 rebounds and 2 steals, one which he finished with a slam dunk, and totaled 4 points.

I am thrilled for Kelenna. From what I've heard, he is a fine young man. His father evidently made some bad choices and a lot of the negative attention and publicity was piled on Kelenna both here and at Kentucky. He persevered, kept working, and didn't waste energy on things he had no control over..... He already had the NBA body in high school; it looks like he has added the other integral ingredients necessary to play in the best basketball league in the world. Congrats and best wishes to Azzzzi. I look forward to keeping cheks on his box score.