Men’s hoops: The road to Birmingham, Part 2
By Scott Wright
For those people who have a negative opinion of Little Rock, Ark., I’m guessing they’ve never spent much time in the town. And they must’ve stopped at the same gas station we just stopped at.
The restroom was the most visually appealing part of the visit. That’s because the light was burned out. Of course, when there are no lights in the bathroom, it’s hard to tell the difference between the toilet and the sink. That’s why I opted to turn the faucet on and off with my shoe. And we’ll be stopping in Memphis so I can get some new shoes.
It’s still raining in central Arkansas, and they can’t hold much more of it. Wheat fields have been turned into swampland. Sometimes it’s hard to tell what’s a lake and what’s a pasture.
I’ll be writing a story about Oklahoma center Longar Longar for Thursday’s paper. He’s one of the most fascinating athletes I’ve ever had the opportunity to cover. To go through everything he’s gone through — escaping from Sudan during the Darfur Conflict, then fleeing Egypt to come to the United States, only to have his father stricken with cancer soon after his arrival and die months later — and still lack confidence on the basketball court, it just doesn’t seem to fit.
But just when it looked like everyone was going to give up on him, he turned his career around and is on the verge of a potential NBA contract.
He’s no Blake Griffin and never will be. He won’t ever have that type of bulk or athletic ability. But he can hit the 17-footer and he has become a fairly consistent free-throw shooter. He makes too many turnovers, but he’ll run the floor and go to the boards, so he’ll get a shot to make some money playing this game someday.
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