MarShon Brooks was taken tenth in the Rising Stars Challenge "draft" on Thursday despite being the second highest scoring rookie this season. It's just the latest example of him being underestimated or, shall we say, dissed.
"I had the Tulane coach tell me I couldn't play at Tulane," Brooks told Andy Vasquez with a laugh. Instead, he wound up at Providence and set Big East scoring records.
Then, of course, on Draft Night, he fell to #25. He had been told by several teams that they would take him if available. They didn't and he wound up with the Nets, where the Nets top scout says he's "exceeded expectations."
Vasquez calls him the "steal of the draft" which is hard to argue with. The Nets feel that way too. Gregg Polinsky, the Nets top talent evaluator, told an Alabama radio station, that it's all about persistence. "The guy has played very well. He spent four years in college. He started out just one of the guys, averaged three or four points as a freshman, built his resume'."
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Nets rookie MarShon Brooks could be the steal of the NBA Draft - Andy Vasquez - The Record