ALL SIGNS POINT UP: Point guard C.J. McCollum has made the unexpected leap from Lehigh to an anticipated NBA Draft lottery pick. (
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C.J. McCollum had it all: a fastball that exploded, a wicked curveball that buckled knees, a nasty splitter that froze hitters.
“I think I could have made it,’’ said McCollum.
We’ll never know if McCollum would have made it to Major League Baseball, but Thursday night he’ll make it to the NBA. The 6-foot-3 point guard from Lehigh is projected to be a lottery pick.
“I’ve been pinching myself every day,’’ said McCollum’s mother, Kathy Andrews. “It’s quite amazing when you consider where he’s come from.’’
Oh, yes, McCollum’s story is Hollywood-script amazing.
Baseball was his first sport of choice, the sport his grandfather, Negro League star James Harrison Andrews, played and taught his grandsons, C.J. and Errick McCollum Jr.
“He never missed a game,’’ said Andrews. “Baseball, basketball, football, he never missed either one of my sons’ games. C.J. would pitch. Errick would catch. They would talk baseball for hours.’’
During those talks, C.J. would go through boxes of tissues. He’d walk off the field sneezing, his eyes watering and itching. A visit to the doctor resulted in a simple diagnosis: McCollum was allergic to grass.
Talk about a divine “God bless you.” McCollum put down the baseball and picked up a basketball.
It was the first of many obstacles McCollum had to overcome to get to this unlikely moment — the first Lehigh player ever taken in the NBA Draft, according to RealGM.com.
“I always thought I had a shot at the NBA,’’ said McCollum. “I know I’ve been doubted every step. There are people doubting me now. But I knew if I could get a chance to play Division I college basketball, I’d have a shot at the NBA.’’
McCollum, who several NBA talent evaluators said is the smartest player in this draft, almost never got to a Division I school, almost never led Lehigh to a stunning NCAA Tournament upset of Duke in 2012, almost never got to the Green Room in Barclays Center, where the draft will be held.
He was, in his words, a chubby, 5-foot-6 point guard going into his sophomore year at GlenOak High School in North Canton, Ohio. He was told before the beginning of that season he would not start. He went into a shooting slump. Then, James Andrews died.
“All at once,’’ said C.J. “All at once.’’
“He came to me crying and I said, ‘If you want to quit after the season that’s your choice, but you’ll have to get an academic scholarship to go to college because I can’t afford it and your father can’t afford it,’ ’’ Kathy Andrews said. “I told him to wipe his eyes and to never let them see you cry. I knew my son wasn’t a quitter. His brother wasn’t a quitter.’’
Errick Jr., also was an undersized guard at GlenOak. At 6-foot-1, he couldn’t get a Division I sniff so he played at Goshen College, an NAIA school in Indiana where he remains the school’s career scoring leader (2,789 points). He plays in Greece.
When a slimmed-down C.J. scored 54 points in the first game of his junior season, he was certain he wouldn’t suffer the same fate as his older brother. But even though as a senior C.J. was the Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year, ahead of former Ohio State star Jared Sullinger, who plays for the Celtics, no schools came calling.
Andrews said Akron coach Keith Dambrot, who had trained Errick Jr. and C.J. when they were young, told C.J. he could redshirt as a freshman and then a scholarship would be available. The family wasn’t interested. Errick Jr. created a web profile of his brother, complete with height, stats, GPA and photos.
“I was determined for him not to through what I went through,’’ said Errick Jr. “When I didn’t get a Division I scholarship, it was a big letdown, really depressing. C.J. was better than me. He deserved better.’’
C.J. McCollum’s dilemma is not unusual. He was 5-foot-11 as a senior, a shooting guard swathed in a low level Division I point guard’s body.
The only real interest came from Lehigh. Matt Logie, the school’s eighth leading scorer and now an assistant coach, had seen McCollum play. He saw the floor vision, the outside shot, the ball handling. Lehigh offered, McCollum accepted, and the basketball gods paid a visit. During his four seasons at Lehigh, McCollum grew to 6-foot-3.
When he tallied 30 points, six assists and six rebounds in Lehigh’s 75-70 NCAA Tournament upset of Duke in 2012, Christian James McCollum became a national name.
“They had the best player on the court today,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said after the game.
McCollum’s senior season was cut short after 12 games when he broke a bone in his left foot. The injury, he said, is completely healed and he has proven that in workouts for NBA teams. Mock drafts have him going between eighth and 13th.
“The last couple of days I’ve started to think about [Thursday night],’’ said McCollum. “Me and my family will celebrate and enjoy the moment, but then it’s back to the grind.
“I don’t want just to be drafted, I want to be in the league 10-12 years. I’ve worked hard to make this happen. And, thank God, I got a break or two along the way. It’s amazing how things have worked out.’’
An allergy to grass — yes, it’s amazing how things have worked out.