When THESE Guys Didn’t Make an NBA Roster…

Most of us who consider ourselves basketball fans have seen young players with talent and basketball smarts well beyond their years and wondered what the future might hold for those players. As we get older and gain a better understanding of the near-impossible odds of earning a spot an NBA roster, we may not do as much projecting, but a young player’s prospects may pop into our heads anyway. Even a few decades ago we were aware of the long odds involved, and everyone can cite their own examples of guys thought to be a cinch. For me, when THESE guys didn’t make an NBA roster it only drove point home:

GREG “Boo” HARVEY – Andrew Jackson HS/Queens, NY

I first saw this guy play in person when he was a high school player at Andrew Jackson HS in Queens, NY, a squad coached for several decades by the legendary Chuck Granby. The year was 1982, and Jackson was participating in the Public School Athletic League (PSAL) playoffs at St. John’s University. I remember watching Greg Harvey guy carve up the opposition’s defense with pinpoint passes, finish fast breaks and pull up on a dime and stick jumpers with ease while running at breakneck speed as the crowd yelled in approval.

I also remember doing a double-take after checking the program for his name and realizing he was only a freshman. Surely, this had to be a misprint, or so I thought. This kid was on the floor with mostly upperclassmen and dominating a playoff game, and still had three more years at that level. I saw him play live once again during his senior year at Jackson as they battled Bishop Loughlin HS, and he was every bit as devastating in the open court but played with a bit less abandon than he did as a freshman. On that evening he would engage in a ferocious on-court duel with James Major, who’d later attend Seton Hall University.

So after high school and a couple of years at a junior college, Harvey’s original college choice, Syracuse University, had already settled in on Sherman Douglas at point guard, so Harvey stayed local at St. John’s University and ended up in one of the most mismatched player/offense system pairings you’ll ever see. I didn’t see him play much in college, but it was almost painful to watch this dynamic up-tempo player walking the ball up the court even after defensive stops, and just swinging the ball around the perimeter looking for openings and trying to be creative after the opponent’s half court defense was already set. You knew his first instinct was to push the ball upcourt quickly off defensive rebounds and turnovers and utilize the skills of athletic teammates like Michael Porter, Shelton Jones and Jayson Williams, but that wasn’t the offense. Still, he adapted and found a way to be effective.

Harvey was listed at 6’0″ in most publications, and after the senior combines I remember reading the excerpt of a scouting report regarding Harvey which simply said, “I wish he were taller.” He didn’t get selected in the 1990 draft, but back then you couldn’t convince me this guy wasn’t headed for a lengthy NBA career.

ROOSEVELT CHAPMAN – George Westinghouse HS/Brooklyn, NY

It was as a junior at George Westinghouse High School in Brooklyn when I first began hearing stories of Roosevelt Chapman’s high-flying heroics on the basketball court, and he’d just walked onto the school grounds as a freshman. Word spread around the building quickly as he allegedly deposited an opponent’s attempted layup into the upper regions of the school gymnasium with force during an intramural contest, and his legend grew from there.

The city soon found out what Chapman’s schoolmates already knew as he was voted to the New York City PSAL All-City 1st Team as a senior in 1980. I did get one opportunity to watch him play live during HIS senior year, during a NYC vs. Philadelphia doubleheader at Long Island University (can’t recall the opponent, Alexander Hamilton played against Overbrook (with Tony Costner) in the featured contest) in Brooklyn. Chapman was 6’4″ with a power game played almost exclusively above the rim and, on this day, he was unguardable.

In 1984, basketball fans nationwide found out what NYC hoops enthusiasts already knew, as Chapman led his undersized, 10th-seeded University of Dayton squad to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, where they finally lost to Patrick Ewing’s Georgetown squad in the West Regional final. On the way they’d knocked off LSU, Oklahoma (with Wayman Tisdale) and the University of Washington (with Detlef Schrempf).

Chapman was drafted in the second round of the 1984 NBA Draft by the Kansas City Kings and earned a tryout with the 1984 U.S. Olympic Team. With his playing style, Chapman likely carves out a 10-year NBA career were he about three or four inches taller. That’s how good he was.

RICKY MOORE – Westside HS/Augusta, Georgia

I only saw this guy play live once, during the Georgia High School State Tournament at Georgia Tech in the early 1990’s. Moore was a junior then, and at slightly over six-feet tall he dominated this game (can’t recall the opponent (again) but I believe it was a team from Albany, GA) like no one I’d ever seen at his size. He did everything: scored from outside, scored from inside, found open teammates for buckets, started breaks, finished breaks, got tough rebounds and long rebounds, defended well and even blocked a few shots. He was all over the place. It was an amazing performance.

I wasn’t sure if this was an aberration or the norm but, of course, the projection thing started in my head and I figured he’d land a scholarship at a top Division 1 school at the very least. Moore ended up attending the University of Connecticut and was a vital part of their championship run in 1999. He ran the Westside High backcourt with one of the highest-rated 9th graders in the country at the time, William Avery, who later attended Duke University, UConn’s opponent in that 1999 title game..

I was a regular at those state tournament games at Tech during the 1990s and was fortunate enough to witness some great individual performances from guys who led their schools to state titles on the way to top Division 1 schools and NBA careers–Shareef Abdur-Rahim (Wheeler HS/Cal-Berkeley), Matt Harpring (Marist HS/Georgia Tech) and Darrin Hancock (Griffin HS/Univ. of Kansas)–but this one performance by Ricky Moore was a keeper.

And I Am Telling You, You’re Not Going

There are plenty of statistics available detailing the odds against the high school athlete earning an athletic scholarship to college (about 3.5% for basketball at all levels combined for NCAA schools), let alone making a roster at the highest level of their sport as a professional. But without looking at the numbers, just considering the fact that THESE three guys (among many others) didn’t earn a spot on an NBA roster is a testament to just how difficult it is.

So what do you tell the youngster whose sole ambition is to play in the NBA? Show him the stats and/or some footage of these three guys and countless others. (Are you better than these guys?)

Then tell him to go for it, but don’t count on it. Hit the books.

Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash