WASHINGTON -- Marilyn Szczerbiak can hardly imagine her son Wally in an NBA uniform.
For her, the image of a young Wally is still fresh after all these
years, after four years at Cold Spring Harbor High School in New York,
after four years at Miami University, after the 1998 Goodwill Games
and the 1999 NCAA Tournament that helped turn a Mid-American player
into a player for all America. That image, the one Marilyn first
brings up when talking of her son, is of a little boy always wearing
NBA apparel.
But in Wednesday night's NBA Draft at the MCI Center, not far from George Washington University, his parents' college, Wally Szczerbiak
will fulfill a dream and create a new image his mother can carry
around in her mind and in her photo album. He'll be handed a hat,
probably from NBA Commissioner David Stern, and he'll pull it over his
stylish, made-for-endorsements hair.
What logo will adorn that hat is unknown. It is, in fact, the
question of the day for Szczerbiak as this draft, a most unpredictable
one, unfolds. He said Tuesday he'll be happy wherever he goes, but
don't misunderstand him; he does want to go No. 1.
"First of all, everyone's been telling me this: I'll be the first
white guy to go No. 1 since Kent Benson in 1977," Szczerbiak said.
"I think he kind of ruined it for everyone, but hopefully I won't do
that. But it'll just be a culmination of a lot of hard work. I don't
think a lot of people believe that I'm worthy of No. 1. But I'm not
stranger to that. I've been proving people wrong my whole life."
He has nothing left to prove now. No picks are set yet, but the
workouts are over. Szczerbiak put in his time, exclusive workouts with
six of the draft's top seven teams and one open workout for all
scouts, not to mention a battery of mental tests, including his
favorite question: If you see a yellow light, what do you do, speed
up, slow down or none of the above?
"I put none of the above," Szczerbiak said. "But I think most of
the times I try to speed up and try to get through there."
That would explain his desire to be No. 1. For him, the last year
has been a long sprint toward the finish line, the result of which was
in doubt for some time. Those 43 points he scored in the first round
of the NCAA Tournament, taking his team to the Sweet 16, none of it is
enough to ensure Chicago Bulls General Manager Jerry Krause will take
the World to the Windy City.
"I'm trying to make him take me," Szczerbiak said. "I think
that's what every guy in the top seven is trying to do. I'm trying to
put on a good workout for him. I'm trying to come across as a really
good kid, a real gentleman. Guys who come across as not wanting to
play in a certain city, I don't think that bodes well for general
managers because they're making a big investment. I think Jerry Krause
will make the right decision."
The right decision might not include Szczerbiak. Chicago already
has Toni Kukoc, a sharp-shooting forward like the 6-7+, 243-pound
Szczerbiak, and if the Bulls do want Szczerbiak, they might trade
down, thinking he'll still be there. If he doesn't go No. 1, he might
slip to Washington at No. 7 or Cleveland at No. 8, both of which are
coveting a small forward like Szczerbiak.
All the intrigue is fine with Szczerbiak's father Walter, a former
basketball player for Real Madrid in Spain and now the U.S. liaison
for the Spanish Basketball Federation. He's riding the wave, not
worrying at all now that he got those last tapes out to the league
office in Spain. He seemed nervous at first to Wally, who said Walt
was racking his brain about where he was going.
"All the teams I spoke to at Wally's workout in Chicago really
liked Wally," Walter said. "How does that translates into where he
might be picked in the draft? They might like somebody else, or they
might feel they need a guard. I'll be wary of making any predictions,
especially after seeing what happened to Paul Pierce last year, who I
thought was one of the top players in the draft and somehow slipped
down to No. 10."
None of this worries Walter, though. He's known his son was special from the start, that he would be a top pick in the NBA Draft, no, but
that if everything fell into place, something like this could happen.
And what about after the draft, when Wally has the game and lifestyle
thrown at him at the same time?
"I think Wally will find a good group of friends," Walter said.
"Wally's very simple. Despite the persona that's portrayed of him in
the media, he's most comfortable with a certain group of friends,
going back to playing darts, playing video games or watching wrestling
on Monday night. Hopefully, he can just continue to keep that level
head."
Wally expects to do just that. He's already ahead of some of the
younger players, the ones with "potential" hanging around their
neck. He stayed four years, got his degree in marketing. He did things
the way he had to, taking the route that was offered, right up until
his arrival here Tuesday morning on a red-eye flight from Los Angeles.
The whirlwind tour has ended. But the real adventure will begin
Wednesday night in front of a national television audience and among
an entourage of friends and family: his girlfriend, Shannon Ward; his
parents and siblings; Miami coach Charlie Coles and other Miami
players, his high school coaches, two high school teammates and his
grandparents.
They all have their images of Szczerbiak, but nothing like the one
they'll soon see.