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Inside the
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March 1, 2009 Whenever speaking
to a group, I often refer to the fact that, everyday in the world of
sports, somebody’s dream comes true. That’s why I still think about
former Piston Horace Jenkins, who today at 35, continues to see his
dream come true every day as a professional basketball player in Italy. As an 11 year-old in Elizabeth, NJ, he idolized Magic Johnson, and he told all his friends ‘he would be the next Magic Johnson.’ He tried to play pop-Warner football but the coaches sent him home because they said he was ‘too small.’ Ha. He managed to make the basketball team at Elizabeth HS, and the coach listed him as a point guard because they said he was ‘too small to play anywhere else.’ Play? He sat on the bench for 3 years, and then he missed his entire senior season due to academic ineligibility. Then, he got his girlfriend pregnant, and when his son Hakim was born, he got a job as an $11/hr electrician. “It was tough to walk away from my dream, but it was the right decision.” Remember, his dream was to be the next Magic Johnson. He temporarily walked away, but you didn’t think he would give up did you? So he later enrolled at New Jersey Union Community College, and he refused to let his dream die. His hustle and desire impressed the coaches, and the next thing you know he’s playing and averaging the 18 points a game! All summer he worked on his craft and one day William Paterson University coach Jose Rebimbas noticed this kid ‘flying down the court at 100 mph and hitting NBA 3’s.’ “If you’re serious about basketball” he told Jenkins, “I’ve got a spot for you, but I have to know in 45 minutes. Jenkins enrolled at the Division III School and averaged 27 points a game, leading his team to the playoffs twice. Jenkins was completely ignored in the NBA draft, so he headed to Greece and tried out with a European team. His dream wouldn’t die and people could see it. One particular person that saw it was Joe Dumars, who was actually there to scout a heralded 7-foot center. But he couldn’t take his eyes off of Horace Jenkins, who again, ’was flying up and down the floor hitting NBA 3’s.’ Dumars looked at his staff and said, ‘are you thinking what I’m thinking?’ Jenkins was invited to an NBA Piston summer camp to see how he would fare against other NBA hopefuls. It had been 12-years since Horace Jenkins had sat the bench at Elizabeth HS, but the fire was burning and the dream was alive and well. So, what happened next? One day, he was driving away from practice, (with his son Hakim, and his two daughters!), when Joe Dumars called offering him a one-year guaranteed contract for $385,000! He pulled the car over and let out a sigh. In 1985 at the age of 11, Horace Jenkins told his mom he would play in the NBA. In his first NBA game, 20-years later against the LA Lakers, Jenkins had 8 points and he wasn’t dreaming, it was for real. He was the oldest rookie in the NBA, and Jenkins knew he had to do even more to stay there. ‘No problem, I refuse to fail,’ he said. And although he is no longer in the NBA, he is still earning a paycheck playing the game he loves. I’m just glad he refused to stop dreaming. (c) 2009 Novi
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