DeJuan Blair at the IMG Basketball Academy. Photo courtesy of Steve Kyler/HOOPSWORLD
Every spring, basketball players from the U.S. and abroad come to the IMG Basketball Academy with hopes of a future in professional basketball. From sure-fire NBA lottery picks to players simply preparing for a tryout with a lower-level pro club, each player in the Academy’s pre-draft program/Pro Training Center has a different story and background. They share one thing in common - the desire to improve their game at the IMG Basketball Academy. See below for some background on one of our recent players.
In a conference loaded with pro prospects, the University of Pittsburgh’s DeJuan Blair still stood out. With averages of 15.7 points per game and 12.3 rebounds per game, Blair didn’t put up overly gaudy numbers, but he still caught the attention of basically every outlet that creates an All-anything team. Blair was named co-Player of the Year in the Big East, co-MVP of Pitt and first-team All-America by the Associated Press, Sporting News, Sports Illustrated and Wooden.
On who gets the most attention if he, Ben Roethlisberger, Sidney Crosby and Jeff Reed appear in public… I would say I’m last. Come on, that’s Ben. The Steelers always come first. And you know…Jeff Reed’s probably last for what he did at the convenience store. Ben and Sidney are definitely in front of me, though.
On getting on a float during the Steelers Super Bowl celebratory parade and Pittsburgh fans… I know Charlie Batch, so I called him and said, “It’d be cool if I could get on the float.” I was supposed to be on the float with Charlie, but Mayor Luke (Ravenstahl) took my spot, so I just went on the car in front of him. I’m a huge Steelers fan. Mike Tomlin’s a good friend. Santonio’s cool. Jeff Reed’s cool. To be a fan of them and become a fan favorite myself is pretty unbelievable. The fans are wild, though. I walking in a mall with my uncle, and this guy’s walking besides me for a while and not saying anything. I’m looking at my uncle like, “Is this a stalker?”
On why a GM should draft him… I’m a hard worker. If you believe in me and trust me, I’m going to work as hard as I can for you. A lot of people think I can’t do a lot of things, but I’m going to show them. That’s why I’m here training with Coach (David) Thorpe and Coach (Mike) Moreau. They teach me real things to add to my game. I love it here.
DeJuan Blair flips Hasheem Thabeet during a battle for a rebound. Photo courtesy of Getty Images
On his infamous shoulder toss of Hasheem Thabeet… I see the picture almost every day. It was funny to me because of how he landed. The way he flipped over was incredible. I didn’t think it happened until I saw the replay. I think I would have broken his arm if he would’ve kept standing straight over me.
On Barack Obama and March Madness… It was great when Barack said my name and Dwyane Wade picked us to win on SportsCenter. I’m going to get that video of Barack. But it didn’t help us. You know how people say their life passes before their eyes, well, the whole season flashed before my eyes when (Villanova’s) Scottie Reynolds hit that shot. We didn’t fulfill our dreams. I guess in a way it was a successful season and it wasn’t.
