|
 The make up of a man comes from going beyond what’s on the surface. Just ask Mario West
By Ty Anderson
Before I ever set foot on the Georgia Tech campus in August 2006, I had an idea of my new teammates’ 16 squares. I had not yet met most of them, but I had seen them play and read about them in magazines and on Web sites. But everything I knew about them was based on their statistics and the opinions of sports writers. I had no idea what kind of people they were or what kind of teammates they would be.
The one guy I thought I knew about was my roommate, Mario West. Mario was a fifth-year senior captain who had the reputation for being a hard-nosed defender and an intense competitor. Needless to say, I was pretty nervous as I approached my room on move in day.
I was even more nervous when I found out that we would be the only ones in the dorm suites that first night. As a freshman with exactly two hours of on-campus experience under his belt, I was sure that this fifth-year senior wanted nothing from me but to stay out of his way. I figured he had big weekend plans in the ATL and didn’t need some child getting in his way.
My parents left shortly after helping me move in. With nothing to do, I called the only person I knew at Tech, Matt Causey. A former player of my uncle at Georgetown, I had known him for a few years. We had an exciting Friday night planned, i.e., grabbing a bite to eat at Krystal. When I finally arrived back at my room around 2 a.m., I realized that I had locked myself out. Could it get any worse?
I spent what seemed like an eternity debating whether to wake up Mario. The choices were pretty clear-cut: spend the night in the hallway or wake the sleeping giant? After all, I had no idea how he would react because I didn’t know anything about his squares 17 through 30.
So I called my mom, the only person I knew who wouldn’t be mad that it was so late. She listened intently. Her advice: Wake up Mario. Thanks, Mom.
After about 30 minutes (and completely ignoring Mom’s advice), the suite door opened. There stood Mario. I had no idea what he was going to say to the young freshman sitting on the floor in the wee hours of the morning. I braced for the worst. I knew he was going to be upset for talking too loud on the phone and waking him up.
I was right. He was upset. But not for what you think. Before I uttered one word of my drawn out, very prepared explanation, he said, “You should have knocked on the door and told me. Once you are a member of this team, you are family. And family help each other out. So if this ever happens again you better knock on the door!”
This interaction told me more about Mario West then any news article or game film ever could. We are now good friends. I was able to get past his 16 squares and delved more deeply into squares 17 through 30. I knew he would always be there for me – on and off the court. Before we ever played a minute of basketball together, I knew what kind of teammate he was.
It is no wonder Mario (who plays for the Atlanta Hawks) is an NBA mainstay. He displays everything a coach or teammate wants in a player. I gathered that from the first night I spent with him on campus. His squares 17 through 30 are much more important than squares 1 through 16.
Ty Anderson is a senior at Georgia Tech University and a member of the men’s basketball team. Growing up in a basketball family, he is the grandson of legendary Hall of Fame Coach Charles “Lefty” Driesell. Referred to by many as a “coach on the floor,” Anderson is a student of the game. A four year varsity starter at Oconee County High School, he was a two-time All Northeast Georgia performer and was named to the state’s 2006 Top High School Seniors by Rivals.com. During his high school career, Anderson was selected to all-star teams at the Five-Star Basketball camp, Elite Hoops Georgia Showcase and Rivals.com Georgia Invitational Showcase, among others. He has been running the L.E.A.P. Basketball Academy since 2006, working with players from 8 to the NBA level. Anderson aspires to be a college basketball coach.
For a closer look at evaluating a person’s 16 squares, check out Ty’s story in our August issue. Click here now |
