In my years hooping, I met many players who claimed that an opportunity was all that was in between them and professional/college basketball.

Then I got them on the court. There were some other things in between that playing job besides an opportunity.

Players would not be in game shape, be lacking in academic progress for college, and plainly not have pro or college level skills. So that opportunity they claimed to need wouldn’t have helped them anyway. And, a part of me thinks, that played a big part in those opportunities not finding them in the first place.