In the first row, a good distance from the fans watching the open practice, was John Carroll.
He was Kaleb Tarczewski's AAU coach and a trusted person in his inner circle. Carroll said the two talk "all the time." So, I decided to ask him about Kaleb Tarczewski as an NBA prospect, something that doesn't come up in their frequent conversations.
He's not the average AAU coach. He spent time as the head coach of the Boston Celtics during the 2003-04 season.
"Kaleb's going to play in the NBA someday," Carroll told GOAZCATS.com. "I don't know when that is. I don't think anybody has a magic crystal ball to figure that out.
"But I think the thing about Kaleb if you're an NBA scout and you watch him, first of all, he has his size. Second of all, he has the athleticism. He runs the court. Defensively, I think he can play in the NBA right now. He still has a lot more growth in terms of his offensive game, his maturity, his ability to score against high-level NBA post players and centers."
So what would his advice be?
"The biggest mistake that most people make is most people's goal is to get drafted," Carroll said. "That shouldn't be your goal. Your goal should be a meaningful player like a starter or meaningful sub and to be able to contribute at the NBA level. If you can't do that, then all you're really doing is running for a paycheck and that paycheck is going to end at some point."
He was Kaleb Tarczewski's AAU coach and a trusted person in his inner circle. Carroll said the two talk "all the time." So, I decided to ask him about Kaleb Tarczewski as an NBA prospect, something that doesn't come up in their frequent conversations.
He's not the average AAU coach. He spent time as the head coach of the Boston Celtics during the 2003-04 season.
"Kaleb's going to play in the NBA someday," Carroll told GOAZCATS.com. "I don't know when that is. I don't think anybody has a magic crystal ball to figure that out.
"But I think the thing about Kaleb if you're an NBA scout and you watch him, first of all, he has his size. Second of all, he has the athleticism. He runs the court. Defensively, I think he can play in the NBA right now. He still has a lot more growth in terms of his offensive game, his maturity, his ability to score against high-level NBA post players and centers."
So what would his advice be?
"The biggest mistake that most people make is most people's goal is to get drafted," Carroll said. "That shouldn't be your goal. Your goal should be a meaningful player like a starter or meaningful sub and to be able to contribute at the NBA level. If you can't do that, then all you're really doing is running for a paycheck and that paycheck is going to end at some point."
