An interesting look at Drew Eubanks, what got him here to us and why we like him:
Spurs rookie moved from diamond to hardwoodA hard-throwing pitcher as a youngster, Eubanks didn’t start playing basketball until his freshman year in high school. But make no mistake. As much as he sometimes pines for a glove, a ball and someone to throw to, Eubanks is 100 percent devoted to basketball and the Spurs.
“Once you’ve been doing something for so long, it never really leaves you,” he said. “But I’m all in on this. I like where I’m at, and I feel like I’ve got the resources around me to improve and to get more out of basketball and to give more back to it.”
“He’s a guy you almost have to tell, hey, slow down a little bit, because he has such an earnest energy to him,” Hardy said.
Undrafted out of Oregon State after a junior season in which he averaged 13.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.7 blocks while shooting 62.4 percent from the field, Eubanks arrived in San Antonio with a chip on his shoulder after the Spurs signed him to a summer league deal....
“He’s a guy that can take a hit in a game or get dunked on in practice, and it doesn’t faze him at all,” Hardy said. “He just goes right down to the other end. He can take an elbow in the face in the post and doesn’t say a word, doesn’t complain for a call, doesn’t look at us like, ‘Hey, did you see that guy elbow me in the face?’ He just keeps moving.”
Eubanks, 21, sits next to Gasol in the locker room and often picks the 18th-year pro’s brain. He’s also developed chemistry with Aldridge, who he said is “always looking to make the right play.” But the big man who may have helped Eubanks the most is Spurs legend Tim Duncan, who frequently participates in practice.
“He’s always watching me, always giving me pointers,” Eubanks said. “If I have any questions, I can always go to him. He’s always more than happy to answer and give advice....”
“He’s wonderful,” Hardy said. “We have enjoyed working with him every day, and I think he could really have a nice career if he keeps working his butt off.”
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich offered a similar assessment.
“He’s a hard worker, very coachable, hungry, aggressive young man,” Popovich said. “Good rebounder, good runner. I think he’s got a bright future.”
https://www.expressnews.com/sports/spurs/article/Spurs-rookie-moved-from-diamond-to-hardwood-13340682.php#photo-16389176
