COMMENTARY

Basketball: Hometown boy from 'The Woodz' realizes NBA dream

I was discussing Marcus Monk and his contributions to the Razorbacks a few years ago when a friend responded with something I hear periodically about athletes.

"He's got a brother who's going to be better than him," said Rick Wood, who follows high school sports in the Jonesboro area.

Really?

"Mark it down," he said.

I no longer mark down anything in regard to Malik Monk. He is a phenomenal basketball player and a soon-to-be millionaire after he was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 11th pick in the NBA draft. The Hornets are owned mostly by Michael Jordan, who spoke with Monk via Skype before the draft on Thursday.

"He's the GOAT (Greatest of all time)," Monk said of Jordan, who won six NBA championships as a player for the Chicago Bulls. "I think he'll teach me a lot. Each year I'm going to try to learn as much as I can from him."

Monk played for three years at Bentonville High, but his roots run deep in Lepanto, a sluggish Delta community of 1,800 people in northeast Arkansas. Lepanto is like any other rural town in Arkansas during the summer, where discussions are dominated by the weather, farming, politics and a football season still months away.

But Lepanto was abuzz last week about Monk, who began his development on the outdoor basketball courts at "The Woodz", which is little more than a grove of trees surrounded by miles of soybean and cotton fields. If there was resentment toward Monk in his hometown about leaving East Poinsett County for Bentonville or rejecting the Razorbacks for Kentucky, there isn't much now.

"Malik is still real popular with the people around here," said Anthony Cossey, a sports writer with the weekly Poinsett County Democrat Tribune. "There's always going to be a few, but I haven't heard a lot of bad-mouthing about him. Most people are happy for him, an Arkansas kid following his dream."

The reasons Monk chose to play basketball at Kentucky for one year instead of Arkansas will not be rehashed here. Everyone knows the story and the bitterness displayed by some Arkansas fans against Monk and his brother, who played football and basketball for the Razorbacks.

Monk was asked about it again on the Paul Finebaum Show a day before the draft.

"If Arkansas fans stay mad their whole life, I can't do nothin' about that," Monk said on the show. "I know the Arkansas fans are being loyal to Arkansas, so there's no hard feelings."

So, Monk doesn't hold a grudge against those who hold a grudge against him. He's shown more maturity at 19 years old than those who were still criticizing him on message boards last week.

Like most, I was disappointed Monk did not play for the Razorbacks. But it worked out for both programs when Monk exceled in the one-and-done philosophy at Kentucky and Arkansas gained two junior college players, Jaylen Barford and Darly Macon, who'll return for their senior seasons.

Monk is still a native son who deserves support, just like Scottie Pippen of Hamburg, Corliss Williamson of Russellville, and Joe Johnson of Little Rock, who played less than two years with the Razorbacks before leaving for the NBA.

"Malik never forgot where he came from," Lepanto Mayor Dale Dunlap said. "He's one of us. Any time he gets a chance, he mentions Lepanto. Malik and his cousins and uncles were good ball players and good kids here and they never caused problems. We're happy for him and his family."

Now, it's on to the NBA for Monk with some of the world's greatest athletes. The player who was called the best scorer in college basketball as a freshman should have opportunity as a rookie with the Hornets, who missed the NBA playoffs last year with a 36-46 record.

He's listed seventh at 16-1 in an early projection for Rookie of the Year honors.

"This has been my dream forever," said Monk, who scored 47 points in a game against North Carolina. "Nobody ever from my hometown has been drafted. Nobody has ever made it this far, so I'm just thankful to be here."

I heard an NBA draft analyst say "up, up and away," in describing Monk, who has signed with Nike. I'm not sure he was talking about Monk's leaping ability or his bank account. Both are impressive.

Sports on 06/25/2017

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