Back in 2002, University of California football head coach Jeff Tedford had a keen recruiting eye for a tight end named Garrett Cross, a standout at Butte College, located about three hours northeast of Berkeley. Cross eventually signed with Cal, and went on to catch 44 passes, including eight touchdowns, in a solid career for the Golden Bears. The story would have ended there, were it not for the virtually unknown Butte College quarterback who “jumped off the screen” at Tedford while he was watching Cross’ film.
His name was Aaron Rodgers.
At the time, Rodgers had no other offers, and Tedford, as quietly as possible, brought him to Cal. The rest is history, but it’s possible that one of the greatest quarterbacks we’ve ever seen wouldn’t have even had an NFL career — at least not the one we know — were it not for his college coach recruiting his teammate.
While it’s unlikely that Victor Wembanyama, the unquestioned first pick in Thursday’s 2023 NBA Draft, will end up with as modest a career as Cross, his teammate with French club Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92 has steadily risen up draft boards over the past few months, at least in part due to the attention being showered upon Wembanyama.
His name is Bilal Coulibaly.
For those who watch even a decent amount of basketball, it’s immediately clear why scouts are salivating over the 18-year-old Coulibaly, who’s listed anywhere from 6-foot-6 to 6-foot-8 with a condor-like wingspan in the 7-foot-2 range. Standing about a foot shorter and completely off the draft radar just a couple of years ago, Coulibaly’s growth spurt and subsequent performance with Metropolitans 92 have turned him into a bona fide first-round prospect heading into Thursday.
After barely playing in his first 15 games of the season, a couple of injuries opened up an opportunity for Coulibaly to get into the rotation and eventually the starting lineup. He scored in double figures just twice in the first six months of the season — then did it seven times over the final two months, including playoffs.
Santa Cruz…
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