RICHMOND, Va – When the Washington Wizards finished its intrasquad scrimmage Saturday afternoon in Richmond,Va., fans had a chance to mingle with superstars.
Players such as Gilbert Arenas, Brendan Haywood and Antawn Jamison, major NBA superstars from big-time college basketball programs, launched T-shirts into the crowd and spent an hour signing autographs at the Siegel Center at Virginia Commonwealth University.
And then there was Mike Hall: the new guy from the mid-major basketball team, disturbingly out of place, wearing a sweat-soaked Washington Wizards practice jersey and black headband. Hall chatted with a few GW fans, some friends and even signed a few autographs after a week at training camp in Richmond.
Except for a sliver of stardom that Hall has amassed, all seems similar for the Chicago native. He showed his trademark hustle, worked hard for a put-back under the hoop and threw down a huge two-handed dunk. After a foul call, Hall joked with the referee and gave him a love slap to the rear.
One small change is Hall’s jersey. He is no longer donning number “3” on his back but instead “42”, his high school identifier. Hall was a cool number “3” at GW and it defined him. He shied away from the eternal sports clich? of borrowing a number from an NBA star, took “3” and made it his own while a Colonial.
Hall is a simple guy, a hard worker and eternal joker, but when asked about his chances of landing a roster spot on the Wizards, his tone became increasingly serious.
“I’m not even going into all that,” Hall said. “If I say my chances are good and I don’t make it, I look foolish.”
But around Wizards camp, all signs point to Hall extending his stay with the team past the preseason. Coaches said they are impressed with his work ethic, and players like his hustle.
“He’s been very impressive,” said Eddie Jordan, the Wizards’ head coach. “He’s willing to be tough. He’s willing to stick his nose in the action. He won’t back down.”
Hall’s size and style of play led to the invitation to try out for a spot on the roster as an un-drafted free agent, Jordan said.
“He’s got the right size, the right skills, and he just has to settle down and feel comfortable about what we’re doing,” Jordan said about Hall. “That’s always tough for a rookie trying to make a veteran team.”
Hall, a four-year starter at GW, was a reticent leader for the Colonials. When Coach Karl Hobbs needed a strong defender against Michigan State forwards in 2004, Hall was the go-to guy. He didn’t have the sexy name like Pops Mensah-Bonsu or the flash like Danilo (J.R.) Pinnock but it was his fundamental basketball skill that made him a hit in Foggy Bottom.
The hard-nosed, scrappy qualities that got him collegiate attention are now gaining him respect on a professional level. Roger Mason, a guard from the University of Virginia also battling for a roster spot, said he admires Hall’s intense work ethic.
“That’s the thing to get into this league,” Mason said of Hall’s attitude. “You need to be the first at practice and the last to leave, and I think he’s done it.”
At the professional level, where one week could determine a future, the attitude is seldom collegial, but Hall has garnered respect and friendship from players at the camp.
“These are grown men battling for jobs,” Mason said of the camp. “This isn’t recreation. This is peoples’ livelihoods. It’s cutthroat.”
In the battle, Hall found a mentor in an opponent. Caron Butler, a fifth-year player from the University of Connecticut, plays the same position as Hall and has helped him learn the nuances of the complicated offense.
“Mike is doing a great job,” Butler said. “He’s exactly what we need. He’s a guy that doesn’t need the ball to be effective. He hustles, plays great defense, great team defense. He’s a good dude, professional, on and off the court.”
The similarities to Butler go beyond physical stature and basketball expertise. When Butler was a student at Connecticut, where he won a national championship in 1999, Hobbs was the assistant coach. The positive attitude and blue-collar work ethic that Hall exudes is a result of Hobbs’ tutelage, Butler said.
“You need that edge,” Butler said of Hall’s mentality. “You need that ‘ain’t nothing going to stop me’ attitude. and I think he has it.”
If Hall were to find a spot on the Wizards’ roster, he would likely be one of Butler’s backups, and Butler said he thinks Hall will get a spot.
“He is exactly what you look for,” Butler said. “You don’t get any drop off with Mike. The energy is always high. He can score. He can do what you ask of him. He doesn’t really have any weaknesses.”
But in the mean time, Hall slipped out of the Siegel Center and headed back to D.C. to prepare for Monday night’s scrimmage at the Verizon Center. The preseason lasts until Oct. 24, when the Wizards will make a decision on his future.
But Hall isn’t worried. For him, it’s more of the same.
“At this level, they know everything you can do,” Hall said. “They want to see if you can adapt to the level of talent, so I’m just focusing in on grabbing the rebounds, doing all the scrap work.”
Sounds like the same Mike Hall, minus the number “3.”
