12735 Each year the weeks leading up to the NBA Draft creates a plethora (gotta luv those SAT words that you never forget) of speculation, scenarios and excitement - will Derrick Rose really need to be revived with a defibrillator if his name is called first and he realizes that he WILL be donning the colors of his beloved hometown squad?! I remember draft time really well because I was a part of the draft process for the 76ers when the team had the number ONE pick for the 1996 draft. The BIG debate that captured the city's attention for months was do the Sixers select AI (one tattoo & a fade haircut!) or Starbury. Everyone in the city had an opinion; management had an opinion; even the potential picks had an opinion and BOTH wanted to be with the Sixers. *BLOGNOTE: AI's workout was good but, Stephon's workout was remarkable. He put on a shooting display that wow'd everyone there and he did all of that after he puked all over the court from a combo of being nervous and a greasy-spoon breakfast with then Sixers Assistant Coach, Maurice Cheeks!* So, it just so happened that I received an email from Mozambique Marshall, who was in Senegal visiting and working at the basketball academy created by Amadou Gallo Fall/Director of Scouting for the Dallas Mavericks - SEEDS (Sport for Economic and Educational Development School). I was familiar with SEEDS because of a recent story that ESPN's "Joshua Hammann ":http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3268122 wrote about Fall's efforts earlier this year. In Senegal, an academy develops the minds (and game) of promising players. As I read through Marshall's email and his story of his visit to the basketball school, coupled with hearing about Derrick Rose's potential need for "defib" in the green room in NYC, it dawned on me - maybe one day in the not-so-far-off future, the next possible BIG draft-day moment could actually involve one of the players that Marshall just spent time with at SEEDS. I started to look at the pics closer and ... low (post) and behold ... <a href="http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/Katalyst4Sport/photos?current_image=3754">Check out the pic</a> in my photo gallery that Marshall sent to me of a 22 year old young man, *Moussa Seck*, who stands 7ft 3in and has a reach of more than 10ft! Could we be getting an early glimpse at the lottery pick for your NBA squad if your team is lucky (as we know the top draft choice can be a team's catalyst to success - enter Lebron James or Chris Paul) or unlucky (meaning that your team was awful the past season) get the first pick?! Time will tell. true 2008-06-25T21:41:46Z 58653 1 2008-06-26T15:41:20Z