SLAM Magazine: The Education of Patrick Beverley

By: Freaknick

Olympiacos guard Patrick Beverley’s journey is not what you would call conventional.  After coming out of nowhere, his rise to fame screeched to a halt after academic violations at the University of Arkansas. Now, the former Razorback won’t let his wasted opportunity go to waste. The excerpt is below, and the full article is on SLAMOnline.com here.

Practice was supposed to be over. Instead, Olympiacos point guard Patrick Beverley picks up a ball and summons a coach. Armed with a football-style blocking pad, the coach digs in underneath the basket as the 6-1 Beverley lowers his head and locks in on his target some 18 feet away. Leather hits hardwood once, twice, and without warning he’s hanging in the air, ball cocked in his right hand as the left fends off the coach’s blow.

This was supposed to be my metaphor for toughness. Instead, Patrick Beverley soars above lazy clichés.  While many sport folk kick around words like “adversity” and “toughness”—terms that have been emptied of all substance by today’s sports media—Patrick Beverley uses words like “blessed” and “fortunate.” A couple of years ago, you’d have been hard pressed to find anybody who would volunteer such a positive outlook on Beverley’s situation.

Freaknick’s SLAM Archive:

The Education of Pat Beverley | It Takes a Vujosevic to Raise a Child | The Wisdom of Fear

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Tags: Chicago point guards, Josh Childress, Olympiacos vs. Cavaliers, Patrick Beverley, Ukrainian basketball league, University of Arkansas