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OGDEN -- Awards and accolades are flying at Weber State super star Damian Lillard from every direction. The nation’s leading scorer knows about all the honors hovering over him, but he doesn’t care.
Wildcat fans have taken offense at the lack of attention Lillard is getting nationally and locally, but Lillard doesn’t care. In fact, he prefers it that way. It’s hard to believe that this time last year, Jimmermania was in full swing.
Now, many BYU fans don’t even know who Lillard is.
So let me tell you. He, like Jimmer Fredette last year, leads the nation in scoring. He’s now on the Oscar Robertson Trophy watch list (for best player in college basketball) and the John Wooden Award watch list (the Heisman Trophy of college basketball). He’s also a finalist for the Bob Cousy award (for best point guard in the nation).
Last month, he was named the National Player of the Week by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association and has been named the Big Sky Conference’s Player of the Week five times.
With one of the smoothest strokes in college basketball, Lillard leads the sixth-best 3-point shooting team in the nation. His explosiveness to the rim creates shots that he doesn’t always take, opting to give it up to a teammate for a better shot. When his quickness can’t get him to the rim, his creativity usually somehow gets him over it.
Last week, he put up 40 points on Portland State on only 18 shots and with only two turnovers. Lillard is a selfless team player who takes pride in his defense.
There were nine NBA scouts at the Portland State game and the ones I spoke to put Lillard in the latter half of the first round of this year’s NBA draft. That’s if he decides to leave Weber State after this season. It would seem that he has every reason to leave for the NBA. He’ll be done with school this summer and his hype will probably never be higher among basketball insiders than it is now.
But with his love for his teammates (which is very evident in this interview), if the Wildcats’ season doesn’t end the way he would like it to, don’t be surprised if he hangs around for one last hurrah.
When the local media has decided to descended on Ogden to cover Lillard, they have often compared him to Fredette. The comparison is probably apt. They both shoot lights out and they both are able to create their own shots very well. Only time will tell who has the bigger NBA upside, but one scout I talked to last week said Lillard is a better NBA prospect than Jimmer. If you don’t believe it, instead of railing on him in the comment boards, go watch him play. You’ll get your money’s worth.
Another similarity between Lillard and Jimmer is their ability to handle the hype surrounding them. In this interview, Lillard shows the same humility that Jimmer exhibited last year.
He talks about how much he enjoys flying under the radar and what it’s like dealing with the hype he is getting.
He also talks about his inspiring upbringing in Oakland, Calif., and the people there who believed in him and who helped him to where he is now. And where he is now, comfortably playing in front of dozens of NBA scouts every week, is a very good place to be.
Trevor Amicone is the sports director at 88.1 Weber FM "Ogden's Radio Station" and host of the sports talk radio show, "Fully Loaded Sports with Trevor Amicone". Check out his must-follow Twitter feed at @TrevorAmicone.
