Two of the Big 3 were featured on The Journey last week as they prepared for their entry into the NBA. As usual, it was a good episode...much better than some other players they focused on following their Senior years. A couple players had almost all repeat footage just spliced together, but 33 & 25 had a review with old footage and then a whole bunch of new stuff that I hadn't seen or heard.
Here are some of the things that really stuck out to me:
-JJ and Smooge lived in the same building as they trained in Chicago...but didn't know it until they both lived there.
-Both rode the emotional roller coaster while waiting for their names to be called (no surprise there). I got the idea that they were both promised some things that never came to fruition...that's par for the course. I also felt like their handlers were both super-silver-tongued in their commentary. I guess that's a given though.
J Money often makes fun of me because I get choked up at times watching Purdue-related things. This program was no different. The thing that really got me was seeing JJ get emotional when his dream was realized...that and the interaction and positivity that Smooge displayed when talking to his pal at the end of draft night. I hope these guys both have long careers in the league. Regardless of what they do in the coming years, I'm pretty sure they'll both continue to represent our alma mater and themselves very well.