Ater Majok is heading off to Europe tomorrow, with hopes of hooking up with a professional team. Majok said he’s had offers from several teams, but the problem is that most Euro squads have already started their seasons.
Indeed, leaving UConn at the time he did really put Majok behind the eight-ball in terms of finding a pro team. Which, of course, leads to the $64,000 question: Why did Majok leave UConn?
The answer: we still don’t really know, or at least no one's saying. But it wasn't Majok's decision.
“I didn’t want to leave,” he said. “I’m not stupid. Why stay around here all summer, miss the NBA circuit, and then leave? At the end of the day, I had no choice.”
But he wouldn’t elaborate, instead referring the question to his agent, Mike Lelchitski, of the Washington, D.C.-based Sports International Group. Lelthitski wasn’t any more helpful.
“From what I understand, it wasn’t his decision,” Lelthitski said. “I don’t know what was behind it, but it’s pretty clear that it wasn’t his decision – or it wasn’t all his decision. It was his decision to go pro. He could have transferred to another school.”
Majok has been spending most of his time in the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area, working out with numerous NBA players (John Wall, Chris Paul, to name a few), as well as at the University of Maryland-Baltimore. He’s slated to fly over to Europe tomorrow, with hopes of eventually hooking up with a pro team – perhaps with help from the Contonu Agreement, which helps players from developing nations find a slot on European pro teams.
“He’s had a lot of offers,” said Lelthitski. “We feel that Ater has a very, very bright future. Being that he’s 23 years old and he’s going to be in the (NBA) draft next year, this next step he’s taking is probably the most crucial one of his career. Is he going to position himself to be a high draft pick in the U.S., or is he going to have an overseas career?”
Ater keep dreaming, you aren't even an NBA player's little pinkie. You would be lucky to make an NBL team let alone 15th spot on an NBA roster. Your ego and 'reputation far outweigh your ability.
ReplyDeleteDave,
ReplyDeleteWhat are your personal thoughts on this departure? Being that Ater spent the summer in Storrs it seems like someone else is forcing this. Why not play out the season and then go into the draft?
The whole situation is strange and I'm not sure we'll ever know the full story. While it's odd that Ater waited until September to make this decision, I don't think it has anything to do with the NCAA situation, as has been suggested. There's no way he would have played last season if UConn thought there was any chance his reported involvement with Josh Nochimson could someday haunt the program.
ReplyDeleteI think it comes down to a young man who had a lot of different things on his plate, a lot of voices (family, friends, etc.) telling him what he should or shouldn't do, and a feeling that he wasn't being properly utilized, position-wise, at UConn. I'm not sure there's anything more to it than that.