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| by Alex Yams - Dec 9, 2007 |
| The Best Player you have never heard of……………………… In a world of high price and over hyped talent, there is a player who is both humble on and off the court, realizes that playing any professional sport for a living is a privilege rather then a right. We descend upon the east, the Far East, China to be exact in search of this elusive gem named Dajuan Tate. |
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The Best Player you have never heard of………………………
In a world of high price and over hyped talent, there is a player who is both humble on and off the court, realizes that playing any professional sport for a living is a privilege rather then a right. We descend upon the east, the Far East, China to be exact in search of this elusive gem named Dajuan Tate. An unfamiliar name to most, but a star at virtually everywhere he has played including NAIA Mountain State and a host of teams in the minor leagues.
Tate plays for the Jilin NorthEastern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), and is one of the premier players in the entire country. Tate's long traveled road led him to the doorsteps of the most densely populated country, where basketball is rapidly becoming the most popular sport. Tate attended two summer camps, a qualifying camp in Oregon and then the annual CBA Draft camp, which was held in Hawaii this past August. He was the most athletic and exciting player at the camps, something the international scene thrives on and embraces.
Tate was then drafted by the Tigers in the 1st round, 6th pick overall, much to the dismay of the other teams, who were trying to take a player they thought could change the fortunes for their respective teams. Already having completed the first half of the season, Tate stands as one of the top players in the league, scoring nearly 30 pts per contest, but it is the intangibles, that make him a winner, the team play, his likeable demeanor and fun loving personality coupled with his incredible skill and understanding of a game that nearly forgot about him. Wearing the #21, Tate has systematically resurrected basketball in his adopted city of Changchun, China.
We fast forward to the 19th game of this CBA season, versus Yunnan. Dajuan pours in an incredible 68 pts in a jaw dropping performance, where he shot 28-34, all of them coming from the charity stripe or inside the arc, with over half of his teams pts (133), Tate carried his team, as he has all season long, en route to a victory over Yunnan, which boasts top overall pick Nigel Dixon, who had 46pts. The CBA league record is held by former GM Sun Jun, who incidentally recruited and drafted Tate back in August. The opportunity of shattering his former bosses point total may have crossed his mind, but out a deep respect for Jun and the city and country, Tate held back and praised the incredible performance of his former GM and the respect he has for him.
After this season of stellar play, Tate will soon be a household name in the basketball world, both in China and the world. These types of actions will make Dajuan Tate a national hero, someone who an entire country can embrace and admire for his performances on the court. Let's take time and thank him for the person he is off the court, because sometimes winning in life is more important then on the court. Boxscore below...
21 38:01 28-34 0-5 12-15 3 1 2 3 1 3 1 1/1 7 10 68pts |
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