The X-Man Chronicles: A Little Hard Work
After transferring from Colorado to Northern Illinois, Xavier Silas established himself as one of the top offensive players in the country, averaging 19 points as a junior and 22 as a senior.
The 6’5 shooting guard is currently chasing his dream of becoming an NBA player. He’s going to blog for HOOPSWORLD throughout the 2011 NBA Draft process, giving insight into the life of a draft prospect working to hear his name called on June 23rd.
Here is his first entry:
The X-Man Chronicles: A Little Hard Work
After my first two weeks of workouts I have learned that this process will be a definite grind. New York brought me in on a Friday. New Jersey had a big group workout on that Sunday and then exactly a week later OKC brought me in for an individual workout.
Because I am a 6’5 combo guard capable of playing and defending the 1 and 2, ranked top 10 in scoring all year, one of the most efficient scorers in college basketball and had a father who played 11 years in the league, a lot of teams are interested. But because of two tough seasons plagued with losses at my mid major school (Northern Illinois) teams want to bring me in and get an evaluation for themselves.
To get ready for these workouts I have been training at Impact in Las Vegas, NV with Joe Abunassar, Andrew Moore and strength coordinator Dave Stagnitta for the last six weeks. I was the second one in the gym this pre-draft season, now we have about 30 talented pre-draft guys going at it every day. The competition is a lot like you would expect, tons of talent going hard, much like you would see in an NBA individual workout. I have epic battles with guards like Jacob Pullen, Kalin Lucas, and Josh Selby, along with a seemingly endless list all day every day.
My first workout with the Knicks had three Impact guys and OKC had three as well. I have always believed that experience has a lot to do with your preparation, and in the end, your production. I’m glad to say experience is something I have and cherish.
The former head assistant coach at Northern Illinois and one of my closest friends, Sundance Wicks, has moved to Las Vegas with me. I am the kind of person who likes structure, sometimes a little too much, and he helps me out on both ends of the spectrum. He is always planning and is constantly writing in his little brown notebook but then he knows when I need to get away and go do something spontaneous. Everyone needs a Sundance.
Now I am getting ready for the Detroit Pistons workout May 26th, (unless my agent springs something on me before then). In the days leading up I will be trying to find a happy medium between hard work, essential rest and stress reducing activities. The more and more I live life, the more and more I realize it is about balance. When I find that perfect balance, harmony and tranquility, I am hard to be stopped, but we all are when we can find our own perfect balance.
Follow me @XavierSilas.
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