Updated: July 22, 2011, 1:16 pm ET

The X-Man Chronicles: Headed To Philly

By HOOPSWORLD
Basketball News & NBA Rumors

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 has been blogging for HOOPSWORLD throughout the 2011 NBA Draft process, and is now headed to training camp with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Here is his latest entry:

 

The NBA draft passed and 60 names were called. My name was not one of them. As I watched them say someone else’s name for the 60th pick my phone lit up, it said “Lance Young”, it was my agent calling. He asked me how I was doing, I said “I’m good”. He said “I just got off of the phone with Philly, they 100% want you to come to their camp. They have given you an official invite, they don’t want you to go to Europe or any of that, I know you’re disappointed right now but this is the same thing as if you got picked 31st, except now you get to choose where you go.” My whole life I was never supposed to do what I have done. They told my mother she couldn’t have any more children and then after losing two I was born.

They used to tell me I couldn’t shoot, well we all know how that ended up.

I could go on and on and the trend never changes but in the end I think that this stubborn trend is a good thing.

I truly believe I am here as an example, a model for those who get told “no” over and over again.

This world is a world of the word “no”. You will hear it everyday all day and that is fine as long as you don’t accept it. You can’t let it defeat you, because if you do you will never accomplish what you want.

I am sure someone told the Wright brothers that they wouldn’t be able to make tons of metal soar through the air for hours at a time. If they would have listened to the critics we wouldn’t have airplanes.

This thing we call life is a journey. We have to leave our house prepared in the mornings packing love, hope, and faith. And when we get hit with those inevitable trials, tribulations and setbacks we have to use them as our assets. Sundance told me he has never seen someone work so hard just to be rewarded so little. That made me feel good. Not the part about how he thinks I haven’t received what I deserve but the part about how he thinks I work hard. That is what life is about. Working so hard that you don’t have regrets in the end. Being able to look at yourself in the mirror at the end of a day and smile because you didn’t cheat yourself, your work or the world.

Philly gave me an official invite to camp after the lockout and the situation there is a good one. Time to work and turn these exciting moments into the 10,000 hours needed to master a skill.

Follow me @xaviersilas.


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