Such cavalier attire for such a momentous decision.
Darington Hobson, dressed in a long-sleeved, cherry mesh shirt, black basketball shorts and retro Jordans, with shin-high Nike socks, announced Tuesday that he will forego his senior season with the UNM men’s basketball team and enter the 2010 NBA Draft.
“I feel like this is what I was put on Earth to do,” Hobson said.
Hobson will not hire an agent, leaving open the possibility he could return to the Lobos. In the end, whether he forges ahead or opts to return to school, Hobson said much of that’s dependent on how high his draft projection is come May 8, the last day to withdraw from the NBA Draft without compromising his NCAA eligibility.
If he is on the bubble of being a second-round selection, Hobson said he will return to college. Conversely, if it’s apparent he’s a lock to go in the first round — where he will receive a guaranteed contract — Hobson’s days in a UNM uniform are over.
From May 1 to 7, Hobson will likely partake in a series of individual workouts with a number of NBA organizations, he said.
By no means was it a clear-cut, take-the-money-and-run decision. Hobson said a day didn’t pass where he didn’t waffle.
“I went back and forth every single day, every hour, every minute, every second of every day,” he said. “Just the relationship I have with the coaches and my teammates is what made it so hard. This is the first time I can actually say I have family. It was hard for me, but at the same time, this is a dream of mine that I’ve had since I was a little kid.”
But as the deadline (April 25) to throw his name in the lot approached, the decision was easier. And why not? What, if anything, does Hobson have left to accomplish at the collegiate level? He led the team in scoring, rebounding and assists, marking the first time in history a Lobo accomplished such a feat. All of this happened during a season in which the Lobos smashed school records for most wins in a season, received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament and won a tournament game for the first time in 11 years.
Considering all the facts, Lobo head coach Steve Alford said Hobson would be delusional not to pursue a professional career.
“He’s nuts not to do what he’s doing today,” Alford said. “He should test the waters. Anytime you got a chance to be in the first round and get guaranteed money playing the game you love, I think those are opportunities you got to look at.”
An echo of supports could be heard throughout the Davalos Center, where Hobson’s teammates were busy drilling inside the Lobos’ practice facility.
Though it will undoubtedly affect the dynamics of the team, point guard Dairese Gary harbored no ill will toward Hobson’s decision to leave.
“If somebody can go somewhere, do what they love and make money doing it, why not be happy for them?” Gary said.
That’s not to say he won’t be missed by fans, teammates and coaches, both for his over-the-top persona, candid nature as well as his basketball skills — all of which added to his endearing mystique.
Still, Alford looks at the promising big picture of Hobson’s decision.
“Would we like, selfishly, to have Darington back next year? Yeah,” Alford said. “But anytime you’re producing first-round picks, it tells you what your program’s doing.”
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Meanwhile, Hobson only wants to have as big of an impact in the NBA as he did for the Lobos. The maturation of his game was on display to see this year. Hobson said he played in pickup games with several NBA players, like Brandon Jennings, Kevin Love and Chauncey Billups at the Impact Basketball training facilities in Las Vegas.
Principally, though, Hobson said the crux of being a good NBA player isn’t about being physically prepared so much as being mentally equipped to handle the turbulent NBA lifestyle.
“It’s a business, and it’s a grind, especially for young rookies,” Hobson said. “You’re coming in and trying to take a veteran — you’re trying to come take their job and they’re trying to feed their family. It’s very cutthroat.”
At worse, Hobson knows he has a home in Loboland.
“If things don’t work out,” Hobson said, “I can still come back to my family.”
