Sunday, March 27, 2005

Hoops: Where are they now - Chris Bosh

Where is Chris? In the ATL - that's where. What was he doing here? Well, aside from spending some time with Coach Hewitt, he was leading the Raptors to a 109-104 victory over the Hawks. Bosh scored 32 points, grabbed 11 boards, had 2 steals and a block. Hey, just one earlier Bosh had the following stat line - 24 pts, 22 boards, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks. I would say Chris is coming into his own.


Here's what teammate Jalen Rose had to say about him:

"Chris Bosh led us," Rose said. "He was the man down low. We feed off him. There are a lot of expectations on him."


Before the Hawks game, Bosh had a conversation with Paul Hewitt:

A short pep talk with his former college coach helped boost Chris Bosh's spirits. "Just stay positive, that's my biggest thing," Bosh said of his conversation with Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt. "No matter what happens, just stay positive. The minute you start forcing things, that's when you shoot yourself in the foot."


In fact, Coach Hewitt was at the game, sitting in the 2nd row of seats across from the Hawks bench. I am sure the hometown Hawks will give Coach Hewitt a call to thank him for his motivational speech to the "opposition".

Bosh's coach had this to say:

"I just want him to be aggressive and attack the basket as much as possible," Mitchell said. "When he does that, it opens up that 14- 15-foot shot and tonight he was making them. He can get past most people if you crowd him."



In addition, Bosh has talked to Jarrett Jack about his decision between GT and the NBA:

Bosh might live in another country during the season but he keeps close tabs on his former Tech teammates, particularly junior point guard Jarrett Jack, his best friend.


And Bosh is serving as a sounding board and confidant for Jack as he decides whether to pursue his own NBA dream or return to Tech for his senior season.


"I've talked to Jarrett and he's just being nervous right now," Bosh said.


"I told him not to be nervous. And whatever decision he makes, whether it's coming back [to Tech] or leaving, he has to make the best decision for him."


Word is that BJ Elde, Isma'il and J.Jack were at the game also.