Joakim turns pro with Bulls
Like father, like son!
Joakim Noah is trying to follow in his father’s Yannick Noah’s footsteps in having a pro athletic career, but in different sports.
While Joakim Noah turned in a decent basketball career at Poly Prep Country Day School and a tremendous three-year career at the University of Florida, the elder Yannick captured the French Open tennis title years back in 1983 and later retired from the professional circuit. He is a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Joakim didn’t have any interest in tennis, as basketball has been his only sport.
With Poly Prep’s coach Bill McNally in attendance at the National Basketball Association selection of college players, Joakim Noah became the ninth overall pick in the two-round draft and was tabbed by the Chicago Bulls. An early entry candidate, the lottery pick has decided to skip his last year of college eligibility to turn pro.
The forward-center also became the first Poly Prep student ever in the NBA. Poly Prep did have another graduate in Milak Russell who advanced on to the New York Knick and Sacramento camps in the early ‘90s, but got cut each time.
“I’m so happy in going to Chicago,” Joakim Noah said after his selection. “I thank the front office and coaches for the opportunity. I’m the luckiest man in the world.
“I’m playing for an organization that I really wanted to play for. I’ll be playing for a team that has a chance to be a contender for a championship; I’ll learn from great players. I’m so excited and feel very fortunate.”
In addition to McNally in attendance at the Theatre of Madison Square Garden, the site of the draft, \was his mother and grandfather, and his first high school coach Lonny Shockley, who gave him an opportunity, and numerous friends. His father was absent from the draft because of other commitments at the same time.
The 6’11,” 232-pound athlete is trying to impress the Bulls’ staff and do what he did in college; that is, to bring a championship to the organization. He had led Florida to two consecutive NCAA titles.
He plays with boundless energy from around the basket and plays with passion. He is an extremely long and agile player with a good overall feel for the game and thrives on competition. He has a very strong work ethic and is ready for what’s ahead.
“He’s a winner,” said Lonny Shockley, still coach at the United Nations High School in Manhattan, where Joakim Noah played freshman ball and also played outside ball for AAU.. “I knew that he had a shot at (the pro game). In his first year, he came off the bench. As he started to progress, I felt in my heart that he could make it. Before he went on to Florida, he came to my house. He (stood) 6’6.” Now he’s 6’10.”
When Joakim Noah was 10 years old, he was at a Knick Summer Basketball Camp. He was a skinny kid who wanted to play basketball, like all the other kids.
“While growing up I was a Knick fan,” said Joakim Noah, who was at the draft while wearing a white suit and a large bow tie. “And the Bulls used to make me cry as a kid. How ironic is that now I’m wearing a Bulls’ hat.”
After spending his frosh season at UNIS, he transferred to Poly Prep.
“Poly is a better basketball school than is UNIS,” Shockley said during the draft. “We’re a soccer school.”
At Poly, located at 72-16 Seventh Avenue, he primarily played at guard and soon blossomed out.
His tremendous work ethic and great talent helped him to be on an NCAA title team and in the pro game.
“He’s certainly someone who’s worked to get where he is today,” said McNally, who has coached for 15 years. “When he was at the United Nations school, one for foreign kids (as he came from France), he wanted a great education and to take his basketball seriously. He (thus) came to Poly.
“He played two years with us, repeated his sophomore year because education was mostly European. It was a little bit different with a high powered school like Poly. Under New York State rules, he couldn’t play at Poly for three years.”
Then he went to Lawrenceville (New Jersey) for his last year. to polish up his game before entering Florida.
He didn’t set any records at Poly; but in his second to last game, he scored 40 points. Russell holds the one game single mark of 56 points. Joakim Noah won a lot of games. He is a winner!
At Poly Prep, Joakim Noah captured its Most Valuable Player award in his lat year, landed a spot on the All-City team, and attended the ABCD Summer Basketball camp, where he competed in its all-star game. He was an all-state player in both New York and New Jersey, where he ended his schoolboy career at Lawrenceville. He is a New York City kid who loved to play in Manhattan’s Rucker Park.
After turning down numerous college offers, he attended Florida, where everything just fell in place for him.
In his first year he got into 29 games, all of the bench, learning a great deal about the game on the collegiate level, and started his last two years.
It was very tough on him in his frosh season that he didn’t play many minutes.
As a sophomore, he was named Most Valuable Player of the 2006 NCAA Tournament’s final four. He received a lot of attention after that sophomore campaign.
“I had a great college experience (and played with and against some great players),” Joakim Noah said.
“I had a great time in college, where I felt that I learned a lot. In my junior year, I was under a microscope in everything that I did.
“And now I get a chance to play in the NBA. I might be considered as one of the luckiest people in the world. I’m thrilled at the opportunity. This is unbelievable. I’m going to the NBA. Wow!”
“He made a great choice in choosing Florida, and it worked out very well for him,” summed up McNally. “Now he’s going to a great place. I know that he is excited to get there. People will be surprised how good a shooter he is.”
Joakim Noah still has to improve in every aspect of the game. He must improve on his jump shot and get stronger. And he still must improve on his strengths.
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