14. Erick Strickland
Football, Baseball, Basketball / Bellevue / Born: 1973
QUICK FACTS:
Played for: Bellevue West High, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, Vancouver Grizzlies, Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks
Best athlete from Nebraska played with or against: Tony Veland of Benson High, whose best sport was football. "He was very versatile and had good speed,'' Strickland said.
Best moment as an athlete: "Probably just getting to the NBA when no one thought I could, and being here as long as I have.''
Early sign of greatness: Strickland was bumped up from the fourth- and fifth-grade basketball league and put in the sixth- and seventh-grade league. He was named MVP.
Nebraska's version of Bo Jackson was chasing his dreams so hard that he was wearing himself out.
In his third year in the Florida Marlins' minor league baseball system, Erick Strickland knew he could compete at a high level in baseball. But as a standout on the Nebraska basketball team, he felt he had potential in that sport as well.
"My manager with the Marlins, Carlos Tosca, sat me down and said, 'Erick, you can make it in major league baseball. But I also believe you can make it in the NBA,'" Strickland recalled. "I thought about it and I knew where my heart was.''
Nine years into his NBA career, Strickland is glad he followed his heart. Still, his journey wasn't easy.
"You come out of college and you get labeled,'' he said. "Not tall enough to be a two. Not enough ball handling skills to play the point. So my thing was that I had to break down those barriers.''
Strickland has played both positions admirably. He developed a 3-point shot. He became one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. And he built a reputation as a good character guy.
-- Kevin White
QUICK FACTS:
Played for: Bellevue West High, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, Vancouver Grizzlies, Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks
Best athlete from Nebraska played with or against: Tony Veland of Benson High, whose best sport was football. "He was very versatile and had good speed,'' Strickland said.
Best moment as an athlete: "Probably just getting to the NBA when no one thought I could, and being here as long as I have.''
Early sign of greatness: Strickland was bumped up from the fourth- and fifth-grade basketball league and put in the sixth- and seventh-grade league. He was named MVP.
