8A= THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FROM THE SPORTS COVER
THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2002
GOODEN
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12A
"That life was cool, but I got into a lot of trouble out there," Gooden said. "Mom's discipline didn't work too good with boys. I came back and stayed with my dad throughout high school and I think it was the most crucial time of my life."
When he moved back in with his dad he shared a bedroom with his brother, while his dad, stepmom and sister slept on a day bed in the living room. His dad worked two jobs — during the day at the East Shore Community Center and a graveyard shift as a security guard — but the family still struggled to make ends meet.
"I wouldn't say I was the type of broke that when we came home the lights were out and it was nasty," he said. "I'm not talking about slums, I know that's worse. We were broke and sometimes we'd eat once a day. When the first and 15th comes, that's when the checks come. You strive for those days. The first, that's the day everything goes on. You're doing all right until the end of the week. Then you wait until the 15th. It's like living check to check. It was tough."
Only now is his father's family reaching financial security.
"They're all right now, but when I was growing up we didn't have any of that." Gooden said.
When Gooden was born, he weighed 9 pounds, 2 ounces and was 21 inches long. Doctors told Andrew that his son would grow to be nearly seven-feet tall.
Fatherly influence
Gooden could dribble a basketball shortly after he learned to walk. He said he remembered playing pick-up games with his dad — Andrew played at Central Washington University and professionally in Finland, where he met Ulla — in the park, in the street, in 35-and-over recreational leagues and one-on-one.
"When they told me that," Andrew said, "I stuck a basketball in his crib."
"It was nice that I had a father I could go out and play basketball with." he said.
Andrew trained his son to play
Above: KU basketball fans make the "0" sign in honor of Drew Gooden's team number. Most are hopeful that he will elect to stay for one more year. Right: The lure of pro basketball will be a strong temptation for the junior forward after this season. Gooden is a top-five pick in the NBA draft, should he choose to enter.
like a guard, remembering what the doctor had said about how tall his son would be, and taught Drew how to handle the ball, shoot from the outside and defend the perimeter.
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
When Gooden grew four inches to 6-foot-8 between his sophomore and junior years at El Cerrito High school, those skills paid off. He starred his junior year as he led his team to the North Coast Section semifinals, but really blossomed in his senior season when he averaged 18.5 points and 13 rebounds per game and led his team to the Division III state finals.
But through it all, Andrew never had anything positive to say about his son's basketball skills. Gooden said.
"He never credited me on anything I did well," Gooden said. "I could've had 30 points but there was always something I could've done better."
Although his father gave him tough love when it came to basketball, Gooden said his dad was always there for him when he wanted to talk or just hang out.
"I was never a latch-key child," he said.
Why Kansas?
Gooden is big on fate and things happening for a reason. Ask him if he resents the way he lived during his childhood, and from his answer you would think he grew up at DisneyLand.
"Even though my mom and dad are divorced that's something that happened 15, 16 years ago," he said. "I'm feeling fine, I'm feeling great. I don't regret that."
In fact, if his parents hadn't divorced and his mom and stepdidn't move to Fayetteville, Ark., Gooden might not be a Jayhawk.
The summer before his senior year he and his mom were driving to Chicago to catch a Cubs game. He noticed that I-70 was nearby, so he called Roy Williams — Kansas and other top-flight college basketball programs had been courting Gooden — and told the coach he'd like to visit Lawrence.
"I just fell in love with the program and coach Williams,"
On the way home from Chicago, Gooden and his mom stopped by for an unofficial visit.
Gooden said.
Gooden sales.
But it hasn't always been rosy for Gooden at Kansas. Williams dubbed him "Hurricane Drew" during his freshman year because Gooden wasn't accustomed to Williams' demanding and disciplined style of basketball. The coach even went so far to tell Gooden, "They pay me a good salary at Kansas. I can afford a bus ticket for you to go back home."
Gooden said Williams' strict coaching contrasted with the relaxed style he became accustomed to in high school, and influenced his decision to attend Kansas.
"That's what I needed and I knew I was the type of player who needed that," Gooden said. "Coach was on me right away, and it helped me a lot throughout my whole college career." Gooden gone?
Maybe more so than he ever imagined. Gooden received little hype before this season began, but now everyone from Dick Vitale to the lady next door says Gooden — he is the Big 12 Conference Player of the Year and has an outside chance of upsetting
Duke's Jason Williams for Player of the Year honors — is a top-five pick if he enters the NBA Draft.
Gooden has hinted that he would leave Kansas after this season, but said he would not make the final decision until it ends.
His parents have said they would like him to stay another year and finish his degree, but would support whatever conclusion he reaches. Williams said he thought Gooden, who led the Big 12 with 20.6 points and 11.1 rebounds per game this season, was a long way from reaching his potential and drooled over the possibility of having Gooden, Nick Collison and Kirk Hinrich as seniors.
"Some teams would really need to tie it on against us," Williams said.
Ultimately, the choice rests with Gooden and it's easy to understand the pull the NBA has on him.
"That's my dream, to play in the NBA and do that for my family." he said. "Whenever they give me a check or whatever, the first thing I'm going to do is take care of my family."
The dream of the NBA and the riches that accompany it linger in
the back of his mind, but Gooden's not letting it fog the goals he has for his current team.
"To be the last team standing in college basketball," he said. "there's not more that you can possibly do if you're the last team that got a win in college basketball."
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Contact Pacey at
dpacey@kansan.com. This story was edited by Gillian Titus.