BleedGopher
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per Timberwolves.com:
“It was really a long shot, really, for me to come in,” Petersen said. “And I think if you asked anyone at Williams Arena during my senior season at the University of Minnesota if I’d be playing in the NBA Finals in 1986, two years later, they’d absolutely say no way. I kind of beat the odds. I always believed in myself, and I put the work in to get it done.”
Petersen did just that. After four years with the Gophers working on his game yet never being able to put bulk onto his 6-foot-10 frame, the summer after his senior season was a different story. He worked tirelessly on his footwork, his shot, his conditioning and his strength. By the time he arrived in the NBA’s pre-draft camp during the offseason, he had bumped his frame from 215 to 238 pounds.
He became known as a physical member of his teams’ front court—one that made players think twice about making their way to the lane.
“Physical—guys like that would foul out in this era,” Hall of Famer Hawks forward Dominique Wilkins said. “He’s too physical. When I saw Pete under the basket, I took jump shots. He was just a physical guy. When you go back and look at history, look back at this guy. Pete could play. He was tough inside. He was a good defender, good rebounder. He was one of those guys you go to war with.”
It all goes back to his work ethic and the time he put in honing his skills with the Gophers and beyond. Steve Brown, who currently runs the Wolves and Lynx Basketball Academy for area youth, was an assistant coach for the University of Minnesota when Petersen was on campus. He said Petersen’s unique athletic ability, size and length made him an intriguing NBA prospect. His work ethic put him over the top.
http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/petersens-hard-work-landed-him-place-nba-1984-draft
Go Gophers!!
“It was really a long shot, really, for me to come in,” Petersen said. “And I think if you asked anyone at Williams Arena during my senior season at the University of Minnesota if I’d be playing in the NBA Finals in 1986, two years later, they’d absolutely say no way. I kind of beat the odds. I always believed in myself, and I put the work in to get it done.”
Petersen did just that. After four years with the Gophers working on his game yet never being able to put bulk onto his 6-foot-10 frame, the summer after his senior season was a different story. He worked tirelessly on his footwork, his shot, his conditioning and his strength. By the time he arrived in the NBA’s pre-draft camp during the offseason, he had bumped his frame from 215 to 238 pounds.
He became known as a physical member of his teams’ front court—one that made players think twice about making their way to the lane.
“Physical—guys like that would foul out in this era,” Hall of Famer Hawks forward Dominique Wilkins said. “He’s too physical. When I saw Pete under the basket, I took jump shots. He was just a physical guy. When you go back and look at history, look back at this guy. Pete could play. He was tough inside. He was a good defender, good rebounder. He was one of those guys you go to war with.”
It all goes back to his work ethic and the time he put in honing his skills with the Gophers and beyond. Steve Brown, who currently runs the Wolves and Lynx Basketball Academy for area youth, was an assistant coach for the University of Minnesota when Petersen was on campus. He said Petersen’s unique athletic ability, size and length made him an intriguing NBA prospect. His work ethic put him over the top.
http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/petersens-hard-work-landed-him-place-nba-1984-draft
Go Gophers!!