LAS VEGAS -- Josh Hart’s final season at Villanova included all the headliner attributes. Defending national champion. BIG EAST Player of the Year. Regular-season title for the fourth consecutive year. Yet when the swingman and 2017 first-round pick joined the Los Angeles Lakers for the annual NBA Summer League, Hart truly got a sense of his future rock star life.
It’s one also desired by former Marquette standout Vander Blue, who played with Hart for a Lakers team that finished as NBA Summer League champions – and later learned some prayers are answered.
Daniel Ochefu has already tasted his professional dream, but the big man on Villanova’s 2016 national championship team wants more than a single season with the Washington Wizards. Family man L.J. Peak exited Georgetown a year early hoping to start taking a down a steady paycheck. Kris Dunn, a two-time BIG EAST Player of the Year with Providence,
is ready for a reboot with a new team.
These players would make for a stellar lineup. Here they serve as representation of the former BIG EAST players who participated in the Las Vegas Summer League in preparation for taking on the world of professional basketball.
Unfortunately for Hart, his summer fun didn’t last long. A minor ankle injury ended his journey earlier than desired, but not before he experienced a true center of attention moment with the Lakers. Dismiss the importance of the Summer League as mere exhibitions if you want, but crowds poured into the Thomas & Mack on the University of Nevada-Las Vegas campus for a glimpse of tomorrow’s stars.
A who’s who of media types watched the Lakers, armed with four recent first-round picks, face the Boston Celtics. The Summer League sold out that day’s slate 24 hours prior. The secondary market went wild. Boxing champion Floyd Mayweather sat in the front row.
Hart and those first-round picks were the true stars. Blue wasn’t one of them, yet he shined quite bright.
Other than five NBA games, Blue primarily played in what’s now known as the G-League since leaving Marquette in 2013. He was named G-League Most Valuable Player this past season after averaging 25 points for the South Bay Lakers.
With every new class of rookies, the odds of finding a true NBA home grow tougher. The 25-year-old’s fourth Summer League appearance might have been his most critical – and Blue held his own.
He averaged 15 points and shot 40 percent on 3-point attempts. With Hart and others sidelined, Blue helped the Lakers take home the Summer League title with 13 points in the championship game against Portland. Did he help his own cause with the NBA world was the question.
“I think they got a chance to see me run a team, show my leadership,” Blue told reporters following the final game. “My whole life I’ve been about winning. I want to play with winners. There is no better feeling than that.”
Summer League players are primarily free agents, meaning they’re auditioning for the entire league. Blue made it clear who he hoped would come calling. “I pray to God it’s here with the Lakers.” Two weeks later, Blue signed a partially guaranteed contract with his ideal choice.
That doesn’t mean Blue automatically makes the regular season roster. However, Ochefu faced a similar situation last year and ended up staying with the Wizards.
Ochefu’s size, hoops IQ and constant upbeat vibe ultimately helped the undrafted rookie secure a coveted roster spot.
Yet he went from being a central figure for an NCAA Tournament champion to rarely playing with Washington. Joining a team with several veterans meant playing in only 23 games including the playoffs. His smile showed for all 95 opportunities he had to wear the uniform.
“Definitely frustrating, but you can’t let it show,” Ochefu said. “I’m not the kind of guy to wear it on my face.”
During his second Summer League appearance, Ochefu shot 68 percent from the field, averaged 6.4 rebounds and nearly two blocked shots per game.
“I understand the situation I walked into. I’m blessed with it. I’m not complaining about it,” Ochefu said. “It’s tough, but I’d rather be in this situation than looking for a job.”
That’s the situation for Peak, the father of a young son who left Georgetown following a stat-stuffing junior season. The Hoyas limped to the finish, but the wing guard with a man’s frame and energy for days often wowed.
Peak went undrafted, but the Houston Rockets immediately contacted his agent. Summer League contract details were worked out in the early morning hours. “I was asleep,” Peak said of the career-altering moment.
When he wasn’t dealing with a left groin injury pre-draft, Peak spent his time honing aspects of his game.
“Being with Houston, they like to shoot the 3 and get out in transition and run,” Peak said.
He knocked down half of his attempts from beyond the arc in Las Vegas and showed the desired traits.
“When he’s played, he’s been very good,” Rockets assistant and Summer League head coach Roy Rogers. “He’s a guy that brings some toughness and athleticism to the squad.”
Now Peak waits to see if Houston or another NBA team brings him an offer. Perhaps he signs a two-way contract like the one inked by Ryan Arcidiacono, another member of Villanova’s title team, with the Chicago Bulls. Maybe Peak starts his pro journey overseas like his former Georgetown teammate Rodney Pryor, who signed with a Turkish team.
Wherever these former Big East stars spend much of their careers, they’ll be part of a basketball rock show. Whether they’re the spotlight singer or a background extra, only time will tell.