Iverson had a great college career at Georgetown where he played under coach John Thompson. At Georgetown, Iverson majored in fine arts. Iverson said he has an interest in drawing, and friends say he is an outstanding caricaturist."I want to continue to draw," Iverson said."Every talent God gave me, I want to use it. . . . I can't play basketball forever."But his primary mission at Georgetown seemed to be improving his basketball skills.Recalling his first day on campus, Iverson said, "Alonzo Mourning an NBA star and ex-Hoya was in the gym talking to Coach Thompson. . . . I mean, I was excited even before I got to Georgetown.But once I got there I was even more excited.All I wanted to do was playbasketball."During his two seasons with the Hoyas, Iverson averaged 23 points a game and twice was named Big East Conference defensive player of the year. From his first game, the 6 foot, 165 pound Iverson was an electrifying presence on the court.He had astonishing speed while dribbling and explosive jumping ability.Thompson allowed and sometimes even asked Iverson to dominate games as few Georgetown guards have.Some Thompson watchers were surprised by the offensive freedom he gave Iverson."You teach according to the student," Thompson explained."Allen had talent - exceptional talent.So he was permitted to have more leeway.You don't crush creativity."Deciding to Leave Evidently, Iverson also had a knack for blocking out distractions, which seemed to be everywhere.At some games, he was taunted by opposing fans who yelled "jailbird, jailbird" or waved bowling pins in the air.In the midst of his freshman season, Ann Iverson used her power of attorney to file suit - in Allen's name - against the lawyer who had defended him free of charge in the bowling alley case, Herbert V. Kelley Sr. The lawsuit alleged that Kelley had been negligent and that Iverson would suffer "mortification, shame, vilification . . . and financial loss" because of the guilty verdict.The complaint sought $100 million in damages.Then there was Freeman's incarceration.While Iverson was settling into his comfortable dormitory suite at Copley Hall to begin his sophomore year last fall, his "dad" was living just a few miles a way at the Fairfax County Correctional Field Unit, one of several state facilities in which he was housed.Iverson said he didn't visit Freeman in Fairfax because "I'd visited him in another prison and it just hurt me so much.I'd given him the tennis shoes off my feet because the sneakers he had, they were so bad, all messed up.So I went home barefooted that day."As the season progressed, and reporters began wondering if Bubbachuck would become the first Georgetown player to enter the NBA draft before his senior year, Thompson became increasingly aware of the hardships in Iverson's life.In early April, shortly after the Hoyas were eliminated from the NCAA tournament, Thompson invited Iverson and his mother to a meeting at McDonough.The subject should Iverson leave school to turn pro? Two of Thompson's most trusted confidants - Falk, his Washington based agent, and Mary Fenlon, his long-time aide decamp, also were invited.Falk has provided free counsel to Thompson's athletes for more than 15 years and has represented virtually every Hoya who has played in the NBA, including Mourning, Patrick Ewing and Dikembe Mutombo."John makes no bones of the fact he recommends us tohis players," said Falk, who also represents Michael Jordan, Iverson's childhood hero.Falk said he "very, very aggressively" advised Iverson to stay in school because he could earn more money, particularly from endorsement contracts, after another year of TV exposure.But in that meeting and in another in his office on upper Wisconsin Avenue, Falk said he heard some compelling reasons why Iverson should turn pro."Allen told me his mother's living conditions were deplorable," Falk said."There was a sewage problem in her house.Sewage was seeping through the floor and Allen said there was a stench that was just unimaginable."The condition of younger sister Iiesha also had worsened; she had just suffered another seizure."His sister needed a brain specialist," Falk said.Meanwhile, Freeman had been paroled and was unemployed."Allen didn't feel that staying in school was a viable option," Falk said.Thompson said outside influences also were competing for Iverson's attention this spring.Agents were on the prowl, and "you had people running around trying to get him involved in rapping," Thompson said.Iverson had spent some evenings in a studio, recording a rap song, which he played for teammates.Thompson said he told Iverson, "You are a basketball player. . . . You're not going to make your living rapping."As for the agents, Falk was the odds-on favorite to represent Iverson.Shortly after Georgetown's season ended, Falk arranged for Iverson to have a private phone conversation with his childhood hero."Michael told me he had heard a lot of good things about me," Iverson said, "and he said he was going to have to tighten up his game for me.Which was definitely a joke.I just laughed.But everything he said to me made me feel good."On April 30, Iverson signed a contract with Falk.The next afternoon, with his mother, Thompson and Falk by his side, Iverson announced he was turning pro.A Georgetown official said Iverson withdrew from the university the same day.With two months to go before the draft, Iverson asked a bank for a line of credit, which was granted on the basis of his seven figure earning potential.Iverson then hired a specialist for Iiesha and discussed with Falk the possibility of moving his entire family to the NBA city where he soon will reside. After two seasons at Georgetown, Iverson decided to turn pro in order to help his family.He was chosen first in the 1996 NBA Draft by Philadelphia 76ers. |
