Welcome to ‘the Association’

Three players with county connections selected in 2008 NBA draft

Fifteen picks later, the Toronto Raptors selected 7-2 Georgetown Prep grad, Roy Hibbert (from Georgetown University), before sending him to the Indiana Pacers in a trade that cannot yet be finalized according to league rules. Finally, with the 57th pick of the draft, the San Antonio Spurs took former University of Maryland forward James Gist (Good Counsel⁄Silver Spring).

Beasley’s story is well known — with rocky teen years that included six different high schools. But he’s always been a basketball prodigy, and is coming off one of the best college seasons of any freshman in NCAA history. In his one year at Kansas State, he averaged 26.2 points and 12.4 rebounds per game, third and first in the nation, respectively. He also captured a host of postseason honors, including an Associated Press first-team All-American selection and the Big 12 Player of the Year award.

He spent several childhood years in Gaithersburg, and still maintains an association — his agent, Joel Bell of Bell Management International, is based out of Gaithersburg. However, his hoop ties are all outside the county. He spent the bulk of his AAU days playing in Prince George’s, and even balled alongside Durant on the PG Jaguars, winning several national championships on one of the most successful youth basketball teams in recent memory.

On the other hand, Hibbert and Gist both honed their skills in Montgomery County. Hibbert, who is from Adelphi, came to Georgetown Prep in the winter of 2000 as a 6-10 project, but in four varsity years, went from just plain big to a certified, Division I-caliber big man. An All-Gazette first-team selection in his final season with Prep, he averaged 19 points and 15 rebounds per game for the Interstate Athletic Conference co-champions. His four years with the Little Hoyas led to four similar years with the ‘‘big” Hoyas. Though he started right from his freshman year, he was mostly viewed as a plodding big man, a fixture in the starting lineup merely for his size. But by the time he graduated, he had developed post moves and much-improved agility — a first-team All Big-East performer this past season, he posted 13.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game for the conference’s regular-season champions, both team highs.

The Pacers are still awaiting the introduction of their new pivot. He was traded by the Raptors in a deal slated to be confirmed on July 9, along with point guard T.J. Ford, center Rasho Nesterovic and forward Maceo Baston for Pacer big man Jermaine O’Neal.

‘‘I’m happy,” Hibbert said shortly after the draft. ‘‘I think Indiana is a good fit for me. I mix well with the guys in the front office and mesh well with guys on the team.”

Hypothetically, Hibbert has a great shot to start at the five-spot in his first year — no one on the Pacers has his height, bulk, or shot-blocking ability. With the loss of O’Neal, their only other defensive presence in the paint is current starting center Jeff Foster, who blocked less than half a shot per game a year ago.

Of course, it’s no guarantee. There are still concerns about Hibbert’s agility, as he has never possessed top-tier athletic ability. Some even felt he should have entered the draft a year ago, after helping lead the Hoyas to the NCAA Final Four. But those close to him feel everything has worked out just fine.

‘‘Who knows what would’ve happened last year,” said Hoyas head coach John Thompson III. ‘‘Conceivably he went one, two, three, four spots [lower] than he would have last year. But then you have your degree, back-to-back Big East championships, and you go to an organization headed by Larry Bird.”

Gist is also a county private-school product, a three-year varsity player at Good Counsel, and the school’s all-time leader in blocked shots. An All-Gazette first-team selection during his 2003-2004 senior season, he averaged over 19 points, 10 boards and three blocks per game as the Falcons went 18-12 in the always-competitive Washington Catholic Athletic Conference.

Unlike Hibbert, he wasn’t blessed with size that would always put him a cut above the rest. But he always had a leg up athletically, with superb leaping ability and a long wingspan that earned him a scholarship at Maryland.

Current Good Counsel head coach Mike Hibbs has only been with the Falcons for two years, but coached against Gist for four years while manning the helm at Bullis. He remembers the Gist of back then as a physical specimen, but feels it’s his improvements at College Park that got him drafted.

‘‘He was always a superior athlete, but he’s really worked on his basketball skills,” said Hibbs, who often works with Gist during summer camps hosted at Good Counsel. ‘‘He became a really good shooter. And now he’s the second Good Counsel guy in the pros — we already had Roger Mason Jr. [of the Washington Wizards]. ”

Gist’s jump shot was his biggest improvement over a college career that saw him improve every year. His scoring output improved from 6.2 points per game as a freshman to 15.9 per game as a senior.

While NBA second-round picks are not guaranteed contracts like first-rounders, Gist may have found the perfect fit in San Antonio. He fits two gigantic needs for the Spurs: athleticism and youth. Their frontcourt may be the most earthbound in the entire league, not to mention incredibly long in the tooth. A year ago, the youngest of their four big main big men was 32-year-old Tim Duncan, while their next three combined for over a century’s worth of age: Fabricio Oberto (33), Kurt Thomas (35) and Robert Horry (37). With no other interior players drafted, Gist has a good chance to make the team.

As an interesting sidenote, the Spurs have had success in the second round before. They also picked at 57 in the 1999 draft, choosing a then-unknown shooting guard named Manu Ginobili. All he’s done since then is earn an All-Star appearance, an Olympic Gold Medal (for Argentina), and three NBA championship rings.

Gist could not be reached for comment.

‘‘I’m sure he’s excited,” said Hibbs. ‘‘All of Good Counsel’s excited.”