NBA Draft Blog Interview with Gerald Beverly

It’s long been said that if you can play, the NBA will find you. Over the years, many players have gone on to stellar NBA careers coming from schools that even die-hard college basketball fans may not have heard of. Players such as Charles Oakley, Ben Wallace, Terry Porter, Dennis Rodman, and even Scotty Pippen, came from non-Division I schools.

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With the constant search for talent, NBA scouts made their way to a small Division II school in Buffalo, Daemen College. Over the past four seasons, Gerald Beverly has made a name for himself there, being named First Team All-ECC and ECC Defensive Player of the Year in consecutive seasons, as well being named the USCAA Division I Player of the Year this past season.

The 6’7, 225 pound forward averaged 19.5 points, 11 rebounds, and almost 4 blocks per game as a junior and senior, while shooting close to 60 percent from the field. Beverly is a high-level athlete comfortable in the half-court or transition, scoring in the post or mid-range, plus he has the defensive instincts that you just can’t teach players.

As great as he has been at the Division II school, he almost didn’t have the opportunity to even play at that level. Beverly was two days from enrolling at Division III Hibbert College when the former Daemen coach offered him a scholarship. The rest is Daemen basketball history.

Beverly made the most of his opportunity, and now looking back at the past four years, he can see how it has shaped him. “My confidence has grown a lot since I started college,” said Beverly. “Being surrounded by great people, coaches and teammates, who pushed me and taught me, really helped me become the player I am now.”

After a breakout sophomore season, and a strong junior season, the attention on Beverly was more than he anticipated. “If you told me as a freshman that pro scouts would be coming to see me, my eyes would have widened, and I probably wouldn’t have believed you,” said Beverly. “I’ve always dreamed of playing pro basketball, and now I see it’s a real possibility.”

It wasn’t just any pro teams that were starting to show interest; NBA teams were on the road to Daemen, wanting to see Beverly themselves.

Beverly remembers the first time he was told that an NBA team wanted to see him play. “It was a 6 a.m. practice, and Coach asked how I’d feel about playing in front of a scout from the Milwaukee Bucks tonight,” Beverly recalled. “It brightened my day right away.”

Once more and more teams became interested though, Beverly had to stay focused. “I needed to keep moving forward, and definitely had to keep proving myself,” Beverly said. “It did become a bit nerve-wracking, wondering every time you got on the court if pro scouts were watching. Finally, I had to tell my coach to don’t tell me until after we’re done playing.”

If Beverly was nervous, it certainly didn’t show on the floor, and as the season went on, more and more NBA teams were making the trip to the small college near Buffalo to take a look.

Beverly has a good idea why pro teams wanted to see him, and what impressed them about his game. “My athleticism, work ethic, and drive all stand out,” explained Beverly. “A lot of people have always asked what I was doing playing at a Division II school. I have a good skill set, can shoot the jumper or play in the post, but I still have a lot of potential as a player.”

Often when players realize there may be better opportunities for them away from the school they play for, many would be quick to grab the chance. After a year or two, Beverly could have made a move to a Division I school, but he decided Daemen was still the right place for him. “When I first got there (Daemen), eventually moving to Division I was in the back of my mind,” Beverly explained. “When the time came though, I just liked it here too much, and I really was able to get better as a player while here.”

As Beverly prepares to work out for NBA teams, he’s been spending his time training in Buffalo and Rochester, New York. He knows there will be adjustments he has to make to play pro basketball, and he’s working on improving in some key aspects. “I’ve been working a lot to get more comfortable on the perimeter, knowing I would need to play more out there as a pro,” said Beverly. “Working on hitting my jumper consistently and improving my ballhandling will help, while also making sure to keep working on the things I do well.”

Beverly knows that the odds could be stacked against him as he competes against players from bigger name Division I schools, but he doesn’t let that concern him. “I’m proud to be coming from Daemen, and I like the idea of being the Division II guy,” said Beverly. “Some may look down at where I played, but I think it’s pretty cool, and I’m motivated to prove them wrong.”

“I’m ready to provide a team whatever they need me to do. Give me the opportunity and I will give everything I have to my team.”

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