Assume Nothing

Stanley Asumnu's been with the Vipers since the beginning. He actually was not on the opening night roster in 2007... was the last cut out of training camp, but he was added soon afterwards and he's been here ever since.

Stan's a power forward in a shooting guard's body. When he plays big, he's successful. Stan plays a lot bigger than he is. That was his game the first two years, and it worked fine.

He tried something new for the 2009-10 season: to shoot. It didn't go so well. Stan struggled for the first few months of the season, first on the court and then with getting minutes. It all turned around in March, though, when he went back to doing what had always made him a success. Tear-drops, acrobatic dunks and rebounds. He became a very important rotation player and had three key baskets in the fourth quarter of Game 2 of the NBADL Finals to set-up The Shot Heard 'Round the Valley.

Asumnu's too small (6-5, 220) to not be able to shoot and make it to the NBA. So you know what he's doing this off-season?

By day he's an intern in the Vipers' front office. By night he's a shooter. Stan is playing in any basketball game he can find, whether they be rec. leagues or pick-up games. Sometimes he'll shoot by himself, or play a game of 21 with co-workers (such as Vipers VP of Ticket Sales and former Pro-Basketball player in India Shu Muthyala).

Stan is not ready to give up the dream (and why should he at the age of 27?)

And the best way to achieve that dream? Continue to develop in the NBA's official feeder league.

Does this mean he's coming back? Not necessarily. I don't know what Stan's plans are in that regard. If he gets a big-money offer from overseas, it might be hard to turn down. But the one thing that I have learned about Stan is that he loves it down here. He's happy, and he's still just one step from the NBA. Hard to give that up.