By Mike Barrett
Courtesy of Rip City Magazine

You see it occasionally in the NBA, but not often. With all the money spent on scouting and research in the league it's a surprise that executives ever swing and miss when it comes to drafting players. It does happen though, and you certainly hear a lot more about busts than pleasant surprises. Potential is one thing. Results are another.

The talented Trail Blazers' front office thinks it may have one of these pleasant surprises now on its roster. Zach Randolph, 6-foot-9, 253 pounds, who just turned 20, somehow slipped to the 19th spot in this year's NBA Draft. The Blazers, who probably honestly weren't expecting to snag an impact player at that position in the first round, quickly gobbled up the available Randolph and walked away smiling.

"Our scouts had him rated very, very highly all year," says Mark Warkentein, the Blazers assistant general manager. "We always had him listed in our top 10. There was no debate when it came to the 19th pick and Randolph was available."

You can't really blame the teams that selected the first 18 players in the draft. They simply just hadn't seen enough of Randolph, who only played one season at Michigan State before turning pro. Blazers scouts, however, were very aware.

We haven't yet seen Randolph in a regular-season game, but if the draft were held again today he would probably go in the top five. His performance in the summer leagues had other NBA teams scratching their heads as if to ask, "how did we miss this guy?"

So, what was Portland's secret?

"It is very difficult to find the unknown guy," says Warkentien. "But, every year we can find the undervalued guy. You can run back in every draft and see this. For instance, should Michael Finley have gone at number 23? No way. We're hoping that in the future people will question if Zach Randolph should have gone at the 19th spot."

That's big praise for a guy who, again, has yet to see a minute in a regular-season game. True, summer league competition isn't NBA regular-season competition, but Randolph's consistent performances throughout summer play have the Blazers thinking big.

"I love him, I love him," says new Blazers coach Maurice Cheeks. "He's going to be an unbelievable player." How often do you hear coaches saying that about a 19th selection fresh out of the summer leagues?

Portland coaches and executives weren't the only ones who saw the incredible potential come to life. Randolph was named the Most Valuable Player of the Rocky Mountain Revue summer league. He averaged 26.2 points, 9 rebounds, and 33.5 minutes per game while leading the Blazers squad to a 5 and 1 record.

In head-to-head battles with other young NBA stars Randolph shined. In his first game, against the Chicago Bulls, Zach scored 13 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter. Former NBA lottery pick Marcus Fizer couldn't stop him.

Randolph then scored 28 against another former lottery pick, the Grizzlies' Stromile Swift. These two performances were against guys who have NBA experience. Against Houston, Randolph scored a tournament-high 39 points, and pulled down 10 rebounds. Yes, it was just the summer league, but those are huge numbers.

Many people were surprised. Randolph was not.

"I knew I had it in me," says Randolph. "I knew what I could do and it as just a matter of letting me do it. I didn't get to do a lot in college and felt really free in the summer leagues."

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo had a host of talented seniors last season and didn't even have room to put Randolph in the starting lineup. Zach averaged less than 20 minutes per game.

"Coach Izzo is hard on freshmen and he likes to bring them a long slowly," says Randolph. "There isn't anything wrong with that and I never complained, I just knew I could do the job and was ready for the next level. I wanted to come out early and prove myself."

Ironically, new Blazers assistant coach Dan Panaggio, who was an assistant at Indiana University last season, coached against Michigan State and Randolph.

"I coached in the Big-10 last season and saw plenty of Zach Randolph," says Panaggio. "I didn't realize he had the abilities that he has in the low post to score. He was not option number one for Michigan State. They had a lot of talent on that team and in fact didn't even start him. I saw the great offensive rebounding ability, and his ability to run the floor, but didn't see this offensive game in college."

Even though Randolph knew it was his rebounding and physical play that would get him drafted in the NBA, he expected to surprise some with his touch around the basket.

After being named the Indiana state Player of the Year by USA Today in 2000, Randolph scored a game-high 23 points and was named MVP of the McDonald's High School All-American game. After that, he scored 24 for the USA Basketball Men's Junior Selection National Team in a victory over the International Select Team.

These achievements of course led many to expect big things, and the high expectations have never bothered Randolph. He'll remind you he's from Indiana, the basketball capitol of the world.

"Indiana is well represented on this Trail Blazers team with me, Bonzi, and Shawn Kemp all from Indiana," says Randolph. "Me and Bonzi have known each other for a long time, since I was like 14."

Bringing up the names of other Blazers begs the question, where is Randolph going to get the chance? Rasheed Wallace, Dale Davis, Shawn Kemp, and others will all be getting their minutes inside.

"I'm going to have to be patient, and I knew that coming in," says Zach. "This is a loaded team. But, playing against guys like Rasheed and Dale is going to make me a lot better. They are two of the best forwards in the NBA and it'll be great learning from them."

And, even though Randolph did impress many in the summer leagues, he is only 20, and the learning has just begun.

"I think the time he spends between now and opening night is going to be really important," says Panaggio. "If those are productive days for him, he'll be in good shape when the season starts. He needs to pick up as much as he can in training camp so that he'll have a good feel of the pro game. The challenges for Zach are building his body and developing his skills out on the floor."

Speaking of Randolph's body, it has been said that it could have been a reason he slipped to the 19th spot in the draft. He was labeled by some as "overweight" when he checked out of college. He was rumored to be as high as 280 pounds. Zach scoffed at the reports that were out around draft time.

"I don't have a weight problem, and I've never had a weight problem," says Randolph. "Do I look 280?"

No, and in fact he tipped the scales at a very cut 258 pounds at summer league. He enjoyed proving the critics wrong in that department, and is looking forward to making a lot of league GM's regret passing him over. Zach is looking at the bright side.

"It's actually a blessing that I fell to 19th in the draft," says Randolph. "I didn't get the chance to show much in college so I don't think a lot of NBA coaches and scouts knew what I could do. In all of my pre-draft workouts I dominated, but not many people saw it."

The Blazers saw it, and so far at least, Randolph has made them look very, very good. The pleasure is all Zach's. He is very thankful to be with a team that wanted him from the outset.

"I've loved being a part of this organization so far, and I hope I'm here for a long time. Bob Whitsitt and Mark Warkentien are a couple of great guys who believe in me. That's a great feeling. I think God had this planned out for me."

Click here for Mike Barret's bio.

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