June 29, 2005
With the 2005 NBA Draft over, there is still a lot of buzz and excitement for the two players the Portland Trail Blazers acquired. Below are some quotes from and about Martell Webster and Jarrett Jack.
Martell Webster
From Webster
on staying close to home:
"My family is very excited I will be close to home. It’s an easy commute definitely. They can come down to see me and I can fly up to see my family. It’s home."
on the new age requirement:
"I felt fortunate to be part of the last group of high school players that will be coming out. The new CBA agreement had no effect on my decision though. Even if it took place this year, I would have been happy to go to the University of Washington. But I feel fortunate to be a part of this rookie class."
on the statement he wants to make for being the in the last class of high schoolers:
"Basically, I want to go out there and be the best player I can be and show them that maybe high school players still have the ability to play in the NBA. That it’s a maturity issue. That if they’re ready to play, they’re ready play."
on percentage of fans that now know his name:
"I’m an underdog. I would say maybe 20-22%. Because coming here, at the hotel, they said that I was a lottery pick, in the top 10, but not that many people came in asking for autographs."
on his mindset:
"I thought about my mom and I thought about my grandmother, who instilled all her values in me," Webster said. "But my mindset to everything is that once a book's been written, you can't go back and change anything. And right now, I'm just looking ahead into my future."
on playing with the young guys on the Trail Blazers:
"I'm looking forward to playing with Sebastian and Travis. Throughout the course of our careers, we should be able to form a tight chemistry with one another."
on being picked before other high school senior Gerald Green:
"I'm definitely surprised. I thought he'd go 4 or 5. I had no idea where I was going today, anywhere between 1-8. And I was content with that."
What others are saying about Webster
Webster's grandmother:
"I felt like I was in orbit," she said. "And you know what Martell told me? He told me he's going to build a sanctuary for homeless kids. He told me, 'I'll never give up on any child because you never gave up on me.' "
Nash on Webster:
"We liked the maturity of Martell Webster," Nash said. "We like the character and we certainly need the shooting. Martell brings something that is sorely needed."
Nash received a phone call from Sebastian Telfair during the draft and Telfair said he was "delighted" with the pick.
"If we had kept the third pick, we would have drafted Martell Webster," Nash said. "He is a wonderful young man."
Jarrett Jack
From Jack
what skills of yours make you NBA ready:
"Just a lot of penetration; being able to put a lot of stress on defenses and find the open guys. Just coming in and trying to contribute any way I can."
on Nate Robinson's early take and the wait to be selected:
"I didn’t know where I was going. This Draft has been full of surprises all night. Definitely, that was one of them. I just kept cool and just wanted to wait my turn.
"I am thankful to go anywhere."
on the trade:
"It's a total surprise to me — even when the trade rumors started when I was walking backstage, and I was still in total shock," Jack said from New York. "I just got word of it, and I'm happy with it."
on bringing some leadership to the young team:
"I can definitely bring some leadership, they've got high school guys they drafted in previous years, and even their veterans are kind of young. So, I think we all can get this thing moving in the right direction."
on playing with Telfair:
"I head to Portland Wednesday morning and I'm anxious to get playing with him. He is one of the exciting young guys in the league."
What others are saying about Jack
ESPN analyst Dick Vitale:
"He was a catalyst," ESPN analyst Dick Vitale said on the draft's broadcast. "Unfortunately, he had to play in the shadow of the national guys like Paul and Felton."
ESPN's Jay Bilas:
"He's big and strong, and he can really get into you and guard you in a physical manner."
Trail Blazers' GM John Nash:
"Jack was the guy we wanted," general manager John Nash said. "We were kind of targeting those teams in the 20s, recognizing that Jack was still on the board."
"I'm not so sure (Telfair) is so happy about the competition he's gonna get from Jarrett," Nash said. "He will come in and give Sebastian Telfair a run for the money."
"Jarrett Jack had a tremendous career against ACC competition," Nash said. "Jack was a guy in the equation. Jack was somebody we talked about internally."
Video of Webster
Video of Jack
2005 Draft Central
