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“I asked him, ‘Do you think I can play AAU ball,’ ’’ said Carney, reconstructing a conversation that went against the grain of most budding high school stars. “He said ‘Well, really it’s up to you, but AAU will hurt you more than it will help you.’ ”

“I didn’t know. I was just following the coach's advice, so I worked for him that summer instead of playing AAU. It helped my game because I became a more sound, disciplined player. He taught me to think more about team ball.”

Calipari took it from there at Memphis, watching Carney blossom from a role player into a mainstay.

“Rodney went through the growth of this program,” explained Coach Cal, who believes the reason Carney fell out of the Lottery to No. 16 in the draft is because NBA teams are too enamored with size and 6-7, 205 lb. Rodney didn’t fit that mold.

Mentally, he went through so much during the four years he spent at Memphis — an advantage to staying in school. Carney had the “green light” to shoot, but was never afraid to defer to his teammates. While at Memphis, his team averaged 25 wins.

Having watched him play over the past four years, as well as talking extensively with Calipari, the Sixers ultimately decided Rodney Carney was just the player that they were looking for in the 2006 Draft. In spite of a scheduled workout in Philadelphia being short-circuited by an ankle injury, the Sixers continued to have interest in Carney.

After first selecting guard Thabo Sefalosha with their own No. 13 pick, Philadelphia made a Draft Night trade for Carney’s rights. While the actual deal, swapping Carney’s rights for the rights to Sefalosha plus a 2007 No. 2 pick wasn’t immediately announced, Carney had been clued in something was up. “Actually, at the table I knew Chicago was picking for Philly,” he revealed, after finally hearing his name called. “As soon as my name was called, my agent told me. He said ‘Chicago’s picking for Philly.’

“That was kind of crazy.”

So was having to shake hands with Commissioner David Stern wearing a Bulls’ cap. It wasn’t until a few interviews later that Carney finally got to don a Sixers hat and talk about the prospect of playing alongside Allen Iverson.

Five months later that fantasy has become a reality. After a hectic summer preparing for the grind ahead, Carney went through his first NBA training camp. With training camp being located in Europe, it was Carney’s first ever experience in a foreign land.

“It was kind of incredible,” he gushed about the time he and his new teammates spent in Spain and Germany as part of NBA Europe Live. “Every day was around 80 degrees and the scenery was great. At one point, we went to the top of a mountain for a team picture. We could see the whole city – I didn’t realize it was that big.”

While there were distractions with many locals growing in numbers around the NBA players of which they are not used
to seeing, Carney never lost sight of his purpose being there.

“You never forgot you were there for basketball,'' said Carney with a smile. “It was on our minds the entire time — especially me being a rookie”

Carney found that training camp in college differed from training camp in the NBA.

“Training camp was much different than I had thought it would be. We were practicing hard every day for two to three hours.”

Carney’s other adjustment will undoubtedly have to come at the defensive end where he knows — at least until he builds a reputation — he’ll seldom get the benefit of the doubt from the officials.

“The way the rules are now, you can’t touch anyone,” lamented Carney, whom Calipari believes has the potential to lead the league in steals if he gets the minutes. “For rookies, forget it. You have to use team defense and rely on your teammates. You can try to stay in front of guys, but as soon as they lean towards your body you have to give 'em leeway.”

Much like the philosophy of his college coach, Carney is again in a system where defense will be a determining factor in how many minutes each player earns.

“You had to play defense. If you got beat you were coming out,” said Carney of his experience under Coach Calipari.

Carney learned a great deal from Calipari and expects no less from Cheeks, the sparkplug of this franchise’s last championship team back in 1983. “He was an old school point guard and he had a monster of a team,” said Carney, who’s wearing No. 25 since his old college number 10, belongs to Cheeks and it hangs in his honor from the Wachovia Center rafters.

“What Coach Cheeks has emphasized is - once you get out there, you want to wreak some havoc, get some tipped balls, get in the passing lanes, take charges, and dive on the floor for loose balls.”

Realizing that he has reached another level in his basketball career, Carney knows that he has to play at his best every time he steps out onto the hardwood.

“Now you have to really step up your ‘A’ game at all times because everyone in this league is good — even the person on the end of the bench,” said Carney. Born to run and jump, the days Rodney Carney found himself on the end of the bench ended back in eighth grade — by which time he could already dunk. Now that he’s a Sixer, the future seems brighter than ever.

“It’s a pleasure to be here,” he said simply. “I’m just really grateful I’m on the team with Allen (Iverson), Chris (Webber), and Andre (Iguodala). They can give me some great pointers on what to do and what not to do.”

Likewise, Maurice Cheeks, Billy King and the rest of the Sixers are anxious to see how the pride of Memphis by way of Indianapolis grows as a player in the NBA in his rookie season and in years to come.

This story was originally published in the December, 2006 Issue of Drive: The Magazine. To order this issue click here, or to subscribe to the magazine, click here.