After an outstanding prep career where he was named a McDonald’s All American and Mr. Basketball in the State of New York, Tobias Harris spent his lone season of college at the University of Tennessee before being selected 19th overall this June. First selected by the Bobcats before being trading to the Bucks on Draft Night, the Dix Hills, N.Y. native is ready to go. So after following his career since before he even entered high school, we decided there was no one better to turn to for the inside scoop on the life of an NBA rookie. In his initial entry, the man they call “All Business” talks about being drafted, his summer workout routine and how he’s spent the lockout so far.
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It’s been a pretty busy time since being drafted. The night of the draft I had to fly straight to Milwaukee to do a press conference with Coach Skiles, John Hammond and Jon Leuer. From there I got a chance to go back home and hang with the family and celebrate all the hard work and success.
At first I was skeptical of going to the draft since I wasn’t selected for the green room, but I knew not many people get this opportunity so why not take full advantage of it. When my name was called, it was definitely a relief and just a blessing from God. I put in a lot of hard work to get to where I am at today and it has paid off. My parents were so proud, and as a child, sometimes you don’t realize how happy they are, but I have to give them a ton of credit for raising me to become who I am today. I also have to thank my brothers and sisters, because without them I wouldn’t be where I’m at today.
Now that the lockout has officially hit everyone keeps asking me, “What am I gonna do?” or “How does this effect me.” Truthfully, it doesn’t affect me much right now. I’m going to continue to work my butt off everyday. I believe this is a chance for me to continue to get better, continue to have my body grow and get bigger and stronger.
Right now I’m home and training with my trainers Britton Kelley, Jay Hernandez and Long Island Boxing Gym. My average day consists of waking up at 8 to workout with Britton, then from there going over to Jay getting in a great workout. From there, I’ll make an appearance at a local camp to talk to the kids and interact with them before coming home to take a nap before heading over to Long Island Boxing Gym at 4 to train with my guy Eddie.
This summer, I’ve also been coaching a U11 girls team and practice with them from 6-7:30. It’s a long day, but it’s great to have things that keep me occupied and that I enjoy them.
Until next time…
Follow Tobias on Twitter at @tobias31.
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