Brandon Roy, star and role model

The NBA should be thrilled that Brandon Roy was named its Rookie of the Year. What the basketball world should know about Roy, which Husky fans and the Pac-10 already know, is that Roy is a class act who worked hard to reach this moment.

Roy quietly led the University of Washington to three appearances in the NCAA tournament, and was an All-American his senior year. Not many Rookie of the Year winners can claim that many tournament appearances because most do not stay on campus long enough. Roy is the rare student-athlete who stayed for four years of college and plans to work on his nearly completed degree in the off-season. Roy's place atop all NBA newcomers was not a slam dunk. Roy publicly considered turning pro after a stellar career at Garfield High School. When only the Portland Trail Blazers, the team he later joined, offered him a tryout, Roy decided on the UW.

It was a wise choice by a wise athlete.

Roy was able to develop an NBA-ready game by going to college and staying for four years. His first-year pro averages of 16.8 points and 4 assists are the statistical proof. More important evidence of Roy's character and game is the freedom and leading role given the young star by former Sonics-coach-turned-Trail Blazer Nate McMillian.

Young players should study Roy's history and compare his career to players such as DeShawn Stevenson, who shunned the University of Kansas for the NBA.

Stevenson, like Roy, is an in-between guard who can play the point or two-guard positions. He did not develop with the Utah Jazz and averaged 6 points and 1.8 assists a game with the Washington Wizards this season.

Roy's long route to the NBA was the smart route. There is a good chance Roy would have wasted away at the end of a bench or have played in a far-flung league had he missed college or left the UW early. Instead, Roy has set himself up for a rich career in the NBA.