NEW YORK, May 11, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Majestic Mapp, with perhaps the finest name in all of basketball, is anxiously looking forward to getting back on the proverbial radar screen of some NBA scouts this summer. The homegrown former McDonald's All-American guard out of Harlem's St. Raymond's High has endured a long and often seemingly never-ending journey on the road to his dream of excelling in the NBA. At the height of his collegiate career, he was the starting point guard for the Virginia Cavaliers; at the depth, he was working countless hours rehabbing a torn right ACL that he suffered in a pick-up game at St. Raymonds. The injury cost him five surgeries, his scholarship at the ACC powerhouse, and two years off of the court.
It would take much more to keep Magic, as his friends know him, away from the game he lives, loves and breathes. Never one to walk away from the love of his life, Magic has worked three times harder than most just to earn a shot. Magic fully recuperated his knee, sought and obtained a rare fifth year of eligibility from the NCAA (based on medical hardship), and went on to eventually become a feature player and earn all-conference honors at the smaller D-II University of West Georgia.
Magic "possesses all of the talent necessary to excel in the NBA, and his knee is as strong as it was before the injury," says Barry Benzing of Empire Professional Sports Management in Manhattan. "His doctors and therapists have given him the greenlight with no caveats and no asterisks, and most importantly, he feels great."
Mapp returns home to Manhattan this week after finishing his academics at West Georgia. He will be working out regularly with local pro trainers continuing to perfect his game -- which yielded a 19-point average this past season, and maintaining his strength and agility. "The ultimate goal," says the 6'2" Mapp, "is to be on an NBA all-star squad, and I won't stop until I achieve that goal."