原文出处： http://0rz.net/a71BF -- Many young basketball players grow up dreaming about playing for their hometown NBA team. Shooting hoops in the driveway, they pretend to be the star player, the one who is always on the front page of the local newspaper. Even the very few who actually make it to the NBA usually end up playing far from home. But Curtis Withers is different. He is playing for the Charlotte Bobcats, his hometown team, for the duration of the Orlando Summer League, which starts July 10. 许多年轻的篮球员从小都带着希望将能来为家乡的NBA球队打球的梦想长大，他们在家 中车道投篮，假装自己是个总是占据了地方报纸头版的明星球员。即使其中的极少数人真 能挤进NBA的窄门，他们通常还是只能为距离家乡相当遥远的球队效力。但C.Withers不一 样，他将在7月10日开始的奥兰多夏季联赛期间为家乡的球队夏洛特山猫打球。 “It’s a dream come true,” Withers said. “I’m playing professional basketball, and I’m still at home. There aren’t many guys who can say that.” Withers说"美梦成真了，我在打职业篮球，而且我仍住在家里，没有很多球员能这样 的。" Withers, 21, is a native of Charlotte. He was a standout player at West Charlotte High School and was the Charlotte Observer Player of the Year as a high school junior, when he averaged 19.4 points and 11.0 rebounds. 21岁的Withers是土生土长的夏洛特人，他就读於西夏洛特高中时就是一个杰出的篮球 员，而且在高二时以平均每场比赛19.4分、11篮板的优异成绩当选了"年度夏洛特观测者球 员"。 Although he was recruited by other programs, he decided to play college basketball for his hometown school, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He averaged 14.9 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists during his four-year career, including 16.1 points and 11.3 rebounds with 18 double-doubles his senior season. 尽管还有其他学校向他招手，但他仍决定就读家乡的学校 - 北卡罗来纳夏洛特分校。 他四年的大学篮球生涯平均每场比赛可以拿下14.9分、8.9个篮板和1.8次助攻，尤其大四 这一年，他平均得分和篮板更是飙高至16.1分和11.3个，其中还包括18次单场两个双位数 的优异表现。 Despite his college success, the 6-8 forward went undrafted in last week’s NBA Draft, thus automatically becoming a free agent and able to sign with any team he wanted. 尽管大学篮球生涯表现优异，这位6尺8寸高的前锋在上周的NBA选秀会仍未获得任何球 队青睐，因而自动成为一个自由球员，拥有和任何一支喜欢的球队签约的权力。 “Not being drafted was a humbling experience,” Withers said. “It let me know that you are never done working; you always have to stay at the gym and be resilient.” Withers说"没被任何一支球队挑中是个令人挫折的经验，那让我知道自己还有所不足 ，还必须待在体育馆里认真训练并保持充沛的精力。" Although he was disappointed, Withers has made the best of his situation in Charlotte. He tries to listen to everything the coaches say and improve upon all aspects of his game. 虽然他很失望，Withers还是为自己在夏洛特找到了最好的出路。他尝试听取教练们所 传授的每件事情，藉以增进自己对於比赛各方面的能力。 “It’s been a big learning experience for me,” he said. “[The Bobcats coaching staff] is showing me what I can do in the NBA.” 他说"那对我来说是个珍贵的学习经验，山猫教练团队让我知道自己能在NBA里做些什 麽。" Because Charlotte is home to him, Withers is comfortable in his surroundings, more so than the other players who have traveled cross-country to participate in the mini-camp. Summer League Head Coach John-Blair Bickerstaff has noticed, and he believes that it has helped Withers on the court. 因为夏洛特是Withers的家乡，所以他对於周遭环境感到相当熟悉而舒适，比其他那些 离家远行，横越好几个州甚至国家去参加夏季联赛的球员们还幸运的多。夏季联赛的总教 练JB Bickerstaff已经注意到，这熟悉感将对Withers在场上的表现有正面的帮助。 “Curtis brings toughness and energy,” Bickerstaff said. “He doesn’t have a problem being physical and setting screens. His teammates appreciate him for it , and that’s what this is all about.” Bickerstaff说"Withers为球队带来拼斗精神和活力，他不介意有激烈的身体对抗也愿 意为队友进行掩护，他的队友们都很感激他的贡献，而我认为那就是他应得的。" Not only is Withers familiar with his environment, but he is familiar with some of his teammates as well. He played USA Basketball with Sean May and Adam Morrison, and together they captured the gold medal in the 2004 USA World Championship for Young Men Qualifying Tournament. The knowledge of his teammates’ games has helped Withers better display his strengths for the good of the team. 让Withers倍感亲切的不只是环境而已，他和某几位队友也一样亲密。他曾和香妹及A. Morrison一起为美国男篮效力，而且在'04年美国世界男篮锦标赛青年组中勇夺金牌。他队 友们的篮球知识已经帮助Withers更懂得如何展现自己的优势，为球队贡献所长。 “The more you play with someone, and the more you are around somebody, then the more they understand you,” Bickerstaff said. “In basketball, it’s all about being understood and [teammates] knowing who you are and what your role is. Curtis has been a good fit with his teammates, and I think that’s very important.” Bickerstaff说"你越常和某个人一起打球，越常待在他身边，他们就会越了解你。在 篮球界也是如此，这是普遍为大家所接受的。队友们会知道你是个怎样的人，扮演什麽样 的脚色。Withers和队友们相处融洽，而我认为那是相当重要的。" Like most of the Bobcats Summer League roster, Withers has his sights set on a bigger goal: solidifying a spot on the Bobcats roster. 就像山猫夏季联赛球员名单上的大部分人，Withers把他的目光设定在更高远的目标上 ：在山猫正式球员名单上占有一席之地。 “He has a pretty good chance,” Bickerstaff said. “He’s done a good job. It’s just a matter of us determining what we need for the upcoming season.” Bickerstaff说"他有相当大的机会，他表现得很好，接下来我们只要坐下来好好想清 楚下个球季球队的需求。" “I just try to do things that other guys don’t do,” Withers said. “I also do things that everyone else does, but I try to do them better. I set screens; I crash the boards every time. I am an animal on the court.” Withers说"我只是试图做到其他球员不做的事，我也会去做其他每个人都做的事，只 不过我会试着做得比他们更好。我为队友掩护并尽全力拼抢篮板，我在场上就像一头饥渴 的野兽。" From shooting hoops in his Charlotte driveway to shooting hoops in Charlotte Bobcats Arena, Withers is a Charlotte star, just like those he grew up watching . 从夏洛特家中的私人车道投篮一路投进山猫球场的篮框，Withers是一个夏洛特的在地 英雄，就像那些他从小看到大的明星球员一样。 --

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