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O.G. Anunoby --- a 2016 graduate of Jefferson City High School, shown here playing for the Indiana Hoosiers during a game against Michigan --- still believes he can be a Top 10 pick in next month's NBA draft, despite of the knee injury he suffered in January.

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May 18, 2017

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. --- O.G. Anunoby is a reserved, thoughtful, soft-spoken young man, certainly a man of few words.

If he said any less, he wouldn't say anything at all. That's okay ... it's a refreshing change from so many of today's loud, chest-pounding athletes.

Or in some cases, loud, chest-pounding dads. Take LaVar Ball ... please.

Anunoby's play on the basketball court speaks volume, it's loud, clear and unmistakable. He is a highlight reel waiting to happen.

It's not been without some serious bumps in the road, however, as Anunoby suffered a devastating, season-ending knee injury in January during his sophomore season with the Indiana Hoosiers.

"I was trying to get an offensive rebound," Anunoby said, "and I got pushed a little from the back. And I felt a pop."

While he said it wasn't really painful, he knew immediately it wasn't good. And he was right --- a torn ACL in his right knee.

Anunoby then had to do something he's not accustomed to doing --- sitting and watching. As it turned out, the Hoosiers collapsed without their offensively explosive an defensive dominate 6-8, 230-pound wing, who'd grown into a regular on ESPN's Top 10.

"That was definitely tough, I wanted to be out there helping my team," he said during our one-on-one interview. "We'd been working hard all year and then to see the results that happened, happen ... it was hard."

IU coach Tom Crean was fired after the season but ultimately, neither Anunoby's injury nor Crean's firing had little impact on his decision --- his decision to declare for the NBA draft.

After successful surgery and during his ongoing rehab --- and the assurance from doctors he will return to 100 percent --- he's convinced he's ready for the NBA.

"I'm getting better every day," Anunoby said, adding how huge his family's support has been during this process. "Playing in the NBA is something I've always wanted to do, it's been my dream since I was 8 or 9. The speed of the game, people will be bigger, stronger, faster. Most everyone's huge, but still really athletic.

"But I think I'm ready."

Anunoby, a 2016 graduate of Jefferson City High School, has been told as much by NBA scouts. But while he was once considered a lottery pick, most believe Anunoby will now go in the middle of the first round. He's hoping for better.

"I still think I can go Top 10, depending on the team," he said. "It can happen."

Anunoby was in Chicago attending the NBA combines during our conversation. Obviously, Anunoby can't go through the physical workouts --- he's still weeks away from even running --- but he's getting mental workouts through a series of interviews, which can include some strange, psychologically-driven questions

"I know some other players got some odd ones, but I didn't get any super-weird ones," he said. "But it's been a cool experience."

He hasn't decided if he'll attend the draft, which will be held June 22 in New York. But wherever he is, just to hear these words ... 

With the (blank) pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, the (blank) select O.G. Anunoby, forward, Indiana University.

What a feeling.

"It will be really exciting," he said. "All the hard work will have paid off."

Anunoby still rehabbing knee, but
says he's ready for move to NBA