As Hoosier fans, we know this feeling. Just two years ago, one of our all-time favorites didn’t hear his name called at the NBA Draft. But somehow you just knew that wasn’t the end of the NBA story for Yogi Ferrell. Some athletes just have a tenacity about them that leads you believe they’ll always find a way. And that is exactly what happened with the former IU point guard. Ferrell just completed his second year with the Dallas Mavericks and averaged 27 minutes a game this season.
Fast forward two years to today, and another Hoosier legend suffered a draft-night disappointment. As you have likely heard, Tyra Buss was not selected in last night’s WNBA draft. With only 12 teams and 3 rounds, the bar was certainly high. Some projections had her as a 3rd round pick, but the general consensus seemed to be that Buss would go undrafted.
Buss likely heard the same concerns that Ferrell heard two years ago related to their size. Her size was certainly never an obstacle while playing for Indiana. She averaged 20.6 points, 4.7 assists and 3.0 rebounds as a senior, and led the Hoosiers to the WNIT championship.
Ever the fighter, the IU all-time leading scorer, and leader in just about every other statistical category was already looking forward. And she isn’t going it alone:
God's plan is always the best??
— Tyra Buss (@tbuss3) April 13, 2018
Perhaps sensing the connection to their stories, Ferrell offered words of encouragement:
your time is coming!! keep working https://t.co/45DaTmgvcy
— Kevin Yogi Ferrell (@YogiFerrell11) April 13, 2018
We asked her father, Tim Buss, for his reaction to the draft and for thoughts on Tyra’s next steps:
“Disappointing. We knew it was a long shot but felt Tyra was good enough to get drafted. We will now wait and see if a team signs her to their training camp. We should know soon if that happens. If that doesn’t happen, she will play overseas. We will work with her agent to find the best place for her overseas.”
Training camp, overseas, or wherever the journey takes her, we’ve seen enough by now to know that this is just the beginning. The fighters always find a way. And if the journey starts out in another country, they had better be on the lookout for candy stripes — because Hoosier Nation always finds a way too. Especially when it comes to one of their all-time favorites.
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