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Haverhill’s Noah Vonleh shares
NBA Draft experience
By Paul Lazdowski | GLOBE CORRESPONDENT JULY 03, 2014
CHUCK BURTON/ASSOCIATED PRESS
New Hornets P.J. Hairston (left) and Noah Vonleh pose with team jerseys during a post-draft
news conference last Friday in North Carolina
North

2. Noah Vonleh wanted to express his appreciation.
So at last Thursday’s 2014 NBA draft, held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the
18-year-old Haverhill native invited 40 of his biggest supporters.
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“He went back to the beginning,” said Renell Kumeh, when asked about her son’s
extensive guest list.
“He went and made his own invitation list, and so everyone who impacted his life
— one way or the other — that he felt needed to be there [was invited.] We did
have a big crowd, but it was because we needed to involve everyone who had been
in this process . . . it was very exciting to see everyone there.”
In addition to his mother and two younger sisters — Samnell, a rising 6-foot-3
senior center at Whittier Tech, and Aaronette — Vonleh hosted his first basketball
coach, Barry Spears Sr. of Georgetown, along with his friend and Spears’s
grandson, Johnnie.
He invited his Amateur Athletic Union coach from the Mass Rivals, Reading’s Vin
Pastore, who regularly put Vonleh through grueling, skill-building individual
workouts. Then there was Haverhill High coach Mike Trovato, who encouraged
Vonleh to transfer to New Hampton after his sophomore year so he could further
his development against stronger competition.
Vonleh’s mentor, Scott Hazelton, a former McDonald’s All-American and NBA
player, was also in Brooklyn, as were two of Vonleh’s former Rivals teammates:
Haverhill’s Saul Phiri and Roxbury’s Jalen Adams.
CONTINUE READING BELOW ▼
Together they celebrated in the NBA Draft Green Room after Vonleh was selected
ninth overall by the Charlotte Hornets.
“I was just proud and happy I was there to watch a kid reach his dream,” Trovato
said.
“I was really happy for him,” echoed Phiri, a 6-foot-4, 205-pound rising junior

3. guard at Worcester Academy, who played his freshman year under Trovato.
“It was, by far, my most exciting basketball time ever,” said Pastore, who also
teaches math at Central Catholic High in Lawrence. It was one of those points in
life. You can pick out a few critical points in your life where you were
overwhelmed with happiness, and that was one of them for me.”
For the 6-foot-10, 247-pound Vonleh, who possesses jaw-dropping physical
attributes. His arms stretch 7-foot-4 inches wide, and his hands measure nearly 12
inches, and the goal has always been to elevate his basketball skills to where they
match his frame.
Hours of practice earned him a scholarship to Indiana University and eventually a
spot in the 2013 McDonald’s All-American game.
During his impressive, yet inconsistent, single season as a Hoosier, Vonleh
averaged 11.3 points, 9 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks. His 19.4 total rebounding
percentage was among the nation’s best, and helped earn him Big 10 Conference
Freshman of the Year honors.
So when draft night arrived, Vonleh was at ease. No more tests, interviews, drills,
or games remained for him to complete and further influence the outcome.
“Noah tried to look at whatever was going to happen that night was meant to be,”
Pastore said. “Noah just really wanted to play in the NBA.”
After Boston selected Marcus Smart, a choice that disappointed local fans,
including those in his entourage, Vonleh was taken three picks later.
“I was actually kind of upset,” Phiri said of the Celtics’ decision. “I thought they
were going to get him at six, but it didn’t work out that way.”
And while the Celtics would have afforded Vonleh the chance to regularly play in
front of family and friends, it also might have been a challenging and distraction-
laden situation.
Charlotte might prove the better fit.

4. © 2014 BOSTON GLOBE MEDIA PARTNERS, LLC
Beyond being selected by Michael Jordan, the Hornets’ owner, Vonleh will be
mentored by assistant coach Patrick Ewing, a Hall of Fame center. Al Jefferson,
who jumped to the NBA — and the Celtics — from high school in 2004 and
became a first-time All-Star last season, along with ex-Hoosier Cody Zeller, will
also help ease Vonleh’s transition.
The NBA rookie acknowledged as much during his introductory call with
Charlotte news media.
“The Hornets are an up-and-coming organization in the NBA,” he said. “They’ve
got young guys like Kemba Walker, Cody Zeller, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Al
Jefferson also, and a few other young guys.”
With Charlotte coming off its first postseason berth in four years, Vonleh will not
be rushed. He can use his strengths — rebounding, shot blocking, and face-the-
basket perimeter offense — when he sees playing time, while continuing to hone
his weaknesses — like footwork, offensive post moves, and consistency — during
practices.
As for what he will immediately bring to the Hornets, Vonleh said: “I’ve got a great
work ethic and I will play hard from day one and try to make my way into the
rotation.”
It is this mindset — even hours after being drafted Vonleh was already talking with
friends and family during an early-morning celebratory dinner at an Italian eatery
outside Times Square about how he must improve — that could one day propel
him to NBA stardom.
Paul Lazdowski can be reached at pmlazdowski@gmail.com. Follow him on
Twitter at @plazdow.