Rodman to the Hall of Fame

   There is going to be those that dispute his
enshrinement into the Basketball Hall of Fame,
but because of what he did on the court, Dennis
Rodman deserves to be there..
   In the early 1980's I worked in Radio/TV in the
Sherman/Denison area and was privileged to see
Dennis play as a college prospect.....
   But let me begin a lot earlier,...Dennis went to 
South Oak Cliff High School in Dallas, and was a
less than average player. His sophomore year he 
was listed at 5 foot 6 and cut from the basketball
team. By the time he was a senior he had grown to
5 foot 10, still nothing spectacular. In his own family
he was not the best basketball player. Rodman's two
sisters played on national contending college teams at
Louisiana Tech and Stephen F. Austin. After high
school he worked at various menial jobs before a
friend recommended him to the basketball coach at
Cooke County Junior College in Gainesville, Texas.
An average of 17 points per game got the attention
of other coaches and Rodman was given a scholarship
to Southeastern Oklahoma State in Durant, Oklahoma.
  This is where I came into the picture. Our TV station
covered the SEOS Savages and I had to work to get
Rodman to talk to me while the TV camera was over my
shoulder. Dennis had grown to 6 foot 10 by this time and
his slam-dunks never failed to arouse the 'standing room
only' crowds to attend Southeastern games. The shyness
finally went away and Rodman was extremely polite and accommodating to my interview requests after games. In 1986 he declared himself available for the NBA college draft and was the 27th player taken in the draft. The Detroit Pistons selected Rodman and I was suddenly overwhelmed by the requests from TV stations in Detroit for some video of their newest player. Dennis would go on to play for Detroit, San Antonio, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Dallas. When he finally retired his resume was impressive! He had played on 5 NBA Champion teams, 7 times he led the NBA in rebounding, 7 times led the NBA in blocked shots, and twice was the league's Defensive Player of the Year.
  It is a shame that most will remember Rodman for his tattoos, piercings, and colored hair,...but if you want to select a player for his basketball abilities, you have chosen the right player.. Rodman deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. Congratulations Worm !!