Sports agent Gary Shipman of Wilmington had been representing football players seeking to go pro for several years when he decided he'd try to crack the NBA market. He wanted to land an athlete likely to be a lottery pick, and there was one just up the road in Fayetteville -- Dennis Smith Jr.
At that point, Smith was a rising senior at Trinity Christian, and the buzz around the point guard was red hot.
Shipman said a friend of his who is a veteran of the college basketball recruiting scene told him he should just stick to football.