SportsBender Exclusive: Wittman Deems NBA Hoop Dreams as Ticket Out of Projects

Ithaca, NY--Countless basketball players around the world relentlessly compete for the singular dream of a better life as an NBA star. Cornell's sensational senior forward, Ryan Wittman, undoubtedly ranks amongst the most dedicated and talented amateur hoopsters in America. The two-time first-team Ivy League selection averages an impressive 17.6 points per game to guide the Big Red to an astonishing 23-4 overall record this season. Similar to his fellow hoops' hopefuls, the brainy Business major hopes the NBA will serve as his ticket out of projects once and for all.

As the son of former Hoosier legend and NBA role player, Randy Wittman, Ryan has dreamed his entire life of achieving similar hoops fortune and fame. The "young" Wittman was exposed firsthand to a lifestyle of beautiful women, fast cars, and lavish houses. However, Wittman's father attempted to nurture an affinity for classic art, music and literature in Ryan, while positively encouraging the child to pursue a variety of interests and hobbies. Eventually the lack of pressure became unbearable for Ryan. During a one-sided argument between son and father, the high school hoopster firmly put his sneaker down, "Playing basketball with the Indiana Pacers may have been the opportunity of your lifetime, but I want your life."

The Big Red sharpshooter from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, knows all too well the horror stories of unfulfilled athletic aspirations. Wittman witnessed the devastating rise and fall of local hockey prodigy Adam Banks, from neighboring Edina, Minnesota. After leading the Mighty Ducks to a District 5 title and the Junior USA Team to gold versus the heavily-favored goons from Iceland, Banks garnered considerable success at local hockey power, Eden Hall Academy. However, a recurring wrist injury forced the "cake-eater" to give up hockey forever. Tragically, the injury has confined Banks to an eight-figure salary as the CEO of Great Clips, in Edina. The former Duck remains haunted by his unrealized puck pipedream, "Every time I step onto my private jet, I am reminded of where I was going and what my life could have been. Every night I pray that the next morning I'll wake up and the pain will be totally gone."

Wittman hopes to follow fellow Ivy League greats Bill Bradley, Chris Dudley, Matt Maloney, and Jerome Allen, by making a name for himself on the NBA's "road less traveled" (Interestingly, Frost, also an Ivy-League product). Allen serves as the only player drafted from the cranial conference during the past two decades. The immortal Ken Bantum ranks as the last Big Red refugee, drafted in 1985. However, Bantum benefited from a seven-round selection system, as opposed to today's two-round round-ball rumble. The draft remains an unlikely destination for the "Great Witt Hope," but the savvy scorer uses the critics' doubts to fuel his professional pursuit.

Invariably, Wittman hopes his final semester at Cornell will punch his ticket out of projects, forever. The senior's sights remain firmly fixed below higher education. Unlike a majority of Cornell graduates, who will spend their lives wondering where their next Pulitzer will come from, Wittman dreams of a life free from Old English, stock dealers, the paper chase, and chronic burnout.

References:
Cornell University. "2009-2010 Men's Basketball Roster: Ryan Wittman," http://cornellbigred.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=11705&path=mbball.
Dapwell. "Varsity Blues Clip: I Don't Want, Your Life," http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_I8ucLNE5WM.
ESPN. "Cornell Big Red," http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/clubhouse?teamId=172.
Historical draft information provided by www.statsheet.com.