When Antoine Hood searched for an Air Force Academy alum who might advise him on how to handle pro basketball, the best he came up with was an NFL defensive end.
Hood settled for the Seattle Seahawks’ Bryce Fisher because if the 6-foot-4 guard makes the NBA, he would be the first former Falcon to do so.
The Nuggets selected Tom Schneeberger in the ninth round of the 1978 draft, but the forward did not make the cut. Members of the Air Force sports information office could not recall even a predraft workout for an AFA player since. Air Force’s all-time leading scorer, guard Raymond Dudley, declined a workout offer with San Antonio in 1990.
So when Hood took to the floor at the Pepsi Center’s practice gym Sunday with Syracuse’s Gerry McNamara, Stanford’s Chris Hernandez and San Diego State’s Brandon Heath, he carved out a small piece of history for his school.
“I’m trying to be the new wave, so to speak, to let people know that academies have talent, too,” Hood said.
Though the Nuggets’ brass declined to comment on individual players, Hood said he would have liked to hit more shots. He confessed that former Nuggets coach Jeff Bzdelik, his college coach, would have been mad at him for a few false defensive moves. But in general, he said, “Coach did a great job of preparing me. The academy did a great job of preparing me for these kinds of environments, you- versus-the-world kind of thing.”
Hood remains a longshot to make the NBA, but his agent is setting up more workouts. Bzdelik won’t count him out. Air Force’s coach cited his guard’s ability to catch and shoot with NBA 3-point range, drive and finish close to the basket, defend and play with high energy.
Bzdelik also pointed out that Hood held Illinois star Dee Brown, whose draft stock is rising, to one field goal in the Falcons’ first-round NCAA Tournament loss to the Illini in March.
“I’ve been around players for 30 years,” Bzdelik said in a telephone interview. “He is as mature as you will ever find – ever find, regardless of age. Forget the age. Age has nothing to do with maturity. You just have to know the academy and what these young men have experienced that has prepared them for tough situations and challenges.”
One short-term challenge for Hood will be to negotiate how to handle his military service. Most AFA graduates owe the government five years of active service, though Fisher was granted the chance to serve two years of active duty that did not interfere with his football career and nine years in the reserves, according to the Tacoma News Tribune.
“I feel I can be a great ambassador for the Air Force playing basketball,” Hood said. “I’m totally comfortable with serving my country. The things the academy has done for me, the opportunities it’s presented for me, I owe them everything.”
Bad day at the office
McNamara, who played with Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony at Syracuse, was unsparing in his self-analysis after the workout, saying: “Everyone has bad days. I hope they just know I’m better than I played. I really played as poor as I could play. This is probably the worst I’ve played in a few years. It is disappointing. When I looked at this workout, I really wanted to play well here, because I would like to play with Carmelo again.”
The guard added that with Anthony out of town, he did not receive any preworkout advice.
Adam Thompson can be reached at 303-820-5447 or athompson@denverpost.com.
