It may not be the highest-profile signing in the basketball offseason thus far, but the move of UNC alum Mike Copeland to Glasgow, Scotland, also came with a choice quote or two from the former Tar Heel.
Copeland was part of the star-studded 2008-09 University of North Carolina team that took the NCAA championship; in fact, Copeland never received much playing time at all in Chapel Hill, ultimately averaging just over one point and about 0.85 rebounds per game.
The North Carolina native makes for a study in perseverance, however: Copeland stayed with UNC for the entire four years of eligibility and, in seeking to pursue a professional career, reportedly wowed folks at the Eurobasket Summer League in Las Vegas this year. Glasgow Rocks coach Sterling Davis made note of Copeland’s “great leadership qualities” and the “positive energy” he brought to his team.
Copeland’s hard work paid off with a one-year contract from the Rocks, a sub-.500 team in 2008-09 billed as “Scotland’s only professional basketball team.” Terms of the contract were not disclosed, but the Winston-Salem Herald does report that Copeland “will receive the use of a car in addition to his salary.”
But the important bit of the Copeland signing was the man’s realism about the move. “I got lucky,” said Copeland. “[There are] a lot of guys still looking for jobs. This is a blessing.”
Indeed there are, as the Sacramento Bee reminds us with the story of still-unemployed Amit “Soft and Chunky” Tamir of Team Israel, a guy who was once making six figures’ worth of not-yet devalued American dollars…
