| Myrtle Beach's Best Authored by Nicholas Creech - February 24, 2009 - 4:30 pm
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Then, in the course of 24 hours, everything changed. On January 25th, word came that Redd's knee injury was more severe than initially expected, and that the Ohio State alumnus would miss the remainder of the season after tearing the MCL and ACL in his left knee. Already hindered by an injury to former number one pick Andrew Bogut, the Bucks could ill-afford to lose their leading scorer as well.
Down two starters and with Chicago, New York, Philadelphia and New Jersey nipping on their heels, the Bucks seemed destined to fall back into lottery contention. However, almost a month later, Milwaukee maintains their unlikely hold onto the eight seed in the East. With a roster featuring well known commodities like Bogut, Redd, Charlie Villanueva and Richard Jefferson, Milwaukee’s recent success should be attributed, in large part, to the play of a scarcely known second round draft pick in only his second season.
Growing up in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, a town renowned for its tourist traps and biker rallies, it is not hard to see why Ramon Sessions has grown accustomed to being overlooked. Despite leading Myrtle Beach High to the 2002 South Carolina 3A state title and being named the 2004 South Carolina 3A Player of the Year, Sessions remained in the shadow of fellow Palmetto State prep-stars Ra'Sean Dickey and Zam Frederick. While Dickey and Frederick garnered national attention after committing to Georgia Tech following the Yellow Jackets' appearance in the 2004 National Championship game, Sessions resisted the urge to sign at a Florida or Louisville—two programs that reportedly showed sizable interest in inking the 6’3” lead guard. Instead, he opted to enroll to enroll at the University of Nevada-Reno, following the team’s unexpected run to the Sweet Sixteen the previous year.
Over the next three seasons Sessions would play an invaluable role, starting in all but three games during his run with the Wolfpack. However, despite leading his team to back-to-back-to-back appearances in the NCAA tournament, Sessions remained in relative unknown, as focus centered on then-teammate Nick Fazekas, who enamored pro scouts with his size and outside shooting. Following his junior season, Sessions made the decision to enter the 2007 NBA draft, and, even though he received no promises, hoped to land a spot in the first round and a guaranteed contract. Things did not work out as planned and come draft night Sessions would hear fifty-five other names called—including fellow point guards Petteri Koponen, Jared Jordan and Taurean Green—before he was finally selected by the Milwaukee Bucks.
Life as a second-round rookie in the NBA can prove to be tough, and—as could be expected—things grew worse before they got better when he became the first player of the 2007 draft class assigned to the NBA Developmental League. The native South Carolinian was left to toil in obscurity with the NBDL's Tulsa 66ers before he was eventually recalled to the Bucks shortly after the start of 2008. After seeing limited action throughout his first few months in the league, Sessions finally found a spot in the rotation when a rash of injuries struck the Bucks' backcourt, leaving minutes available for the taking. Sessions seized the opportunity and, starting in place of Mo Williams, averaged 13.1 points, 13.1 assists and 5.6 rebounds over Milwaukee's final seven games, including a franchise record 24 dimes against Chicago. Despite the gaudy numbers, Sessions would once again remain virtually unheard of outside Milwaukee, as the Bucks lost their final eight games of the '07-'08 season.
Even after losing Mo Williams to Cleveland via trade last summer, expectations remained high that Sessions would be able to step in and help lead a young, talented Bucks squad back into the Eastern conference play-offs; however, Sessions was forced to overcome yet another barrier when he was informed of first year head coach Scott Skiles’ decision to with journeyman Luke Ridnour to start the season. Despite putting up respectable numbers in a reserve role, Sessions would see a steady decline in his minutes over the early course of the season, eventually falling to number three, behind Ridnour and Tyronn Lue, on Skiles' depth chart. Throughout December and most of January, Sessions failed to play more than thirty minutes once, leaving many Milwaukee fans to wonder why their promising young point guard was failing to see the court. Once again it appeared as though Sessions would become an afterthought to the Buck’s once-promising season.
Adversity would lead to opportunity for Sessions, as Michael Redd’s injury created a void in the Buck’s starting five. Prior to the team's January 26th game against Minnesota, Skiles made the decision to reinsert Sessions into the starting line-up. Not wanting to fall out of Skiles’ favor twice in one season, the second year guard has responded to his increase in minutes, seemingly picking up where he left off last year. Sessions is averaging 19.5 points and 6.8 assists in the twelve games since Redd's injury, including a stretch of five games, following an injury to Luke Ridnour, where he averaged 22.8 ppg, 9.4 apg, 5.6 rpg, 53% fg, 1.6 spg (highlighted by a 44 point 12 assist effort against Detroit). More importantly, Sessions has the Bucks sitting at a respectable 6-6—including wins against Eastern conference foes Indiana, Atlanta, Toronto and Detroit—since Redd's injury and a game and a half ahead of the Chicago Bulls for the eight seed in the East.
Although a playoff berth for the Bucks still seems unlikely, Sessions has already begun to turn numerous heads around the league with his recent performances. Postseason or not, the word is officially out on Ramon Sessions, so don't expect to see him slip silently into the shadows....again.
Nick Creech is a contributing writer from Atlanta, Georgia, and can be reached at NDC121085@gmail.con |
