Road to the NBA: Charlie Westbrook

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is part two of The Volante’s two-part series about former Coyote basketball players. Last week, we covered a coach’s perspective on the road to the NBA, with former Coyote point guard Nate Tibbets.

Just a year ago, Charlie Westbrook was the starting point/shooting guard for the University of South Dakota. He was a standout player for the Coyotes for two seasons.

Now, the setting has changed. Westbrook, 23, is playing professional basketball in Europe. It’s all being done in pursuit of making it to the NBA.

Westbrook started playing basketball from a young age in his hometown of Milwaukee, Wis. He was taught by his mother, who was also a former player.

“(My mother) understood the game very well,” Westbrook said. “I just took to her and listened to everything she said.”

Westbrook said his mother teaching him the sport gave him the desire to play it professionally.

“I started to like it and started making it a habit and kind of an outlet for myself when I was younger,” Westbrook said.

Westbrook played basketball at Riverside University High School. His prep years in the sport eventually brought him to Iowa Western Community College.

Westbrook started being recruited by multiple schools during his time at Iowa Western. USD was one of the programs.

“We just saw him as a freshman,” head coach Dave Boots said. “(We) liked him, stayed in touch with him, followed him through his sophomore year and was able to get him to come up and visit in the spring. Charlie liked what he saw and ended up having a great career.”

USD assistant head coach Joey James was a former player for Iowa Western and had ties with the Reivers’ coaching staff. Still, James said work needed to be done in order for Westbrook to become a Coyote.

“We all made a connection with Charlie,” James said. “I think it thrilled everybody, and he enjoyed it…and we were fortunate enough to get him.”

Westbrook was noted by the staff for his natural gifts and how important they were to USD as the school transitioned into Division-I athletics.

“In the position that we were looking for, we knew we had to get more athletic and he was definitely one of those kids who was pretty electrifying when you watched him play,” James said. “He’s a superb athlete.”

Despite being the first junior college prospect landed by the staff, Westbrook stood out as the athletic point guard the team needed.

Westbrook said he came to USD in order to put himself in a better position as a pro prospect.

“USD put me in the best position as a basketball player,” Westbrook said.

Westbrook averaged 16.2 points a game as a junior and 18.7 as a senior for the Coyotes. He was seen as a scoring option for the team often, especially in big game situations and was able to start for USD right away.

“It felt great,” Westbrook said. “It felt great because they kind of had to look to me for big time plays or to produce a lot for our team to win and as a basketball player that’s what you want.”

Despite having only two years to play for the school, Westbrook ended up scoring over 1,000 career points. He also earned All-Summit second team honors in 2011-12 as a senior.

“I would have loved to have him all four years,” Boots said. “It would have been tremendous if he was here all four years.”

Westbrook still has a desire to play in the NBA. He discussed with coaches on the matter during his time in Vermillion.

“It’s like every kid’s dream,” James said. “Anybody who plays basketball as a kid, they’re growing up and once you…have the opportunity to play at the Division-I level, everybody wants to have that opportunity to play in the NBA. Very few actually get that opportunity, but he did express it.”

After his senior year, Westbrook went on to the Portsmouth Invitational, a draft camp where the top 64 seniors get scouted by all of the teams in the NBA. It led to Westbrook having multiple tryouts with teams.

“I did really well,” Westbrook said. “I flew around the whole summer and I worked out for teams, took physicals and all that different kind of stuff to show if I was the kind of point guard they wanted to invest in.”

The NBA Draft came along and Westbrook waited for his name to be announced. However, despite many teams calling him and saying they planned to draft him with their next pick, he was never selected.

“When pick 60 came around, my heart just dropped, because I thought it was over,” Westbrook said.

Although Westbrook went through the disappointment of being undrafted, he continued to pursue his dream. He said the Orlando Magic called him and offered him a spot on their Summer League squad.

His playing time with the Magic’s summer team earned him a chance to try out for the NBA once more. However, a guaranteed contract from Europe was also on the table.

Thinking of his family and the guarantee of playing professional basketball, Westbrook decided to sign a deal with Tezenis Scaligera of LegaDue in Italy.

Many changes had to be made in Westbrook’s life in order to play basketball in Verona, Italy. Westbrook said pro players in Europe are larger than he’s encountered before.

“I had to adjust to that, and I also had to adjust to playing against bigger guys, way bigger guys,” Westbrook said. “Some of these guys over here are 30, 32 years old. These are grown men.”

Westbrook said his coaches know English and are helped out by a translator on the team, but sometimes he still struggles to communicate with his team. Despite this, he stands out on a team that’s won four of their past five games, scoring 18 points or more in all of those games.

“I’m enjoying it,” Westbrook said.

He is also away from his family, an experience he has dealt with since going away for college.

“Living alone over here (in Italy) isn’t easy,” Westbrook said. “But I always think back to college, and how I got through four years and that’s what keeps me going.”

Westbrook said he still stays in touch with his mother and two siblings, using different modes of communication to speak with them.

“That’s what keeps me motivated,” Westbrook said. “Seeing their faces and them encouraging me to keep going.”

When Westbrook reflected on his career at USD, he expressed enjoyment of his time as a Coyote.

“It’s the best basketball experience I’ve ever had in my life,” Westbrook said. “I guess that it comes from hard work and just enjoying the game.”

Continued Interview by Gabe Mambo:

When I conducted interviews for my feature story on former University of South Dakota basketball player Nate Tibbetts, I spoke with people who were passionate about being Coyotes.

Many of the subjects in my interviews were no longer a part of USD athletics. Though they wore USD uniforms and did wonders for their respective programs, they had moved on from their college years.

Nate Tibbetts is in Cleveland now. He’s coaching the Cavaliers and trying to become a part of an organization with a bright future.

His brother Luke is an hour north, raising a family in Sioux Falls. The playing days of the Tibbetts brothers are finished. They’ve moved on to bigger things.

Charlie Westbrook, a former Coyote, is trying to make the NBA. Until the phone call is made, he’s spending his professional career in Italy.

Even I had a chance to move on from the USD. Vermillion was a place I was fond of, but other opportunities potentially awaited me.

Still, they remember their time at the school. Luke remembered not having to be the younger brother anymore when he spent his freshmen year at USD while his brother was a senior.

You never forget Vermillion, S.D. first. Even when you move on, the memories of being a Coyote endure throughout your life.

During my sophomore year, I was accepted to transfer to Howard University. Howard is a prestigious African-American institution in the nation’s capital.

My family wanted me to be there. Members of Howard’s admissions department waited on my confirmation to attend.

The choice seemed easy at first. However, after giving it all a second though, my decision became difficult.

In the end, I stayed at USD. I grew up in this state. My fraternity was here. If I had left, it wouldn’t have been for the right reasons.

I couldn’t forget where I came from. And so, I stayed here, wanting to have the full experience of being a Coyote.

You never forget where you came from.

Even though the Tibbetts brothers, Westbrook and other athletes are no longer in Vermillion, or even South Dakota, they probably wouldn’t have traded their time in college for the world either.

USD is a part of their lives forever. Being a Coyote is something that students here should be proud of, athlete or not.

When we graduate from this institution, we should engrave this school into our memories.

Our sports programs have gone through different changes throughout the years. USD athletes have gone on to pursue their dreams after having great careers in Vermillion.

Some athletes did things beyond belief. Matt Chatham, a former USD football player, has three Super Bowl rings with the New England Patriots. Several other gridiron standouts, like current Redskin Tom Compton, moved on to professional careers.

Others, like Nate Tibbetts, found their passions elsewhere. Some athletes decided to hang up the uniform and coach. A few more decided sports wasn’t their future in any way or form, and traveled down another path.

Regardless of what these athletes have done, they’re still connected with USD. They started somewhere, and we’ll remember them for it.

Our Coyotes Hall of Fame is a testament to that. We commemorate what our athletes do for us, because we care so much about their contributions to the school.

Our athletes should feel the same way. They should always remember their times as a Coyote, and forever love the days that they were young.