the GREEN TEAM'S Kevin GARNETT...BIG TICKET..the KID...KG...he didn't want to go straight to the LOGO but he had to...The Story of KEVIN MAURICE GARNETT...the C's...KG

Just southeast of Greenville, South Carolina on the 185 Freeway called Golden Strip Freeway there is a town called Mauldin, South Carolina. Population of Mauldin as of 2011...15,000 plus people. Not much going on in these parts but it the home of one Kevin Garnett. Yeah..that Kevin Garnett drafted right out of high school by the Minnesota TIMBERWOLVES and arguably the best HS Players in the land his senior year.

The $250 plus million question....How did Kevin rise out of the Shadows of Small Town USA. Talent Scout Bob Gibbons of Lenoir North Carolina reportedly was going to see another kid in Garnett's Neck of the Woods named Mikki Moore of Orangeburg, South Carolina. And on their way to see Mikki the guy in the car with Gibbons was telling him about a Skinny 6'10" kid that you must see. He is gamer the driver said...all that...so Gibbons and the young man turned the car around and went to see 17 Year Old junior Kevin Maurice Garnett.

What Gibbons saw reportedly maybe the best HS Junior in the US in the High School Ranks...No Doubt. After seeing Kevin word got out and KEV was on the national scene playing against the Top Rated HS Ballers in his 1995 Class like....

Chauncey Billups Denver Co George WASHINGTON HS CELTICS Top 5 Pick
Sharef Abdur-Rahim Marietta GA WHEELER HS Vancouver Top 5 Pick
Vince Carter Daytona Beach FLA MAINLAND HS Toronto Top 5 Pick
Stephon Marbury Brooklyn NY LINCOLN HS Minnesota Top 5 Pick
Paul Pierce Inglewood CA INGLEWOOD HS Celtics Top 10 Pick
Ron Mercer Nashville TEN/Mouth of WILSON VA Oak Hill Academy Celtics Top 5 Pick
Antwaan Jamison Charlotte NC PROVIDENCE HS Top 5 Pick Warriors

You know some of those guys right. Some of these guys not drafted in the same year. And Garnett continued his onslaught in the Summer of his senior year by going up the Ranks and becoming the #1 Player in this class......with Marbury and Abdur-Rahim following closely behind.

The Summer of his senior year came and he transferred to the West Side of Chicago Illinois' Farragut Career Academy. There the Legend of the Kid Garnett took off. He joined forces with All-World Guard Ronnie Fields and a young Michael Wright who later went on to play for Lute Olson and the 'Zona Wildcats.

Garnett's Basketball Coach and History Teacher was MR. Thomas Peppers who is to this day the History Teacher and Boys Varsity Basketball Coach at Farragut Academy. Garnett flourished at Farragut becoming MR. Basketball of Illinois and USA Today Player of the YEAR. Check these averages 25ppg, 17rebs. 6 blocks, and 6 helpers...Yeah doin' work the KID.

The one problem with Kev in High School was his Qualifying scores from the ACT and SAT. This is where the story goes from being a Student-Athlete to possibly looking to go straight to the Association if he doesn't get his scores. And once the word got out that Kev might go pro the NBA Scouts came running...6'10"...a 7' wing span...runs like a Cheetah down the floor...bumpin' his gums like he is in the Spot and the Bartender trying to shut him up and the Ticket was ready for what ever fell in front of him.

He didn't get the score in the Fall going into his SR year so Kev decided to put his name in the Hat though he did take the Spring ACT test. He and his team put on a workout at the UIC pavilion for the NBA Scouts. All the Teams that picked in the Lottery that season were there. Reportedly the T'Wolves were so interested they sent GM Kevin McHale and Head Coach Flip Saunders to UIC for the workout (McHALE and FLIP were Roommates Playing for the Gophers of Minnesota...Birds and Feathers flock together).

My sources tell me after the Workout Kev and Flip said to themselves we better call Glen (T'Wolves Owner Glen Taylor) and tell him we are putting the franchise in the hands of a 19 yr old.

The Draft came around and Kev was all in he had given up his right as an amateur and he could not go back to College even if he passed his scores. So the Morning of the Draft Kev got a call from his HS Coach Mr Peppers of Farragut Academy. Silence on the phone...Coach tells Kev, "You passed" ...Kev says what?...your ACT score is a qualifier and the only problem was Kev was already in the NBA Draft.

If you look up at my top HS Players his senior year reportedly Garnett was to sign with Jamison and Carter and play for the Tar Heels and Now You Know. So Kev did pass his Test and he would've played College Ball. So in Essence he never wanted to go to the NBA straight out of High School like some of these other guys....who couldn't even put the TIcket's Shoes on.

The Kevin Garnett Story form Mauldin South Carolina...to the West Side of the 'GO to the land of 10k Lakes. A Top 30 All-Time in the SLAM Magazine's Top 500 Players of All-Time. To SLAM's Credit the only other GUY who is on his level Tim Duncan who was in the TOP 10 at #8.

Note: Big Ticket didn't want to be known as a 7' Footer so he wanted to be listed at 6'12"...the most versatile 7' Footer in the NBA ever....Sorry Dirk Nowitzki

Also the other 6'11" kid that was doing work in South Carolina when KEV was at Mauldin...one Jermaine O'Neal of Columbia, SC Eau Claire HS.