Despite stand-out skills, Favors has unassuming nature

By Carroll Rogers

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

If "SportsCenter" is on TV in Derrick Favors' suite at Georgia Tech, chances are he wasn't in charge of the remote.

The 6-foot-10 freshman from South Atlanta High would rather watch cartoons.

"He always tells me, ‘Man, cartoons are the only thing that keeps it real nowadays,' " said Tech freshman and fellow suitemate Brian Oliver. "If they say something he doesn't like [on ESPN], he'll say ‘See, I told you. You watch Tom and Jerry, it'll be all right.'"

Favors won't get caught up in the sports-media craze, which is ironic, since he's one of the most highly touted basketball players ever to come to Tech. The Yellow Jackets play at Maryland on Saturday.

Favors was tabbed the high school player of the year by Parade magazine, USA Today, and the Atlanta Tipoff Club. He signed his first autograph at 13, befriended NBA players such as Josh Smith of the Hawks while playing for the AAU Celtics, and once had fans lining up behind the bench during a South Atlanta game to get his autograph.

But Favors doesn't dwell on his rankings or NBA projections. While Kentucky's John Wall donned the cover of Sports Illustrated, Favors was turning the channel.

"I never paid attention to it," said Favors, whose mother always told him to ignore the hype and play for himself and his team. "It's not important to me."

Growing up, Favors didn't have cable, so no ESPN or TNT. He discovered his NBA idol in a children's book about Kobe Bryant that he found on the ground while walking to a friend's house.

He was fascinated by Bryant, the first NBA player he had heard of. Back then, at age 8, he didn't know who Michael Jordan was. That draws laughs now, he says. But Favors, who was born in 1991, just shrugs.

Favors' freshman season at Tech has been more solid than spectacular, which, in some ways, fits his personality. He's Tech's second-leading scorer and rebounder behind Gani Lawal with 11.1 points and 8.2 rebounds. He's fifth in the ACC in rebounding and third in blocked shots (1.9).

Yet, compared to Wall, he's under the radar. He plays without the offensive flash -- or access to the ball -- that Wall has at guard. Foul trouble has limited his minutes and his productivity. So has inconsistent guard play.

But Tech coach Paul Hewitt said a former player told him after spending 30 minutes with Favors after a loss, he never once complained about not getting the ball.

Critics target Favors' footwork, his defense, his jump shot. But from the inside looking out, Favors said he's getting better, his confidence is growing and he's 15 pounds stronger. Other than feedback from his coaches, he's not going on much else.

"If you're doing good, then everybody wants to talk to you," Favors said. "But as soon as you mess up, no one is there for you. The media sometimes puts a lot of pressure on you. They want you to score 30 points. If you go out and try to score 30 points, you're not going to get it. Sometimes they just take the fun away."

Favors fiercely protects his love of the basketball. The game has always protected him, too.

His mother, Deandra, got him out of a crime-ridden neighborhood park and into a recreation center by age 10. She would drop him off on her way to work the night shift preparing meals for airlines. Coaches brought him home. The gym became his haven and a place to find male guidance.

Raised by his mother, with an older sister and grandmother pitching in, Favors never knew his father. As he got serious about basketball, he quit letting it bother him. He quit waiting for his father to show up.

"I just didn't care anymore," Favors said. "I got a chance to be around coaches, and they sort of took [his] place. They taught me how to tie a tie, how to be a man, how to take responsibilities and make the right decisions."

Before then, Favors said, he had to learn a lot by making mistakes. He remembers a brush with one, walking with friends to an apartment complex, where men were smoking marijuana.

"I didn't want to be around that," Favors said. "I knew if the police came, I was going to get in trouble with my mama. ... I've always been scared to go to jail."

He craved the chance to learn from coaches. Everyone from Jammar Stegall with AAU to Hewitt says he's coachable. Favors never minded the work.

South Atlanta coach Michael Reddick, who often gave Favors a ride home from the gym if he stayed late, waited to see just how long Favors could last one night.

"After a couple hours, I'm like ‘I've got to go home,' " Reddick said. "He's in there, had a good sweat going on, like ‘What? I was just going to shoot until you came to get me.' "

It was almost 9 p.m. Practice had ended at 6:30.

Reddick knew to be surprised by Favors since he was an eighth grader and Reddick asked him what position he wanted to play in high school. Favors said center.

"Every kid wants to be shooting 3's and [dribbling] between the legs," Reddick said. "That's the first time I've ever got that answer. Ever."

When Favors arrived at Tech, projected as a one-and-done into the NBA, assistant coach John O'Conner asked him what he did best.

"Rebound," he said.

"I was thinking ‘All right, I'll take that,' " O'Conner said. "And he was serious."

Rebounding, Favors said, is how he always got to keep playing against older guys.

"Everybody always talks about scoring points," Favors said. "I don't really care about scoring points that much."

Lawal thinks Favors didn't give himself enough credit for his finishing skills around the basket. His dunks are hype-worthy on their own. But by now, Favors' teammates know about his unassuming nature and his priorities.

Iman Shumpert recalls when Favors picked up his second foul at North Carolina. He expected him to be down about the call or having to sit.

"He came to the huddle saying ‘Man, I'm not giving up a layup,' " Shumpert said. "His attitude is never about him having a bad game, it's about how we're [doing]. He's never talking about himself, which is weird for me."

Teammates say Favors never talks about his NBA aspirations, either. Occasionally, they'll ask if he plans to turn pro after the season. So has his mother. The answer is the same.

"If I feel like I'm ready, then I'll go," Favors said. "If I feel I'm not, I'll stay and continue developing."

He has dreamed about the NBA since he picked up that Bryant book, but Favors won't get caught up in the speculation. If he feels like it's starting to consume him, he'll turn on the Flintstones.

"Sometimes I just forget about it, just try to live my life," Favors said. "Just play basketball."