Victor Oladipo says he cried after his first practice with Hoosiers: "That was the worst I probably got destroyed in my career"

Going to a premier college is usually the most efficient path for any American prospect to experience NBA basketball. The university system is built on solid workout schedules between college fixtures to develop professional athletes.

As such, some high school prospects may find it difficult to adjust to these schedules and plans implemented by their coaches.

Tough beginnings

As a 3-star high school recruit, Victor Oladipo wasn't the biggest name among high school prospects. D1 schools weren't knocking at his door with commitment letters. In his senior year, his stock was raised after he led his school to conference and city championships. It gave him a chance to commit to a program.

He then committed to Indiana University after falling in love with the city's basketball culture. However, the young guard perhaps immediately regretted his choice after his first workout session.

"I remember after my very first practice in Indiana, I cried… that was the worst. I probably got destroyed in workouts, ever probably in my career," Oladipo said . "It was unbelievable. I was like, how is this even possible? and I cried after because I had dreams. I wanted to go to the league, too. I wanted to be one-and-done like my peers, too. And after that practice, it was like, 'Nah, you got a long way to go."

Being a defensive-minded player, the high school prospect was battered by offensive players as the reality of wanting to become a pro began to set in.

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All-round improvement

During his sophomore year, his improvement earned him the nickname of the team's best defender. In his junior year, he was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, among other accolades. The Hosiers finished as the Big Ten Champions.

Throughout his three years in college, Oladipo developed into one of the top prospects in the country. He went from being a top-50 shooting guard in high school to being the highest-ranked guard ahead of being drafted into the NBA.

All his hard work paid off after being set on the right path after a tough first workout session.

"I remember Seth Cooper; he was player development at the time. He came up to me like, 'Why you crying?' I said, 'Man, listen, I got a long way to go.' He said, 'Let's work'. And then every morning, 6 am, I was working out with him, after every practice, working out with him. It became my routine," Vic said.

Oladipo was drafted No. 2 overall by the Orlando Magic in the 2013 NBA Draft. He later returned to Indiana in 2017 and played some of the best basketball of his professional career.

In his first season with the Indiana Pacers , he averaged 23.1 points per game and won the Most Improved Player Award. Victor also led the league in steals and earned an All-Star and All-Defensive First-Team appearance. The lottery pick always held Indiana next to his heart from day one and showed that with a best in the association.

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