Colangelo thought Amare Stoudemire’s history said something about his mental toughness and determination. The more he was around Stoudemire, the more he liked him. At his pre-draft workout in Phoenix, Stoudemire — 6-feet-9 ½ inches and 246 pounds — was so aggressive that he knocked out an opponent’s teeth on a play near the rim. “He didn’t hit many midrange shots and had no 3-point accuracy to speak of, but he just had something about him,” Bryan Colangelo, the Suns’ general manager and Colangelo’s son, wrote in an email to The Athletic. “Charisma, curiosity, ferocity are words that come to mind. He was a live wire that brought unusual energy to a normally tense and apprehensive environment. These young men are literally trying out and competing for their life’s dream. Somehow Amar’e was immune to the pressure and appeared unfazed, even as an 18-year-old high schooler among some older and so-called wiser prospects. He literally had the gym mesmerized.”
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: “He didn’t hit many midrange shots and had no 3-point …
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