Every kid dreams of going pro.
Only one in 16,000 high school athletes will have a professional sports career, according to a Georgia Career Information Center study in 2006. So the statistics show it’s a dream that’s unattainable for many.
But a few guys from Kinston have beaten the odds and followed their professional sports career goals. The group has somehow formed an unofficial fraternity of men from Kinston who went on to the next level. Professional athletes from the city and surrounding areas mark nearly every corner of the country — from New York to California, literally.
While several Kinstonians have gone pro, said “fraternity” began with Kinston’s Jerry Stackhouse, the 18-year NBA guardwho currently plays for the Brooklyn Nets. It’s the longest running pro career of any athlete out of Kinston.
He played at UNC before being drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers as the third overall pick in 1995.
Behind Stackhouse comes a newer generation. He is included in a group of athletes from the area currently playing in major sports leagues: Reggie Bullock (L.A. Clippers, first year), Carter Capps (Seattle Mariners, second year), Quinton Coples (N.Y. Jets, second year) and Chris Hatcher (Miami Marlins affiliate New Orleans Zephyrs, third year). Grant Tyndall, a South Lenoir High School infielder, was also drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in June.
“It’s always a good feeling not to just be a part of a fraternity as far as the NFL, but to be part of the fraternity in your city, your hometown,” Coples said.
Going pro
The most recent Kinston inductee is Reggie Bullock, a guard selected by the Clippers in the first round of the NBA draft this year. He played at UNC three years before foregoing his senior year to declare for the draft.
He threw his draft party in Kinston, where his closest friends and family shared the moment with the 22-year-old Bullock.
Wells Gulledge, who coached him during his four years at Kinston High School, said it was evident at an early age Bullock would have a chance at the NBA.
“What separated Reggie from everything wasn’t just that he was one of the best shooters at his age,” Gulledge said, “but fundamentally really knowing the game of basketball is what really stuck out in my mind.”
He said you can recognize who would have an opportunity to elevate to the next level by a kid’s “total craftiness of the game.”
Clearly, Bullock had that.
Gulledge said he improved each year — success that rewarded him. Gulledge predicts No. 25 has the understanding to stay in the league.
“It’s easier to get to the NBA than to stay in the NBA,” Gulledge said. “With that being said, once you get there, you have to work a lot harder to stay there than it ever was to get there. In the NBA, your body’s going to get older and you’re going to start to wind down and not be able to jump as high and not do some of the things you were able to do when you were 16 years old when you’re in your late 20s.
“I think he understands that very, very well.”
Aside from basketball and league knowledge, Gulledge said it takes a tremendous support system for a kid to advance to the top level. He accredits not only Bullock’s family, but the family of all Kinstonians-turned-pro-athletes for taking part in a special journey, especially in keeping the young men grounded.
Bullock, for instance, was not able to miss church on Wednesdays in middle school if he had a basketball game.
“It takes a lot of people surrounding these kids to put positive thoughts in them and just mold them into good citizens,” Gulledge said. “I think it’s just a testament to a lot of gifts from the Lord above, No. 1, and No. 2, a great supporting staff in raising these kids.”
He said the recreation departments influenced kids at an early age. The seeds the city’s sown are showing, not only in a few athletes getting drafted but in their philanthropic efforts.
Quinton Coples, N.Y. Jets lineman, has hosted a community weekend each of his two seasons in the NFL, with plans to continue it for years to come. The three-day series of events was July 12-14 this year.
“It’s always a good time to come back home and enjoy the people that (are) in your community and that you grew up with,” Coples said. “It's always a good time to be around your Kinston natives.”
Coples, also a UNC athlete — and also a first-round pick — said factors in his upbringing helped him attain a professional sports career.
“It think it’s hard work and dedication starting with your priorities and putting God first,” he said. “You have to make sure you do everything necessary (to) achieve your goals — whether that’s working out in the weight room or in a classroom and doing other things like community service. I think all of those things ties into the effect of accomplishing your dreams to get in the NFL, any professional sport.”
Area representation
Aside from a pair of NBA players and Coples, three MLB guys also represent the area in Carter Capps, Chris Hatcher and Grant Tyndall.
Capps, a former North Lenoir baseball standout, is a pitcher for the Seattle Mariners who was drafted in 2011 as a third-round pick.
“You have to work really hard obviously,” Capps said about going pro, “and try not to take ‘no’ for an answer. People are always going to doubt your abilities. If you really want to do it, there’s no reason why you can’t.”
Capps played at Mount Olive College, and he is glad to be part of the group of athletes from the area who are competing professionally.
“It’s pretty cool,” Capps said. “It’s a great group of guys. Obviously, they’ve all tried really hard, done really well and come from the same area I have. It’s a pretty special group.”
There were a few notable professional athletes before today’s generation, including Lin Dawson, Ron Wooten,Cedric Maxwell, Leo Hart and Charles Shackleford, just to name a few. Donna White, a pro golfer, was born in Kinston.
Additionally, Brandon Sutton, a former Greene Central High School lineman, plays professional arena football.
“We just have a rotation of athletes and a rotation of just great people overall,” said Coples, who has met ESPN employees and engineers from Kinston. “We get recognized for the athletes, but overall, there are a bunch of people out there being successful in other careers.”
Coples acknowledged that he was, in fact, part of this unique “fraternity.”
“I think that it’s very important and I think that’s really great,” he said. “It’s something special.”
Jessika Morgan can be reached at 252-559-1078 and Jessika.Morgan@Kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessikaMorgan.