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Growth Spurt Under the watchful eyes of a caring coach and a savvy mentor, Tracy McGrady has come of age It is a transformation that has been startling, swift and complete. It's as if Tracy McGrady awaoke one day, realized he was no longer a teenager, saw what the future held for him and decided to turn his life around. It has affeted every facet of his life, from his play during games with the Raptors to his commitment to practice to the manner with which he carries himself in public. He is no longer an aimless teenaged bundle of potential and infuriating inconsistency. Tracy McGrady is all grown up. "I think I just woke up," said McGrady, who has become the player many thought he would be when Toronto took him with the ninth selection in the 1997 NBA draft. "I just finally realized what I needed to do." But it would be too simple to say McGrady just woke up and decided to change one day. His maturation, played out before thousands of fans each night, is a testament to McGrady himself and the support group that surrounds him, a group that includes a coach who refused to let an abundance of talent slip away and a unique mentor-confidante. DeNita L. Turner is not a familiar name to many Raptor fans. She has never been on the court, she doesn't diagram plays and she doesn't make trades or have any impact on salary negotiations. She has, however, helped McGrady - and by extension the Raptors - grow up. "She's like a mentor," McGrady said of the Maryland-based personal management consultant he has been working with for most of this season. "It's time management, setting personal goals, things like that. She's really helped me out off the court." Turner, the president and chief executive officer of Image Builders, Inc., came to the attention of the Raptors after working as a consultant to the NBA's rookie orientation program, where she first met McGrady in the fall of 1997. Turner acts as an adviser, a sounding board, someone who can help create a more professional and confident young man. The Raptors pay her but she works with McGrady, giving him someone away from the team he can talk to, confide in and learn from. It's the first time an arrangement like this has been used by the Raptors and it is unique in the NBA. "I'm here to help any way I can, to mentor," said the 40-something Turner, whose company works with a variety of businesses, teams and leagues. "It just gives Tracy someone else to talk to, someone who can help him out." While the relationship between McGrady and Turner has helped the player mature away from the gym, it is the bond between McGrady and his coach that has laid the foundation for his growth. It was at Butch Carter's urging that Turner was brought on by the Raptors and for his part, the coach has spent countless hours helping turn McGrady into a player who many think is the best sixth man in the NBA right now. "You've got a coach like Butch who put this all together and it shows how much he really cares about his players," said McGrady, who had been all but ignored by former coach Darrell Walker when Carter took over in February, 1998. "He didn't have to do this. He took time out to find the best person and best situation for me to feel comfortable with. You don't have too many coaches in this league who care that much about their players. "I've got a lot of people who care about me and I don't want to let them down." And Carter genuinely cares about McGrady, botha s a talent on the court and a young man off it. The coach saw something in McGrady's personality two years ago that told him he was worth investing plenty of time in. |
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