Friday, June 27, 2003 | 9:25 a.m.
Darrius Banks had a quiet reaction when he drove cousin Marcus home from a summer hoops camp before his senior year at Cimarron-Memorial High and Marcus said that he would play in the NBA.
"And I'll take you with me," Marcus said.
"I just kept driving," Darrius Banks said Thursday.
So did Marcus, who experienced the thrill of his basketball career, so far, Thursday night when he was drafted as a lottery pick by Memphis and then traded to the Boston Celtics.
After finishing his career at UNLV in the spring, Marcus asked Darrius if he remembered what Marcus said during that drive home five years ago.
Darius laughed, then nodded.
"You know what, man? I don't think anybody ever believed me, and I told 'em every day I was going to the league," said Marcus Banks, 21. "It's a dream come true, and it's a slap in the face to those who didn't believe me.
"All these young kids around here, all you have to do is work hard every day, and it'll pay off. It's not an easy path. You have to forget about having fun if you really want to be there."
After four sleepless nights and enough chatter from officials of at least 25 NBA teams to make his head spin, Banks had a splendid draft experience the moment he arrived at Kerry's Sports Pub in north Las Vegas.
A group of more than 300 relatives and friends had gathered to celebrate his big day with Banks, and he patiently greeted nearly each of them with a smile, and a handshake or a hug, upon showing at 3:50 p.m.
He was handed five orange balloons, with NBA logos on them, and a bright-colored one that read "Congratulations." Two large banners also congratulated him and read, "Good luck in the NBA."
Someone gave his mother, Sabrina, a bouquet of flowers. His father, Arthur Jr., had glassy eyes. His sister, Dasha, brought her sunglasses inside to hide her tears of joy and said, "Truly a blessing, it really is."
His brother, Langston, wore a Clippers jersey and nearly broke Marcus' neck when NBA commissioner David Stern announced that Memphis had taken Marcus with the 13th overall selection.
There were five plasma TV sets behind Marcus, four in front of him and two giant projection screens at opposite corners, and he was surrounded by scores of well-wishers as the draft progressed.
A consensus of predictions placed him going anywhere from seventh or eighth to 16th, so four or five television cameras were rolling live to catch his reaction.
After a dramatic pause when Stern linked his name to the Grizzlies at 5:38 p.m., everybody celebrated in the pub. Soon, a dozen chants of "Marrr-cusss! Marrr-cusss!" roared through the establishment.
"It was such a wonderful turnout," said UNLV coach Charlie Spoonhour, who dropped in before catching a flight to Cancun for a vacation.
"For this many people to come, take time out of their day to spend it with Marcus and his family, I think it's just great. And I'm tickled to death for him. A 'lottery' pick. We won't have to worry about Marcus at all."
Only those very close to Banks, because of the noisy celebration, knew something was up when the Grizzlies picked him. Initially, he was shocked.
His workout in Boston went so well, he declined invitations to almost every other team. He yearned to be a Celtic, running with Antoine Walker and Southern California native Paul Pierce.
But Memphis? Soon enough, his cell phone jingled. "Just watch," said Banks, smiling widely.
When a friend, wearing a green Celtics jersey with "33" on both sides and "Bird" on the back, walked up to hug Banks, Banks' eyes lit up and he said, "Yeah," pointing at the jersey.
After the first round ended, the trades were announced. Boston general manager Danny Ainge had acquired Banks and Kendrick Perkins (the 27th pick) from Memphis GM Jerry West for Troy Bell (No. 16) and Dahntay Jones (No. 20).
The salary slot for last year's 13th pick, Marcus Haislip of Milwaukee, was worth a guaranteed three-year pact for $4.64 million, with the club having a fourth-year option at $2.37 million. Banks can expect a similar deal.
"Our prayers have been answered," said Arthur Jr.
"I love Boston," Banks said. "They showed me a good time out there, and everyone was real nice. That's the place for me."
Of the 11 different NBA jerseys that his buddies and friends wore Thursday, only the one wore Boston's. Expect to see them much more frequently around Las Vegas.
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