The pipeline from college basketball to the NFL is growing in popularity among many of the front offices in the league.
With notable stars like Tony Gonzalez, Jimmy Graham, Antonio Gates and Julius Thomas, all trading in their high tops for football cleats, it’s hard to see why a football team wouldn’t dip into the college basketball talent pool.
After all, the NCAA estimates only 1.3 percent of men’s basketball players will turn pro after college. So if you have the athletic ability, you might as well try your luck at football.
Roberto Asencio, a center on the Idaho men’s basketball team, will try and do his best Graham impression, as he is currently on a 14-day tryout with the football team this spring.
Back in November, covering my first men’s basketball practice, I caught a glimpse of the 6-foot-9, 245-pound center from the Dominican Republic, and my first thought was, “Who is this football player on the basketball team?”
It was an easy mistake. Asencio is built like a tank, and for lack of a better word, has “guns” for arms. Despite his massive build, he can run the floor pretty well. After learning he wasn’t already on the football team, my next thought was, “Does he want to be?”
Idaho football coach, Paul Petrino, must have had the same thought, and sees the potential Asencio possesses.
With the first couple spring practices in the books, it is clear that Asencio will be a project. He is trying out the wide receiver position, but he doesn’t have the basic fundamentals of the game yet — such as running routes or the proper way to catch the football.
What he lacks in basic fundamentals, though, he more than makes up with his physical presence.
In a 1-on-1 drill, a attempted to press him at the line, but the much bigger and stronger Asencio grabbed the cornerback by the top of his shoulder pads, flung him down to the turf and continued his route. A dropped pass, by the wide-open Asencio, of course followed this. He is still very raw.
It is clear, though, Petrino wants this experiment to work out. He spent a good portion of Monday’s practice working with Asencio 1-on-1, teaching him routes and how to catch the ball properly.
If Asencio can progress even a little bit, there will be plenty of possibilities for him on the football field. Even the tallest defensive backs wouldn’t be able to match up with him. He would be the ultimate red zone weapon.
If Petrino is smart, he will give Asencio a spot on the team and let him develop for a full season. This will give him time to learn the basic tools to be an effective wide receiver. If for whatever reason he can’t grasp that position, he’ll have time to try out a different position, one that better suits him.
Defensive end seems like a logical fit. If he can’t develop the hand-eye coordination he needs at wide receiver, he could be moved to another position where his physical tools could shine.
Keep in mind, for every Graham or Gonzalez, there are dozens of failed experiments of this nature, and odds are stacked against Asencio. Even with that being said, it’s hard not to get a little giddy about the situation. It’s not every day you see a 6-foot-9 football player. If anything, Petrino could use him to block some field goals, or maybe just have him on the sidelines as an intimidation factor.
Korbin McDonald can be reached at [email protected]