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NFL: After not being drafted, ex-Lobo Hank Baskett finds a roost with the Eagles
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| LOBOS IN THE NFL
Here's a look at the seven former UNM football players now on NFL rosters. Name: Hank Baskett Name: Ryan Cook Name: Marcus Parker Name: Terrance Pennington Name: Brian Urlacher Name: Nick Speegle Name: Claude Terrell |
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Former Lobos wide receiver Hank Baskett's voice quivers when he recalls the past four months of his life.
It's a wild ride of agony and ecstasy, dreams deferred and resurrected.
He has cycled through the titles University of New Mexico star, hot NFL draft prospect, draft snub, expendable free agent and rookie sensation.
"It's been unbelievable," Baskett said in a phone interview with The Tribune. "I was completely devastated after the draft. I don't think I've ever been hurt so deeply. It wasn't just losing out on my dream, it was knowing that I had let so many people who were counting on me down.
"When I got my second chance as a free agent, I was determined to prove myself. It's up to the team if they want to keep me, but I wasn't going to give them a reason to send me home."
Baskett took a circuitous route, but now he is the darling of the Philadelphia Eagles training camp and poised to start in his second NFL preseason game tonight.
He is the antithesis of Terrell Owens, the embattled receiver who mowed down the Eagles last season like a demolition derby car.
"Hank is immensely talented, but he's also the nicest kid I've ever met," said Jim Ivler, Baskett's agent. "My life would be so much easier if all the players I represented were just like him. I definitely think he's being rewarded not only for his talent and work ethic, but also for his personality.
"People love him and just instantly want to cheer for him."
Baskett has generated a major media buzz at Eagles camp with his acrobatic catches and friendly demeanor. He has earned the most news coverage of all seven Lobos in the pros, including All-Pro linebacker Brian Urlacher.
Perhaps it's because everyone loves an underdog.
After the draft debacle, Baskett signed a free-agent contract with the Minnesota Vikings for three years at the rookie minimum of about $275,000 per season.
"I was looking forward to working out with (former Lobos teammate Ryan) Cook and fighting my way onto their roster," he said. "After six days, they pulled me aside and told me to go see the head coach. I was so upset. I thought, `Man, what did I do in the first six days to get cut already?' "
Instead, Vikings coach Brad Childress told Baskett he had been traded to Philadelphia for veteran Eagles wide receiver Billy McMullen.
"I was still mad until I found out the Eagles really wanted me," Baskett said. "I wasn't taking anything for granted though. I knew I could be cut any day for any reason."
While Baskett stewed, outsiders recognized the unprecedented trade as a sign the wide receiver's luck was changing.
"The Eagles said they would have drafted him in the seventh round and wanted him as a free agent, but they drafted a few receivers, and Minnesota didn't take anyone so we went with the Vikings," Ivler said. "Then Philadelphia proved how much they wanted Hank."
Baskett impressed Eagles Pro Bowl quarterback Donovan McNabb during the remainder of rookie minicamp.
McNabb invited Baskett to join a small group of receivers to work out with him in Arizona before training camp. Baskett paid for his hotel room, but McNabb paid for everything else.
"I could have spent more time with my family in Clovis since I was about to be moving pretty far away, but we all knew I couldn't pass up an opportunity like that," Baskett said. "I was stunned I got invited. It was great to get that timing down and get to know (McNabb). He really made me feel comfortable."
The extra practice and a few injuries to top Eagles wide receivers helped vault Baskett onto Philadelphia's first team.
Baskett can count Eagles head coach Andy Reid and McNabb among his growing legion of fans.
"He's doing a nice job," Reid said during one of his news conferences last week. "He's had some nice catches. He's catching the football, which is a big thing. He runs good routes. He's a big target."
Reid told reporters he's fond of undrafted players such as Baskett because "they work hard and are normally overachievers once they get out here."
McNabb has lauded Baskett in his news conferences. He has connected with Baskett, a former Mountain West Conference high-jump champion, on some high-flying catches that wowed fans at training camp.
"I just enjoy his work ethic," he said. "What he's showing right now is an aggressiveness to the ball, (he) runs great routes, and he's effective after the catch."
Baskett knew he had come full circle from his draft depression on the trek to his first preseason NFL game Sunday in Canton, Ohio.
Former teammate Kole McKamey, one of Baskett's best friends, said he knew it was a special moment when his cell phone lit up Sunday afternoon.
"He sent me a text message before the game that said, `Dude, we're on the bus, we're arriving at the stadium, I see the Goodyear Blimp, it's go time,' " McKamey said. "I'm pretty sure he was real nervous, but I knew he would succeed.
"I didn't actually get to watch him play, but I saw the last five minutes of the game and they showed him on the sidelines talking with Donovan McNabb. He's living his dream."
Soon after sharing the overwhelming moment with McKamey, Baskett caught his first NFL pass. It was a seven-yard slant from McNabb that made ESPN's "SportsCenter" highlights.
"I was so nervous, but it felt amazing to catch that first ball," he said. "I was excited lining up, but then I focused and it was just like every other football game I've ever played. When it comes down to it, I know what to do."
Baskett sat down quickly with the starters, but it remained a special night. He spoke with his parents after the game, who watched from New Mexico but traveled to Philadelphia to see him play the Cleveland Browns tonight.
The sole downside of the night was learning NBC announcer Al Michaels said Baskett went to New Mexico State.
"That made me so mad because I'll always be a Lobo," Baskett said. "Lobo fans have been cheering for me all along and are the reason I'm here. I calmed down after awhile. I just have to keep working hard so that they mention me and UNM again."
Baskett is still a free agent who could be cut at anytime, but his future looks promising.
He has latched on to both the Eagles wide receivers and special teams coaches, showing up early for meetings and dedicating himself to becoming a productive player for Philadelphia.
"There's no doubt in my mind he's going to be there for a long time," Ivler said. "It wasn't easy, but Hank's fought his way up and is going to make a lot of teams regret they ignored him."
