If someone was born in another country and never heard of basketball until he emigrated to the United States at age nine, tried out for his high school basketball team as a junior and was cut, tried out again at the community college level and made the team, only to sit the bench his entire freshman year, and sat the bench for three years at the college level, what do you think would be the odds he would make it to the NBA? 

Swen Nater not only made it to the NBA, he is the only NCAA player to be selected in the first round of the NBA draft who did not start in a college game. Although he was drafted by the NBA, Swen opted to sign with the ABA instead, where he was Rookie of the Year, led in field goal percentage and rebounding, and was a two-time All-Star.