Former Alabama star aims to resurrect career

PORTSMOUTH

There was a time when Ronald Steele was considered the nation's best point guard - better than Ty Lawson, Dominic James, Taurean Green and Sean Singletary. A pro prospect and All-American as a sophomore, Steele's graduation to the NBA seemed inevitable.

Upon being reminded of that, Steele can't help but laugh.

"It feels like ages ago," the former 6-foot-1 Alabama star said.

In basketball years, it was indeed a long time. But Steele is at the Portsmouth Invitational, hoping to catch the eye of an NBA or European scout who might be willing to take a shot on him. Five years after he entered college as a freshman, Steele is here to show that he still has the skills he had before everything went so awry.

Injuries to both knees that required three operations slowed Steele to the point that he was ineffective his junior season and unable to perform as a senior. In January, after he made his final comeback, the aggravation reached its peak once he began suffering heel pain from plantar fascitis. Former Alabama coach Mark Gottfried thought Steele was capable of playing more. Steele said he couldn't. When they reached an impasse, the player who many expected to lead Alabama to unprecedented heights left the team.

"Rumors started to float around and we never got a chance to settle this," Steele said. "It was unfortunate."

The same can be said about Steele's career.

"It was tough to see," said former Alabama teammate Richard Hendrix, who is playing in the NBA's Developmental League. "He was so highly regarded and then to have the injuries..."

Although Steele never considered himself a superstar, the potential to become one was there. At times, he could take over a game.

"I thought he was the guy, was a very good prospect a couple years ago," said Marty Blake, NBA Director of Scouting. "He was an outstanding player."

Back then, Steele could score from anywhere on the floor and he demonstrated superior court vision - a trait on display Wednesday as he ran the offense for K&D Round's Landscaping.

But Steele never would produce more than the 14.3 points and 4.3 assists he averaged his sophomore season, when the Crimson Tide seemed to be on the verge of becoming an elite program.

"You wonder sometimes," Hendrix said. "I think the mentality we have is that all things happen for a reason. And Ronald, in particular, is very resilient. With him, all the negatives become positives."

Asked if he is bitter, Steele shook his head.

"There are no guarantees in life," he said. "It doesn't always work out the way you want it to. You have to deal with it."

He did so by channeling his frustration into his studies. While the decision to stay in school following his breakout season may have cost him millions, he never seriously considered leaving Alabama to enter the NBA draft. He has a degree in financial planning, which he earned nearly two years ago. Since then, he has dabbled in graduate course work, developing a passion for kinesiology, fitness and rehabilitative therapy.

"But his dream is to play in the NBA," his mother, Linda, said. "And you want to see dreams come true. You tell your kids that with hard work and determination they can accomplish what they set out to accomplish."

As Steele has learned, you need a little luck, too. Before walking through the corridor at the Renaissance Hotel, he mustered a smile.

"It's strange, but it has been a blessing in disguise," Steele said. "I think I will look back on it in 10 years and say I am glad it happened the way it did."

"They may say he missed out and that he isn't what they would view as a success in basketball," Hendrix said. "But regardless of what he does on the court, Ronald Steele will contribute to this world."

Rainer Sabin, (757) 446-2367, rainer.sabin@pilotonline.com