EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — On the night of the 2011 NBA draft, the Los Angeles Lakers used their second pick in the final round to choose sharp-shooting guard Andrew Goudelock from the College of Charleston.
He was the nation's fourth-leading collegiate scorer, averaging 23.4 points per game, and he averaged better than 40 percent from behind the 3-point line. His range on the floor was seemingly endless. Yet he wasn't quite sure he'd be taken in either round. But once Mitch Kupchak called his name, he quickly showed another ability — to talk . . . and talk . . . and talk.
The voice coming out of the speakerphone on draft night at the Lakers' practice facility was filled all at once with happiness, emotion — and plenty of confidence. He said how pleased he was to prove the doubters wrong and get drafted out of a smaller school, especially by the Lakers. Then, he uttered the lines that would prove to be his mantra: "I haven't seen a shot I didn't think I could make. I have a lot of confidence, and I will shoot the ball all game long."
Yes he will. And does.
He has done it so well that it has earned him a spot in the team's bench rotation, the reserve coach Mike Brown looks to when the Lakers need some quick points. It also has earned him a nickname from Kobe Bryant — Mini-Mamba.
"Whatever nickname he wants to give me, I'll take it," said the 23-year old. "It's a very big compliment — especially coming from the real Mamba."
The real Mamba has been impressed.
"Goudelock's really found a good rhythm out there for us, found his niche," Bryant said. "Coach Brown gave him an opportunity, and he came through, which is really important for us. If he and the rest of the guys coming off the bench don't do their jobs, that means I have to come back in and play the whole second half; Pau (Gasol) does, and so does Andrew (Bynum).
Goudelock realized the responsibility that came with his opportunity and raised his game.
"When I first got here," he said after a recent practice, "I think I was in a little bit of awe of the players and just (being in the NBA). But in the last week or so, I've been more aggressive. I let my talent take over — you know, just play the game and not think too much out there.
"I know as I become more well known around the league, teams are going to scout me and try to find ways to stop me and make me (alter) my shots. But the types of shots I take are hard to defend, because I don't take wild shots. Being young in the league there are times when I do take wild shots, but not very (often). It's pretty hard for someone to block a floater, which is why I do it."
Brown did not play Goudelock eight times this season, but the rookie's time has increased greatly since his performance in a tense battle against the Clippers on Jan. 25. Goudelock went 5 for 8 and scored a season-high 14 points in 20 minutes to help the Lakers pull out a 96-91 victory. Since then, he has averaged 20.4 minutes per game and scored 9.8 points a game.
He has been the Lakers' only consistent reserve as Brown continues to look for the right mixture off the bench.
"He's definitely stepped in and taken over that role," Brown said. "He's been ready whenever we've called on him and has done a good job. He's very confident out there. He knows what we expect of him, and he tries to deliver. He's not intimidated by the pressure of playing in the NBA; that's for sure."
One of the reasons for Goudelock's emergence, he feels, is because he played college basketball all four seasons he was eligible.
"I've never played point guard before, so I've definitely had to make adjustments," said the 2011 Southern Conference Player of the Year. "It goes back to Charleston for me. I played four years there, and Coach (Bobby) Cremins taught me so much about everything, including attitude. We played big schools every year, and we did pretty well against them.
"I think the biggest thing I learned, though, was that you have to be confident. You can't be intimidated, and you can't be shy out there. I'd played against guys who went to the NBA, so I knew the talent level and what I had to do to make it.
"Being at the College of Charleston really prepared me, helped me grow into a man. I'm 23 and a lot of the rookies coming into the league with me are 19, 20 years old, and I think that gives me an advantage."
Just think, in late June, not many people in Los Angeles had even heard of Goudelock. Eight months earlier, he talked the talk, and now he has walked the walk — so far.
"I know I can't let up — ever," said the burgeoning fan favorite. "I have to be ready anytime (Brown) calls my name, because there's another guy out there just like me who wants to be where I am."
