Nerlens Noel Quotes

So, college was kind of the only option that I looked at, and I was fortunate to have great coaches when I was at UCLA. They helped me improve on and off the court.

My parents were more surprised that I wanted to go away for school than anything. They didn't really understand the benefits.

Heading into college, I was mainly just a spot-up shooter.

I went to the University of San Francisco on an athletic scholarship. I didn't study in high school. I was just there to get by and to play basketball. But a funny thing happened to me when I got to college. I got challenged by the work and the professors.

One day, though, I was asked if I'd like to go to the University of Florida and become a Gator.

After completing a Delaware State education, they were afforded opportunities beyond anything they might have imagined - and they opened doors for themselves that surely would have remained closed if they only had a high school education.

I think college is something I want to experience just to have the experience, really. I think about going to college all the time.

Maryland is one of the greatest schools that we have in this country.

It was hard because every kid from high school wants a chance to make the jump to the minors to see what they can do. But in the end, it wasn't difficult for me because I wanted to come to Rice. I could learn a lot more by coming here.

My senior year of high school, I probably wouldn't get so much out of it as if I went to college.

I'm really considering all the schools. It's not fair for me to only look at certain... programs just because they had players that are at my stature.

My high school class was the first one to know, during the college recruiting process, to know there was the option to play professional basketball, to know that the WNBA was there, and to know I better pick a school that is going to help me get to the next level.

When I came to BYU, I had no idea what I wanted to study. It really was a decision based on football. I wanted to come here and play football. The decision has turned out to be so much more than football.

It was always like there was no doubt in anybody's mind that I was going to UCLA, so once UCLA started recruiting me, everybody started pushing me there.

Let's face it. My dad was a mechanic, and my mom was a cop: my college options in seventh grade didn't look that great. And the chance I got to go to college and experience college life is something that's pretty precious to me.

Yes, I went the junior-college route, but I was playing at some very good junior colleges.

College was a very necessary step along the way to my professional career. As I look back, I realize how much of an eye opener it was for me in terms of moving forward and developing as a basketball player.

USC has been really involved with trying to recruit me, from my experience going out there.

Thank God I applied to Howard. It's where I belonged.

I easily could've gone to a place like Florida Atlantic, but my dad pushed me to realize that my dream was to play somewhere big. He was right.

I think school is very important and I personally had a great experience at North Carolina, which helped shape me as a basketball player and a person. Every once in a while, you will have a player who can make the jump and have an immediate impact on the professional level, but most of the players who come out would absolutely benefit from going to college.

My plan always was to play college football, hope to get a few snaps in and then go on to medical school. As I went further in my career and got to my junior year, I realized as I looked around, 'I got a shot here, and I might as well go after it.'

I was thinking about the NBA after my fourth year, but I also realized I could get my master's paid for and have another year on the court to raise my draft stock even higher. I felt if I could do those things, I could have my cake and eat it, too.

All of the great big men went to college at least two or three years. I think it's a big factor. I don't know if it will always work, but I think it's the best choice.

About a year after I retired from playing, I decided that I wanted to getback to college, where I had the greatest time of my life, and to get involved with college football.