The sound of balls bouncing on the hardwood is not unfamiliar in Linfield’s Health, Human Performance and Athletics (HHPA) building. Many students walking to class will peek through the floor-to-ceiling windows and look down into Ted Wilson Gymnasium at athletes getting shots up throughout the day.
However, from Sept. 10 to Sept. 17 from around 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., if students happened to look into the gym, they wouldn’t see a Linfield men’s or women’s basketball player.
They would see 6-foot-3 New Orleans Pelicans player CJ McCollum putting in his offseason work with two of his trainers.
At a small NCAA Division III school, seeing an NBA player in the gym could be quite a shock. But, there’s a completely logical reason as to why the 11-year NBA veteran would be hooping it up in Linfield’s House of Hustle.
The former Portland Trail Blazers superstar purchased 318 acres of land in Willamette Valley with his wife Elise back in 2020 whilst still playing with the Blazers and then proceeded to plant vines there in 2021. This year was their first harvest for seven of the acres at their vineyard, McCollum Heritage 91, so they came out before the season began to meet with staff, to see how business is going and make updates to the facilities and the property.
But the McCollums were also able to step away from their vineyard and enjoy some time back in Oregon. They visited a variety of great food places within Yamhill County including Humble Spirit, Vince’s Italian, Carlton Bakery and Red Hills Market where CJ typically orders a salad with pears, spicy pizza and a turkey sandwich.
The McCollums had the chance to enjoy all of the food that the Willamette Valley has to offer, along with the great people, nice weather and amazing views.
“We’ve gone to the coast a few times and it’s just nice being able to get away,” said McCollum who averaged 20 ppg last season with the Pelicans. “I love the cool nights, cool mornings and how the weather slowly changes throughout the day. And I love just how green it is and the mountains in the background. You forget how peaceful that is until you leave it.”
Somehow, between visiting the vineyard, going to the coast and spending time with his family, McCollum still managed to be in the gym putting the work in nearly everyday for what he calls his “day job.”
Fortunately for Linfield students, he chose to come here and he kindly allowed anybody who wanted to watch to do so.
Almost every day that he was here, several members of the Linfield men’s and women’s basketball teams lined up on the floor along the baseline wall to watch McCollum’s workouts.
“It was a great experience being able to watch an NBA player workout,” said junior point guard Dayton Maganya. “And from the little conversation I had with him, he seemed very friendly and laid back. It was almost as if I was talking to one of my teammates.”
There’s not many chances you get to watch a professional player practice and the Linfield basketball teams were not going to miss out on that experience. So, once they got over the surprise that he was even there, they took every opportunity to sit and watch him work.
“I was shocked when I heard that CJ was working out in our gym. I couldn’t think of any reason why an NBA star was using our gym,” said junior point guard Ella Koebelin. “Once I found out why he was here, I thought it was a super cool opportunity to be able to watch and learn from an extremely talented professional.”
McCollum also took advantage of the young student-athletes being there and openly talked with the Linfield players, offering useful advice for them to remember as collegiate athletes.
“Really take advantage of your time. Enjoy being a college student and enjoy the moment because it goes quick,” said McCollum. “Most people have regrets in terms of ‘maybe I should have worked harder’ or ‘maybe I should have done this.’ So really focus on working hard and maximizing your time so you leave with no regrets.”
That kind of insight is not to be taken lightly when coming from a 33-year-old NBA veteran. And he himself tries to remember that, even now as he enters his 12th NBA season.
Twelve years is a long time in a league where an average career lasts only about eight years. But it doesn’t seem as though McCollum is seeing an end to his career quite yet, and so there are so many more memories to be made.
“For me, it’s been a long ride and there’s still a long ride to go,” McCollum said. “Really embrace each moment and enjoy it because you never know when it’s going to be over.”
There’s no telling which team and city he might end his career with. But no matter what, he will never be able to fully leave behind the state in which he spent eight of his 12 NBA seasons in.
“We will always come back to Oregon for so many reasons,” said McCollum. “It will always be a part of our life.”
