EAST RUTHERFORD, Apr. 17 — The last time Steve Goodrich '98 played a regular season game at Continental Airlines Arena, he was the leader of a team that would enter the postseason with a .963 winning percentage.
Things have changed quite a bit since then for the 11th-leading scorer in the history of Princeton men's basketball. Instead of the orange and black Tiger uniform he wore from 1994 through 1998, Goodrich now wears the red and black of the National Basketball Association's Chicago Bulls. And after playing for a nationally-ranked Princeton team his senior season, he is now getting minutes for the NBA's paragon of futility — a Chicago team that just finished the season 15-67.
But with Goodrich, some things never change — especially the rave reviews he draws from those around him about the well-rounded game he brings to the court. Tuesday night, in the Bulls' 100-94 victory over the New Jersey Nets, he had perhaps his finest game in an NBA uniform, scoring three points and pulling down a career-high seven rebounds in 15 minutes of action.
"He just absolutely does exactly what we want him to do, every trip," Bulls head coach Tim Floyd said after the game. "He makes the right play, passes the ball well. I thought he played well."
Last month, Goodrich was playing forward for Pallacanestro Olimpia Milano of the Italian First Division, averaging nine points per game while shooting .571 from the floor and .451 from beyond the shorter European three-point line. Following his team's 87-76 win over Muller Verona on March 25, Goodrich returned to the United States.
"My agent called me and said [the Bulls] wanted to bring me back and take a look at me over the end of the season," Goodrich said. "And so I came back. I played in Milan on a Sunday, and I got on a plane at noon the next day."
Two days later, Goodrich signed with Chicago. He scored two points against Boston in his first game March 29.
His return to the Garden State marks yet another stop on his professional basketball odyssey. The former Tiger was one of the last players cut from the Bulls' roster in the preseason prior the start of the 2000-01 NBA campaign.
Shortly after passing through FitzRandolph Gate for graduation in 1998, Goodrich had a shortened try-out with the Nets following the NBA lockout. After failing to make the Nets' roster, Goodrich signed with Baloncesto Girona in Spain, but was waived by the club after only five games. During the 1999 preseason, the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers took a long look at the former Ivy League Player of the Year. Once again, when rosters were trimmed before the regular season, Goodrich was cut.
After this disappointment, Goodrich stayed on this side of the Atlantic for a year, spending the season with the Baltimore BayRunners of the International Basketball League, averaging 10.8 points and 4.4 assists per game. Following his successful stint in the IBL, the Bulls invited Goodrich to training camp during the summer of 2000.
"We loved him in training camp," Floyd said. "It was the most difficult cut that I've been involved with in three years. We really wanted to keep him, and the reason is because he's a winner."
On a Bulls team building for the future around players like forwards Elton Brand and Marcus Fizer, Goodrich has hardly been the focal point of the offense. In the 12 games he played with the Bulls, Goodrich never attempted more than three shots in a game.
The three-point shot — a staple of his game in college — has been almost completely forsaken. Goodrich has attempted just two shots from long range this year. Furthermore, in the NBA's more isolation-based game, the image of Goodrich firing backdoor passes to cutting teammates is one Tiger fans should not plan on seeing anytime soon.
Still, Goodrich has quickly earned the confidence of both his coaches and teammates. Tuesday night, he gave the Bulls quality minutes during the fourth quarter as they locked up just their fourth road victory of the season. His six fourth-quarter rebounds were more than any other player recorded during the period.
"I'm glad to have him," said Brand, the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year. "It's great having him back. We had him preseason, and he played well."
Goodrich got on the scoreboard early in the fourth quarter. After taking a return pass from Brand on a give-and-go, Goodrich drove along the baseline, missed a shot in traffic, then grabbed the rebound and made the put-back while being fouled by New Jersey center Evan Eschmeyer. Goodrich converted the free throw to complete the conventional three-point play and give Chicago an 88-76 advantage — its largest lead of the quarter — with eight minutes, 49 seconds remaining.
On a subsequent possession, Goodrich grabbed a pair of big offensive rebounds, frustrating the crowd and the New Jersey defense.
"He just really played solid — got us a big offensive board down there," Floyd said. "I think he's a little better athlete than what people think. I'd want him on any team that I'm involved with."
Goodrich, however, knows from personal experience how difficult it can be to get a chance in the NBA. He also knows that he has a lot of hard work ahead of him — and a lot of doubters still.
"The knock on me is that I know how to play the game, but I'm not athletic enough or enough of a physical specimen to play," Goodrich said. "I'm trying to show that I can fit in."
Goodrich said he has received no official indication from the team regarding his future, but he plans to remain in Chicago this summer and continue working on his game. For now, he hopes that his performance over the final month of the season has made a positive impression on a last-place team that is loaded with youth.
"It's kind of a hard thing, because the team is in kind of a tough spot," Goodrich said. "It's hard to try to fit in and show what you can do, but at the same time try to fit in with a team — especially when the team is struggling.
"I felt good out there [tonight]. I think I made a contribution, which is all you're trying to do."
Against New Jersey, Goodrich looked as though he belongs. And come what may, his performance has already earned him the endorsement of one of the league's best young players.
"He works so hard, and he's so fundamentally sound," Brand said. "Steve's a good player. Hopefully he'll have a chance to stick somewhere."
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