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A ROSE THAT GREW FROM CONCRETE Somehow in the span of one year, Dion Waiters went from a Sixth Man at Syracuse to the No. 4 pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, becoming one of the fastest-rising future stars in the game. But if you knew anything about him, you'd know the Philadelphia product believed in himself all along. IT WAS A LITTLE past noon on the first Friday in April, about 10 days after Dion Waiters had declared for the NBA Draft. He'd soon head to Las Vegas to work out in the desert heat alongside other draft hopefuls at the Impact Basketball training camp. But for now, he was firmly in his element, working on his game in the city where he's basically a brand name. "I like to work out at the Y so the kids can see me," Dion said as he approached the Christian Street YMCA in his hometown of Philadelphia. "They watch you on television, so it amazes them to see you work- ing out in the same gym they work out at. "I want to show them, if you put your mind to it, and you set goals, and really dedicate yourself, you can do absolutely anything." Waiter's workout punctuated his words. His game is street poetry – more staccato than smooth, more Beanie Sigel than Jay-Z – and it drove him to average 12.6 points on nearly 48 percent shooting last season for one of the best teams in college basketball. Wear- ing Syracuse-hued Nike Zoom Kobe VI's – "hungry" on the left tongue, "humble" on the right – Dion shared the court with a friend, Niagara forward Scooter Gillette. It was pretty standard: come off a curl, pump fake an imaginary defender, then drive the lane or pop a midrange jumper. WORDS. BRYAN HOROWITZ And yet, Waiters was visibly in the zone. He prac- tices the way he plays: intense, powerful, like nothing else matters. PHOTOS. SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS THE BEST OF Dion Waiters' Draft Diary For someone who didn't even start as a sophomore in college at Syracuse, Dion Waiters sure found a lot of love from NBA GMs during this year's draft process. Over the final six weeks before the NBA Draft, Waiters kept a diary with us, detailing all of the interesting things on the way. Here are the highlights, in his words. WORDS. DION WAITERS 48 i i I was in Vegas training with Joe Abunassar. I'm just focused on every aspect of my game and really trying to propel my game. I really like pick-n-rolls though. I think at the next level, the NBA is based off pick-n-rolls, and I'm trying to really sharpen that up even more then I already got it. i i It was hard to leave Syracuse though. That's one of those times where just the love and support that you get, you can't go anywhere in Syracuse without people recognizing you. Everybody knows you. Everybody knows. It felt good to be loved and knowing that every day or every time you're on the court, you will find a kid in Syracuse who watches you out there chasing your dream. So like I said, I'm really rich when it comes to the Dome with 30,000 fans.