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Last update - 05:02 28/03/2008 Man in the Mittle / The right place at the right time By Jerry Mittleman Watch Ndudi Ebi carefully and be rewarded. The lithe, 2.06m, 91kg, Ebi seems half asleep on the court, when suddenly with long cobra-like athleticism he springs to life, and before his defender knows it, he's been 'schooled' for another easy basket. This was the picture all evening long as Ebi, with 27 points and 13 rebounds, led Bnei Hasharon to another victory on Sunday night, this time over Galil Elyon by a score of 84-63. According to coach Effie Birenbaum, the 23-year-old former Minnesota Timberwolf, who leads the Israeli league in rebounds (9.5 per game) in addition to scoring 15 points a game, is one of the keys for Bnei Hasharon, which currently lies in second place in the standings, only one game behind Maccabi Tel Aviv. Advertisement "Ebi has been working extremely hard all season," said Birenbaum after Sunday's win. "He is learning about the team and the team has learned about him. He is a big part of what we do and our success." Ebi's arrival this season is one main reasons that Bnei Hasharon managed to avoid a big drop after losing big man Lee Nailon and his 21 points a game from last year's squad - which finished the league in third place with a 17-10 record. Bnei Hasharon seems to be a good fit for Ebi. Unlike the past, this time he finally seems to be in the right place at the right time. The London-born son of Nigerian parents who immigrated to Houston, Ndudi completed an acclaimed schoolboy career in 2003, only to find himself under the enormous shadow of LeBron James. Although Ebi played extremely well in high profile, post-season schoolboy All-Star games, like the McDonald's All-American game and the Nike AAU basketball tournament, it was mostly a case of James and everyone else. Edi did impress numerous college and NBA scouts with his combination of height and great agility; he was viewed as a potential 'match-up nightmare' for defenders to guard. Recruited by the top college programs in America, Ebi committed to the University of Arizona but eventually followed the decade-long trend of top high school stars of passing up collegiate ball and like James declared for the 2003 NBA Draft. Of course, for every LeBron James there is a Ebi Ndudi. James was the first selection of the draft and today, five years later is arguably the best player in the NBA. Ebi, was chosen by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round with the 26th overall pick, and today is remembered as another guy who should have played in college. When asked by Haaretz about his short stint in the NBA, Ebi commented, "It wasn't my time." He could have also added that Minnesota was definitely not his place. Ebi entered the NBA as an impressive but unpolished and raw talent who needed time, experience and an opportunity to develop his skills. Playing behind Kevin Garnett on a Timberwolf team, which, for the only time in its history, had serious title aspirations, Ebi got none of these. This was also before the birth of the NBDL (the NBA's developmental league) so there was no place for Ndudi to get the training he needed. During his rookie season, Ebi appeared in 17 games only while Minnesota won 58 games and had its most successful season ever. The following year Ebi was released by Minnesota after two games. During the third and final year of Ebi's guaranteed contract, the Timberwolves attempted to send him to the NBDL but the request was denied because the developmental league only accepted players with less then two years of NBA experience. This effectively ended Ebi's NBA career for the time being. A brief trial with the Dallas Mavericks concluded after 5 exhibition games. Now at age 23, Ebi is a more mature player than the 18-year-old schoolboy who entered the world of the NBA at the wrong time, and Bnei Hasharon is reaping the benefits. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Bread will abound J'lem court allows pizzerias, bakeries to sell leavened products during Passover. The looking glass A T.A. film festival tackles Israel's hardest issues from war to polygamy.

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