But while Mr. Gilmer played nine pro seasons, he never became a pro star.

"I was a big Kenny Anderson fan when I was a kid," he said, referring to the pro star who passed through Georgia Tech in a hurry.

We want you to be the franchise player, but not like those pro stars.

Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson won't be there, but there will always be a fresh young batch of pro stars who want the attention, the ego boost, the marketing benefits.

Locally, Krulevitz helped develop young pro stars Reed Cordish and Patrick Osuna.

That way, they can boast in their football brochures about how their program produces pro stars.

Dewey Lyle and Fred Chicken, who would later became a future pro star in the NFL, were also picked up around that time.

"There is in so many neighborhoods in this city a kind of adoration for the pro star who circumvents the system," he said.

But most such observations are mere fleeting glances, compared with the continuous drumbeat of their peers to "help Johnny go to college" or "help Bob become a pro star."

The United States Olympic basketball team of pro stars may play the Lithuanian team in Barcelona, Spain.