Walk-ons normally occupy the end of the bench, clap vociferously when their teammates score baskets, wear warmup jerseys for the entire game and don't need to shower afterward because sitting for 40 minutes does not require a substantial amount of effort.
Connecticut Huskies big man Andre Drummond doesn't fit the normal mold of a walk-on. Projected as a surefire lottery pick whenever he decides to enter the NBA Draft, Drummond is paying his own way through college with the help of non-institutional financial aid.
When Drummond decided to attend UConn just before school started, it was originally reported that he would take the scholarship of teammate Michael Bradley, since UConn had run out of scholarships to offer the stud center. But Drummond and his family didn't think that was fair to Bradley.
Early in November, as the Connecticut Day reports, Drummond switched to being a walk-on, allowing Bradley to regain his role as a scholarship player.
"I'm thankful for what Mike was trying to do for me," Drummond said Tuesday. "I told Mike, 'Don't do that, man. I'll pay my way and take a scholarship next year. You don't have to give up a scholarship for me.'
"It was my decision. That's not fair to him. He worked hard to get that scholarship. I'm not going to take something from somebody that's not mine. It was my decision to come late."
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