Jeff Borzello, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

How Ben Simmons rose to stardom

LSU Tigers

The tip came from a trusted basketball person, but Dinos Trigonis wasn't totally buying it.

It was 2012, and Trigonis was finalizing the rosters for his annual Pangos All-American Camp, which attracts some of the best prospects from around the country. There were five-star recruits, future NBA draft picks, all sorts of high-major players.

Then came the phone call.

"Dinos, I got a guy for your camp," said the man on the other end. "It's the best rising freshman in the world."

"Does he have a name?" Trigonis responded.

"It's my godson from Australia," the man answered.

"So now I'm thinking, 'Oh god, we've got Godfather Ball now," Trigonis told ESPN.com.

"Trust me, this kid is the best kid of his age group," the godfather responded.

"Listen, I'm going to throw you a bone, but if this kid is a bum ..." Trigonis answered.

Trigonis brought the player to his camp, but he had concerns even after extending the invitation.

"This was sight unseen. I took the kid as a favor," Trigonis said recently. "And it was not only unseen, I had never even heard of the kid before. I've had similar calls in the past -- Anthony Randolph being one -- but I've also had calls where the kid turns out to be a bum."

The godfather? David Patrick, then a player personnel scout for the Houston Rockets and now an assistant coach at LSU.

The player in question? Ben Simmons, now the No. 1 player entering college basketball next season.

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