text: Former center Olowokandi hasn't maintained ties with university - College Sports - recordnet.com - Stockton, CA
  Former center Olowokandi hasn't maintained ties with university
  A letter originating from one of Pacific's highest offices arrived at Michael Olowokandi's hotel room a few hours before the 1998 NBA Draft.
  A fairy tale scripted in Stockton was unfurled for the world 10 years ago today in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Los Angeles Clippers selected Olowokandi with the No. 1 pick. Millions watching on television learned the 7-foot center was born in Nigeria, raised in England and had never played organized basketball before randomly picking Pacific out of a college directory.
  It was a charming tale, but this isn't the story of how Olowokandi came to Pacific. This is the untold story of how he left.
  A letter written by John Evey, vice president for university advancement at Pacific from 1996-2001, elicited feelings of resentment that linger to this day. A source who spoke on condition of anonymity said Evey requested two $1 million donations, one from Olowokandi and one from the team that drafted him.
  "The athletic department didn't have anything to do with this request, but Michael thought they did," the source said. "It was totally inappropriate. You don't ask him for it. This is the biggest day of his life, and he has to get this kind of letter?"
  Ted Leland, Pacific's current vice president for university advancement, said such a request would have been regrettable.
  "If it happened the way (the source) described, we would be sorry," Leland said. "We take a thoughtful approach with respective donors based on a deep understanding of the donor's interests. This would certainly not be a wise or effective way to raise money."
  Evey, reached at his home in San Diego, said he only requested that Olowokandi ask his NBA team to consider making a contribution to Pacific. He isn't certain whether he requested a specific dollar amount. School officials said they could not find the letter in their files.
  "The observation I made in the note ... was that (Olowokandi) was going to be in a position while negotiating a contract to ask that team to be supportive (of Pacific)," Evey said. "It was not a request to Michael personally, and it was something I think was totally appropriate given that ... he was going to have tremendous negotiating ability with a team that wanted to sign him."
  Olowokandi called Evey and refused the request, swearing he would never donate money to Pacific, the source said.
  "He didn't seem very happy with the timing," said Evey, now the vice president of development for a nonprofit research center in Southern California. "It seemed strange to me that he would respond that way."
  School officials would not say whether Olowokandi has donated to Pacific. Those records are confidential unless the donor chooses to disclose them.
  Olowokandi made an estimated $40 million during a 10-year career with the Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Boston Celtics. He last played in the NBA in 2006-07. He averaged 8.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocked shots per game during his career. He is considered one of the biggest busts in NBA history.
  Pacific coach Bob Thomason said he never spoke to Olowokandi about the letter, but he said Bill Duffy, Olowokandi's agent, was not pleased with the request.
  "He thought it was inappropriate to be doing that at that time," Thomason said.
  Olowokandi could not be reached. Duffy, who no longer represents Olowokandi, declined to comment.
  Kenny Chapman, an agent with Sun West Sports Group in Stockton, described Evey's request as "bold" and "a little odd." He said it is not common for a school to request a donation from a team as part of a player's contract negotiations because the money would count against the team's salary cap.
  Thomason was surprised by Olowokandi's reaction but said the request was ill-timed at best.
  "Sometimes people make mistakes," Thomason said. "Maybe the timing wasn't very good, but (Olowokandi) could have handled it a lot better, too."
  Asked how many times Olowokandi has been back to Pacific, Thomason said: "I've seen him two or three times."
  Olowokandi arrived in the middle of the second half when he returned to have his jersey retired in November 1998. Athletic director Lynn King said Olowokandi has been "very gracious" when they've spoken, but he said his relationship with Pacific is not ideal.
  "I think he's more distant than we'd like him to be," King said.
  Former Pacific assistant coach Tony Marcopulos said he hasn't spoken to Olowokandi in more than nine years.
  "I don't have any interest in discussing him at any length," said Marcopulos, now the head coach at Cabrillo College. "There's a huge disconnect between him and I, and has been for many years."
  Marcopulos was eating a salami sandwich in the Pacific basketball office when he answered an unsolicited call from Olowokandi in 1995. Pacific didn't have a scholarship to offer, but Olowokandi, the son of a Nigerian diplomat, said he would pay his own way.
  Olowokandi transferred to Pacific from Brunel University in England. He enrolled as a sophomore and joined the basketball team as a walk-on. He helped the Tigers reach the NCAA Tournament in 1996-97, earned a scholarship and was named Big West Conference player of the year in 1997-98.
  The Clippers selected Olowokandi ahead of future NBA stars such as Dirk Nowitzki, Mike Bibby and Paul Pierce. It was a glorious moment for Olowokandi and an historic one for Pacific, which had never produced a first-round draft pick.
  Thomason just wishes there wasn't a chasm between Olowokandi and his alma mater.
  "I think it's unfortunate anytime something doesn't work out or something happens that people think shouldn't happen," Thomason said. "But that doesn't take away from all the good times, from the moment we got a phone call from him to three years later when he's the No. 1 pick in the draft. Those were exciting times, and all I have are fond memories of Mike."