Dellavedova goes undrafted, picked up by Orlando

When the dust cleared Friday morning, Matthew Dellavedova was headed to Orlando to compete for a roster spot. While there was speculation that Dellavedova had done enough in the pre-draft workouts to merit a second round selection, teams thought otherwise.

Now, Dellavedova is in the same position where he has been all his life – as an underdog. He was only offered two D-1 scholarships (SMC & Pacific).  After losing the majority of it’s leadership from the 2008-2009 team, the 2009-2010 team wasn’t predicted to compete. With Dellavedova being an integral part, the Gaels upset Gonzaga in the WCC Championship game and made their memorable Sweet 16 run – a run that put the little campus in the town of Moraga on the map.

A few years later, as a junior, Dellavedova led the Gaels to their first ever WCC Regular Season and Tournament crown. Then, a long shot to make the Aussie Boomers Olympic Squad, he earned not only a rotation place, but became a starting point guard for his country in the Olympics.

Following a mediocre start to his senior year, Dellavedova once again came through in the clutch, and led his Gaels to a dominant First Four win before losing a heart-breaker to Memphis in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Now, as usual, Dellavedova is back to being the underdog. The Magic are a very young team, who drafted defensive whiz and shooting guard Victor Oladipo in the first round and power forward Romero Osby in the second.  Currently, the Magic only have Beno Udrich and Jameer Nelson as their point guards – both over thirty years old. For a rebuilding squad, it is up to Dellavedova to force the issue for the Magic to put him on their roster. With a strong showing in the Summer League, it is very likely that the former Gael will be a member of the Magic come October. Back in underdog mode, Dellavedova is out to show the world what he shown the WCC for the last four years, and has made him one of the best players that have ever played in the conference.