Dupree, who averaged 12.2 points and 7.8 rebounds as a junior, decided to forgo his last season at Towson in March after the Tigers’ 4-26 year came to merciful end. Pat Kennedy had been let go, and Dupree had little interest in playing for his third head coach in college – although he has heard “great things” about Pat Skerry, Kennedy’s successor.

While agents Jim Buckley and Frank Catapano of Pro Partner Sports Management began to market Dupree to overseas clubs, trainer Joe Connelly prescribed a steady regimen of basketball and boxing. Dupree worked out at the Laurel Boys & Girls Club with Chris Wright (Georgetown), Ricky Harris (Massachusetts, Calvert Hall), Reggie Holmes (Morgan State, St. Frances) and several other former college stars looking to catch on with a professional team.

Dupree’s daily sessions with Connelly, meanwhile, were transformative.

“A lot of people don’t realize how much work it took for me, this summer and this spring, just to get where I wanted to be,” Dupree said. “I lost like 40 pounds. I cut down on a lot of extra things. I pushed myself to another level to prepare. I’m really excited. I just put my mind to it. I would say to anybody if you want something, you’ve got to work for it. That’s what I did.”

Dupree, a stout, 280-pound freshman at Maryland, is now a svelte 240 pounds. The body makeover has made a “big difference” in how he plays, looks and feels. Dupree only wishes he possessed this type of work ethic when he started his college career.

“I guess it’s part of maturing,” Dupree said. “That’s one thing I learned about myself through this process. I learned a lot about how much I could push myself. Back then, I didn’t really know because I was younger. I didn’t realize or know what it took to be successful. As a younger player, maybe you feel like you can go to practice and that’s enough. You really need to spend extra time outside [of practice].

“Back then, I didn’t really understand. I didn’t really then, but I do now. I just bought into what my trainer was telling me. I just do everything [he says]. I wish I could’ve done that when I was younger, but I’m really happy now because at the end of the day, I’m where I want to be – a pro basketball player. I’m there now.”

From time to time Dupree talks to former Terps teammates Dino Gregory (who has reportedly signed with Sweden's Sundsvall Dragons), Adrian Bowie (who's looking to sign a pro deal) and Cliff Tucker, now a wide receiver at UTEP. Dupree’s Towson tenure, meanwhile, didn’t translate into many wins, but he’s appreciative for his time spent with Kennedy, who Dupree said “did the best job he could.”

Now a contract has been signed and the next two years of his life have been mapped out. That security, however, hasn’t led to Dupree falling back into old habits. He has stuck to his workout routine, and plans to continue that until his late-August departure for Israel. For Dupree, who has never left the country, the next phase of his basketball-playing life can’t come soon enough.

“I’ve always lived in Baltimore City my whole life,” Dupree said. “It’s a new experience for me. I get to meet new people. I’m older now, and I’m looking forward to it. [I’ll be able to] get out to see the world on my own. It should be a great time.”

Photo of Braxton Dupree by Kenneth K. Lam / Nov. 16, 2010