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GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. \u2014 A Gwinnett County community is rallying behind Devin Vassell, a Suwanee native and former Peachtree Ridge High School standout now playing for an NBA championship with the San Antonio Spurs.<\/p>\n
[DOWNLOAD: <\/b>Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks<\/b><\/a>]<\/b><\/p>\n Vassell, a Suwanee native who came up through the Peachtree Ridge program, is playing for an NBA title with the San Antonio Spurs after the team drafted him 11th overall in 2020. For the players sweating through practice in his old gym, the finals run is proof the path is real.<\/p>\n \u201cHe gives our guys hope that they can be the next guy,\u201d said Jordan Griffin, the head boys basketball coach.<\/p>\n Vassell\u2019s path to the finals started with rejection. Childhood friend Kristian Collins, who now coaches at the school, remembers when Vassell was the kid fighting just to make a team.<\/p>\n \u201cHe got cut from his middle school team, barely made the team his freshman year, and then he just kept working,\u201d Collins said.<\/p>\n He kept working until he became one of the best athletes Peachtree Ridge had ever seen, good enough to earn a scholarship to Florida State.<\/p>\n TRENDING STORIES:<\/b><\/p>\n Last year, the school lifted Vassell\u2019s jersey to the rafters, the only number it has ever retired. <\/p>\n \u201cI got to embrace him at half-court when he was here,\u201d Collins said. \u201cThat was big for everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n When Vassell punched his ticket to the finals, the school erupted. His name went up on the video board outside the school, and the text messages never stopped.<\/p>\n Vassell still mentors the players here and pours back into the program that made him. For Collins, watching his childhood friend on the game\u2019s biggest stage still doesn\u2019t feel real.<\/p>\n \u201cTo see somebody you grew up with chase their dreams and reach the highest heights, I\u2019m just super proud of him, as we all are,\u201d Collins said.<\/p>\n Vassell isn\u2019t the only Georgian on the Spurs. His teammate is Stephon Castle, a former star for Newton High School.<\/p>\n [SIGN UP: <\/b>WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter<\/b><\/a>]<\/b><\/p>\n \u00a92026 Cox Media Group<\/p>\n<\/div>\n