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The distance from downtown Milwaukee to the northern Illinoistown of Zion is less than 50 miles.
But it's safe to say the road traveled by John Hammond featuredmany more twists and turns before he landed in Milwaukee as theBucks' new general manager.
The 53-year-old made a mention of his Zion roots in the openingmoments of his introductory news conference last month when he saidof his friends and family: "We're all just a bunch of Zee-Bees,"referring to the nickname of the Zion-Benton High School athleticteams.
Hammond knew from a young age he wanted to be a coach and to beinvolved in basketball.
But the circuitous path he took involved several leaps of faithand some devastating experiences, including the death of one of hisbest friends and the death of his parents, Henrietta and John "Bud"Hammond.
"Certain things happened in my life that really fast-forwarded meinto adulthood," Hammond said.
One life-changing event occurred during Hammond's freshman yearat Greenville College in western Illinois, when his hometown friendand roommate, Scott Burgess, suffered an on-court collision thatresulted in a serious brain injury and death.
"Scott runs face-to-face with a guy, falls and hits his head,"Hammond said. "I stayed with him overnight in the hospital, and Icould see things weren't right. The next morning they rush him toSt. Louis, he has brain surgery twice within 48 hours and dies.
"So now, I go back to my dorm and an empty bed. You talk aboutwhat a great experience I had in a small Christian college likethis. Everyone on campus put their arms around me. If I had been ata major university, I'm sure I probably would have left school."
Shortly after Hammond graduated from college, his mother died ofcancer, and a few years later, his father died of a brain tumor.
"My father had never been sick a day in his life," Hammond said.
Hammond has fond memories of growing up in Zion, playing Little League baseball and youth basketball with his best friend, Billy McKinney, and working at his dad's store.
Greg Bromberg 
