Akrum Wadley was strongly considering skipping his senior year at Iowa and entering the NFL draft at the end of last season. That is, until he got advice from the most influential coach in his life: his mother.
“She made me come back,” Wadley said with a laugh.
That’s not entirely true. But Sheronda Phelps, Wadley’s mother and a high school girls' basketball coach, said her son was ready to turn pro regardless of what round he’d be drafted. She had a different perspective.
“Most times, I feel like parents just go along with the kid’s decision,” Phelps said.