KAYVON
THIBODEAUX
this class, the explosive Oregon edge
SEASON CRITICISM—now, he’s taking
of chapters still to be written
KAYVON THIBODEAUX STROLLS past palm trees, ocean-
front condominiums and tennis courts. He’s shoeless, sore,
exhausted and surrounded by a cocoon of confidants, nearly
a dozen tota l, f rom t ra iners to ma nagers to a publicist, child-
hood friend and camera guy. They’re all headed to the beach,
ostensibly for yet another pre-draft workout. But there’s
a not her, ulter ior reason for t his not-at-a ll imprompt u gat h-
ering: There’s a story they’re here to tell.
Couples walk dogs across the sand in Santa Monica, the
famous pier and Ferris wheel looming in the background.
Old dudes rally on the hard courts. A piney smell, probably
weed, drifts through the air. Garbage trucks empty bins near
lifeguard stands. Thibodeaux is silent, a tranquil contrast to