Bob McAdoo was a proud papa at Flushing Meadows over Labor Day weekend, watching his 17-year-old daughter, Rasheeda, get through the qualifiers and gain a berth into the U.S. Junior Open.
It was a great capper to a great summer in which the Heat assistant coach and former Knicks player earned his second championship ring with Miami, then saw the Heat get better in the offseason with the acquisitions of Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis.
“I’m happy about it,’’ McAdoo told The Post yesterday while watching his daughter play her first-round match in the main draw last night on Court 13. “It makes us stronger from the bench and that was one of our Achilles’ heels last year. Hopefully Ray is going to be healthy and Rashard is going to be healthy and that will be the key for us — if they’re healthy and LeBron [James] isn’t too fatigued from the Olympics and winning a championship.’’
Rasheeda, who will return for her senior year at American Heritage High in Delray Beach, Fla., has photos in her bedroom of James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, but has become a star in her own right, winning the Florida state high school title in singles and doubles. Born in northern New Jersey, Rasheeda is ranked 160th in the ITF junior rankings and lost yesterday to 39th ranked Ching Hsu, 6-4, 6-4, despite getting up a break in each set.
But that couldn’t dampen McAdoo’s mood as he didn’t expect his daughter to reach the main draw. And he is still riding the high of his own title.
“It’s a lot of relief,’’ McAdoo said. “I’ve seen our team been a lightning rod for criticism since LeBron’s been there. I was so happy for him because he finally got over the hump after so much criticism. The Dallas loss [in 2011] really helped him. He didn’t play that well. He was criticized very badly and became more determined. He pulled us out in Indiana and in Boston when we were left for dead. He came through. Unlike the Dallas series, when his scoring average was low in the fourth, he was solid the whole way through against OKC [in the Finals]. “We got to get there but I still feel OKC is the team to beat in the West,’’ the Hall of Famer said. “Everyone’s talking about how they got better but I still think they’re the team to beat. They’re still young and have the experience of a championship series.’’
Despite the buzz about the Lakers adding Dwight Howard and Steve Nash, McAdoo expects to see the Thunder again in The Finals if Miami gets through.