Ryan Arcidiacono looks to make most of Chicago opportunity

All Ryan Arcidiacono wants is a chance. A legitimate shot to make it, and fulfill his dream of playing in the NBA. As an undrafted free agent, he knows the odds aren't exactly stacked in his favor. Not that it matters much to him.

A self-proclaimed "6-foot-3 white point guard from Bucks County (Neshaminy High)" probably aren't supposed to become co-Big East Player of the Year as a junior, either. Or Most Outstanding Player at the following season's Final Four, where his last-second shovel pass to Kris Jenkins set up the incredible finish to Villanova's national championship run.

But he did.

Now he wants to take that next step, by far the more difficult one.

"There are no guarantees," said Arcidiacono, who just signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Chicago Bulls, the newest wrinkle in the latest collective bargaining agreement that goes beyond the 15-man NBA roster. "For me, it's about the opportunity.

"I'm trying to prove myself. You have guys who are fighting, doing every little thing they can.

"Last year, I thought I got my foot in the door a little bit. I think I'm a little bit even further in the door this year."

Last season, he was on San Antonio's Developmental League affiliate in Austin, Texas, where he played in 47  games after getting into eight Spurs preseason games.

This year, he played for Chicago's summer-league team, averaging 5.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 0.8 steals in 24 minutes. He then signed a deal with a club in Italy that allowed him an opt-out if this kind of opening presented itself.

He will receive guaranteed money and will be with the Bulls during training camp. After that, the team can call him up for a day or whatever. And he gets paid additionally for that. If he accumulates 45 of those days, he can ink a new contract for the rookie minimum. Otherwise, he'll be suiting up for their G-League team, Windy City, in suburban Chicago.

"I think I learned a lot from my experiences last year," Arcidiacono said. "We'll see what happens. I think there was some question whether [the Bulls] would bring me back. I was still optimistic about it. They said they would get back to me on Monday. But they didn't call until Saturday. Then they said they needed another day. It was a lot of waiting. My mind was running all over the place …

"You can't control these things. So you can't get upset when it doesn't go the way you wanted. I just have to be ready for wherever it takes me."

"Arch" shared the Big East POY award in 2014-15 with Providence lead guard Kris Dunn, a sophomore who would be drafted fifth overall in 2016 by Minnesota. Dunn came to the Bulls this offseason as part of the Jimmy Butler trade. Which means the former rivals are now potential teammates.

"They also have Cameron Payne [the 14th pick in 2015], who played for the Thunder before getting traded [at the deadline] last year," Arcidiacono said. "They're different players than what I would bring. Obviously, there's an investment, when players are taken that high. They're hoping they can still get something big-time out of them. But I still think there's a role for me to find my way on the roster.

"It's funny, because Kris and I have always competed. We talk about all that. He brought it up the other day, about how we were co-MVPs. He was like, 'Arch is the man, blah blah,' that kind of stuff. I respect him, and he respects me."

The team's other "two-way" signee is another guard, Antonio Blakeney, who played the last two seasons at LSU.

Arcidiacono is confident that he has enough of what it takes to make someone notice. And realistically, what does he have to lose?

In many ways, he's playing with house money. Former Villanova teammate Daniel Ochefu made the Washington Wizards as an undrafted free agent last season and played 75 minutes in 19 games. All anyone in their position is looking for is a starting point. And sometimes, even getting that far isn't easy.

"A lot of people want to doubt you, so they can say I told you so if you don't make it," Arcidiacono noted. "I can't do anything about that. I just need to play and perform. People have congratulated me, but I'm not an NBA player until I play in an NBA game or am on the bench or on the active roster. Then I'll be like, 'OK, I made it.' But it's not a one-game thing. I hope to do it for a long time. I can bring value to the team.

"When I was growing up, I never felt I could play in the NBA. Even my first two years at Villanova. I knew I could play there. But I never thought about anything else. I stayed in the now. Then I saw guys like [T.J.] McConnell and [Matthew] Dellavedova and a couple of other guards like that and I thought I could do what they were doing. I still think I can.

"I'm a solid guy who brings a good attitude into practice, works hard every day, just does the little things on the court. I think I can defend at the NBA level. It's a matter of scoring in the mid-range, keeping teams honest to open up my passing. I'm still considered like being on the fringe of an NBA player. I have to do a little extra here, there. I want them to know I'm someone who won't beat himself, can kind of think a play ahead, and see the play before it happens."

Such as when he was dribbling upcourt in Houston in 4.7 seconds with everything on the line and heard Jenkins screaming out to him while running up on his right flank.

If nothing else, he'll always have that moment. And his entire Main Line career. Yet if he indeed makes it at the next level, would that eclipse the Villanova part of his journey?

"It's tough to say," Arcidiacono acknowledged. "One thing already happened. I couldn't have written a better script, or ending. But if I find a way to stick this year, or any year, it would be a very, very, very very close second. It might even jump over that. It depends on how selfish I'm feeling that day."

If he was selfish, he wouldn't have found Jenkins. Or even looked for him.

But he did.

And who knows? He just might do it again.