AUBURN - When a young child is asked what they want to be when they grow up, a typical response is often a professional athlete.

When 21-year-old Auburn native Brandon Mitchell was a kid, he said the same thing. But now, it's a reality.

Mitchell recently signed with the Corning Bulldogs, an expansion professional basketball team in the American Basketball Association.

The 6-foot-9 forward began his career at Auburn High School and eventually moved on to Hermitage High School in Richmond, Va for his senior year.

He saw the move as an opportunity to play in a higher level of competition. There, he played against such players as NBA star J.R. Smith and Division I all-ACC candidate Tyrese Rice of Boston College.

With high hopes of going to the University of North Carolina and play for the Tar Heels, Mitchell was only offered a couple of scholarships to play for several prep schools and small Division I teams. Those offers were later withdrawn due to his failure to reply.

“I felt that I was capable of playing at UNC,” Mitchell said, “So I waited it out, only to find out that I was too late and missed out on all the other chances.”

Mitchell then made his way back up to New York, where he decided to go play at Morrisville State College. In his two seasons there, he set a school record for most blocks in a game with eight. He also helped lead Morrisville State to a No. 8 spot in the national rankings.

In his sophomore year, Mitchell was selected to showcase his talent in the Region III Junior College All-Star Game and dunk contest.

After taking a year off from basketball to concentrate on school, Mitchell was contacted by James Schutz, co-owner and manager of the Corning Bulldogs. Schutz invited Mitchell to come to an open tryout for the new ABA team.

“After Brandon came to the first tryout camp we were impressed with his athleticism,” Schutz said, “We sent him home with some things to work on and at the second camp he really showed us he was ready.”

The ABA is slightly different in regards to its game rules. There is a 24-second shot clock, which is the same as NBA rules. However, players only have seven seconds to get the ball over the half-court line after inbounding.

Schutz said its tough to find players with size that are going to be quick enough to play with these rules.

“The ABA is basically built under the run-and-gun system,” Schutz said, “So it takes the lumbering big men out of the picture.”

The Corning team consists of a 10-man roster, six of which already have professional experience. Mitchell is one of four rookies on the team.

“After seeing him play, I think Brandon will blend in nicely with these players,” said Schutz.

The Corning Bulldogs will kick off their season in November, when Mitchell will make his professional debut.

“My dreams of being a professional athlete are finally starting to become a reality,” Mitchell said, “Now my ultimate goal is to make it to the NBA, and I'm not going to give up until I can play at least one minute in the league.”