A prodigy’s return
O’Neal to play in first game at home since high school
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate...s/15833122.htm
George Glymph converted the Eau Claire High basketball program into a cornucopia of talent in his 23 seasons, and his players regularly advanced to the college game.
Imagine then the surprise he created with a bombshell in the early 1990s. During a bull session, a cat-that-got-the-canary smile covered his face and he said, in essence, Just wait, the best player is yet to come.
Glymph spoke of Jermaine O’Neal, then a lanky youngster preparing for his sophomore season. The coach obviously understood potential.
Three years later, O’Neal went from high school the National Basketball Association, and now, on the eve of his 11th pro season, he ranks among the game’s finest players.
O’Neal comes home tonight, leading the Indiana Pacers against the Charlotte Bobcats in an exhibition game at the Colonial Center.
The game will mark O’Neal’s first on-the-court appearance in his home town since his high school days. He laughed and said, “Maybe I can show the fans some things I can do now.”
He already has demonstrated what he can do in a more important yet often-unappreciated side of pro athletes. His $30,000 donation made last Christmas a happier one for 100 youngsters who live in Columbia’s public housing.
“That’s a good start, and we want to get into doing more things for the people in Columbia,” O’Neal said. “I want to be involved with the community where I grew up. We have some things in mind.”
The good guys are the ones who never forget.
Capitalizing on opportunity. Those who remember the ugly 2004 brawl involving members of the Pacers and fans in Detroit might challenge that image. O’Neal hit a man who came onto the court during the melee and received a 15-game suspension.
But they do not know the O’Neal who hosted 800 people for a Christmas dinner in Indianapolis that year, or the one who provided scholarships for housing-authority youngsters in Columbia, or the one who donated $100,000 to Hurricane Katrina relief.
O’Neal “felt terrible” at being involved in the fracas and vowed then to repair any negative images. He “would continue to do what I have been doing,” which included being active in his communities.
His on-the-court persona required no rebuilding. He has averaged more than 20 points a game for four consecutive seasons and routinely has double-figure rebound games. He has played in four All-Star games, finished high in MVP balloting and been second or third team all-NBA three times.
All that started at Eau Claire with his coach, Glymph, and his mother, Angela Ocean.
“They were very instrumental in my development in basketball and in life,” O’Neal said. “They talked about how life is filled with challenges and sometimes life is a struggle.
“You have to work for your opportunities, and opportunities might not come along all the time. If you do have the right opportunity, go for it.”
He did.
Although aware that he was not prepared physically or mentally for the rigors of NBA basketball, he opted for the pro draft after his senior season at Eau Claire. Portland selected him in the first round, with the 17th pick.
“I had to evaluate where I was and where I could be,” O’Neal said in reflecting on his decision. “I had to do what was best for myself. I knew that I was not ready to play a man’s game on a full-time basis at that time, but I felt I was strong enough to endure.”
He was.
O’Neal calls his four seasons with Portland “his college,” and his game developed in practices. By his third year, he believed he could compete, and by his fourth he knew he could.
Traded to Indianapolis, his performance with the Pacers proved his point.
Lessons from the past. In one of those timing-is-everything scenarios, if O’Neal finished high school now, new rules that changed draft eligibility would prevent his going straight to the NBA.
“I spoke out against the change, and here’s why,” he said. “About three years ago, we were playing in Detroit and I was reading USA Today. The paper had pictures and ages of all the people killed in the war, and I saw 18, 19, 20 years old on a lot of them.
“I thought, ‘How can you give a guy a rifle and tell him to fight for his country, yet you’re telling him he can’t live his dream and play (NBA) basketball?’ ”
“Really, look at the top players, the ones the NBA promotes and the shoe companies want for endorsements. Most of them are high school guys, Kevin (Garnett), Kobe (Bryant), me, LeBron (James). I think eight of the 10 or so they promote are high school guys, yet all of a sudden age is a problem.”
Of course, O’Neal understands the odds against high school players moving immediately to the NBA and succeeding.
“You have so many challenges in life, and (going to the NBA) was my opportunity to live my dream,” he said. “The question was, what would I make of it?
“Basketball is like any other job, any other decision. People succeed or they fail. If you make the decision to go pro (early) and don’t make it, so be it. But look at some of the top college programs; they have four-year (college) players who don’t make (the NBA).”
O’Neal made it, but said Glymph never lets him forget lessons from the past.
“Basketball was always second or third with him,” he said of Glymph, now with the Knicks. “If he sees me get mad or get a technical foul (on television), he will call and tell me the same thing he told me the first time I played for him: respect the game, respect the officials.”
He might have added, Look ahead, but remember and learn from your past.
O’Neal does, and if a tall guy shows up in the Eau Claire community today, no one should be surprised.
O’Neal to play in first game at home since high school
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate...s/15833122.htm
George Glymph converted the Eau Claire High basketball program into a cornucopia of talent in his 23 seasons, and his players regularly advanced to the college game.
Imagine then the surprise he created with a bombshell in the early 1990s. During a bull session, a cat-that-got-the-canary smile covered his face and he said, in essence, Just wait, the best player is yet to come.
Glymph spoke of Jermaine O’Neal, then a lanky youngster preparing for his sophomore season. The coach obviously understood potential.
Three years later, O’Neal went from high school the National Basketball Association, and now, on the eve of his 11th pro season, he ranks among the game’s finest players.
O’Neal comes home tonight, leading the Indiana Pacers against the Charlotte Bobcats in an exhibition game at the Colonial Center.
The game will mark O’Neal’s first on-the-court appearance in his home town since his high school days. He laughed and said, “Maybe I can show the fans some things I can do now.”
He already has demonstrated what he can do in a more important yet often-unappreciated side of pro athletes. His $30,000 donation made last Christmas a happier one for 100 youngsters who live in Columbia’s public housing.
“That’s a good start, and we want to get into doing more things for the people in Columbia,” O’Neal said. “I want to be involved with the community where I grew up. We have some things in mind.”
The good guys are the ones who never forget.
Capitalizing on opportunity. Those who remember the ugly 2004 brawl involving members of the Pacers and fans in Detroit might challenge that image. O’Neal hit a man who came onto the court during the melee and received a 15-game suspension.
But they do not know the O’Neal who hosted 800 people for a Christmas dinner in Indianapolis that year, or the one who provided scholarships for housing-authority youngsters in Columbia, or the one who donated $100,000 to Hurricane Katrina relief.
O’Neal “felt terrible” at being involved in the fracas and vowed then to repair any negative images. He “would continue to do what I have been doing,” which included being active in his communities.
His on-the-court persona required no rebuilding. He has averaged more than 20 points a game for four consecutive seasons and routinely has double-figure rebound games. He has played in four All-Star games, finished high in MVP balloting and been second or third team all-NBA three times.
All that started at Eau Claire with his coach, Glymph, and his mother, Angela Ocean.
“They were very instrumental in my development in basketball and in life,” O’Neal said. “They talked about how life is filled with challenges and sometimes life is a struggle.
“You have to work for your opportunities, and opportunities might not come along all the time. If you do have the right opportunity, go for it.”
He did.
Although aware that he was not prepared physically or mentally for the rigors of NBA basketball, he opted for the pro draft after his senior season at Eau Claire. Portland selected him in the first round, with the 17th pick.
“I had to evaluate where I was and where I could be,” O’Neal said in reflecting on his decision. “I had to do what was best for myself. I knew that I was not ready to play a man’s game on a full-time basis at that time, but I felt I was strong enough to endure.”
He was.
O’Neal calls his four seasons with Portland “his college,” and his game developed in practices. By his third year, he believed he could compete, and by his fourth he knew he could.
Traded to Indianapolis, his performance with the Pacers proved his point.
Lessons from the past. In one of those timing-is-everything scenarios, if O’Neal finished high school now, new rules that changed draft eligibility would prevent his going straight to the NBA.
“I spoke out against the change, and here’s why,” he said. “About three years ago, we were playing in Detroit and I was reading USA Today. The paper had pictures and ages of all the people killed in the war, and I saw 18, 19, 20 years old on a lot of them.
“I thought, ‘How can you give a guy a rifle and tell him to fight for his country, yet you’re telling him he can’t live his dream and play (NBA) basketball?’ ”
“Really, look at the top players, the ones the NBA promotes and the shoe companies want for endorsements. Most of them are high school guys, Kevin (Garnett), Kobe (Bryant), me, LeBron (James). I think eight of the 10 or so they promote are high school guys, yet all of a sudden age is a problem.”
Of course, O’Neal understands the odds against high school players moving immediately to the NBA and succeeding.
“You have so many challenges in life, and (going to the NBA) was my opportunity to live my dream,” he said. “The question was, what would I make of it?
“Basketball is like any other job, any other decision. People succeed or they fail. If you make the decision to go pro (early) and don’t make it, so be it. But look at some of the top college programs; they have four-year (college) players who don’t make (the NBA).”
O’Neal made it, but said Glymph never lets him forget lessons from the past.
“Basketball was always second or third with him,” he said of Glymph, now with the Knicks. “If he sees me get mad or get a technical foul (on television), he will call and tell me the same thing he told me the first time I played for him: respect the game, respect the officials.”
He might have added, Look ahead, but remember and learn from your past.
O’Neal does, and if a tall guy shows up in the Eau Claire community today, no one should be surprised.
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