Young basketball star brings crowd to YSU

By: Jaymin Patel, Jambar reporter

Posted: 2/19/02

He is hailed as the next Michael Jordan. He's only a junior in high school, but many speculate LeBron James of Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary's may go straight to the NBA.

He came to YSU on Sunday in a high school double-header that included the matchups of Slippery Rock High school vs. Lisbon High School and the feature of the day, Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary's vs. George Junior Republic High School.

Beeghly Stadium was packed with an estimated 7,000 people. Tickets to the game were sold out since the day they went on sale.

It seemed everyone wanted a glimpse of James, who graced the cover of this week's Sports Illustrated.

The crowd was enlivened as it watched the 6-foot-7-inch, 225-pound guard warm up. The game started out with George Junior Republic High School in possession of the ball.

A steal and the scoring of the first 6 points by James soon put the St.Vincent-St.Mary's Irish in the lead.

This was no regular high school game, but rather seemed to be as entertaining as an NBA All Star Game.

James delivered a spectacular windmill dunk in the first quarter. It was followed by another strong delivery, which had the backboard shaking. These theatrics were answered by the extraordinary reverse dunk by Benson Callier, George Junior forward.

The talent level on the floor was very high, as the 21-2 Tigers attempted to beat the two-time defending Ohio State champions Fighting Irish on their way to the District 10 AAAA Championships.

The lead man match up was also very heated. Callier, of the Tigers, averaging 17.2 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.6 steals per game, ended the game scoring 14 points, eight rebounds and three steals along with a massive block against the monstrous James.

As James drove in to score, Callier stepped up and blocked James's shot, sending him to the floor. James' mother was out on the court, but James quickly sent her away.

James played well the first half, but played the second half somewhat passively, scoring only 4 points.

James, who averages 29.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game, ended the night with 20 points, 12 boards, two blocks and five steals. He had no assists for the game.

The Tigers did a god job of guarding James, and he played as though frustrated throughout the game, accumulating 4 fouls.

The Tigers came back from a 9-point deficit at halftime to score 23 points in the third and fourth quarters to tie the game at 50. The Irish scored a measely 14 points in the second half, which also included a third dunk by James.

As the last three seconds of the game ticked away, which is enough time for a lay-up or dunk, the Tigers missed a poorly judged half-court shot and sent the game into overtime.

But the Tigers outscored the Irish 8-7 in overtime and came out triumphant. When asked how he felt about blocking the No. 1 player in the nation, Callier, who was named player of the game, responded, "I was dreaming of that moment all night."

In the first game of the night, the Lisbon Blue Devils started out with a quick lead of 21-9 over the Slippery Rock Rockets. The Rockets were able to lessen the Devils' lead to only two at the half, where the score was 24-22, but soon fell back, entering the fourth quarter down 28-38.

The Rockets blasted off in the fourth quarter, bringing the Devils' lead to only 1 point. It was 50-49 with one minute left, but the Devils held on to their lead and won the game with a final score of ####.