DJ Thomas-On The Rise

[boomosby50]

so before i start, just a little heads up, this is like chestnutz petie miles thing, as my legacy died, and I'm starting in his senior year in high school, 2010-11 season. I'm playing with 12 min halfs, and no sliders changed at all. All at 50 or whatever the default is. The difficulty will be on MOP. This one won't die!!!!!!!

[boomosby50]

"Your game, your floor, your ball, your team, your night." I always said my good luck charm before every game. I was the lone white guy on my team at Dunbar high school and that was always something intimidating. We were 19-0 going into this last tournament. All the big schools were gonna be there for me and my "soul brother" DeShaun Butler. We vowed as 2nd graders that wherever we went in life, we would do it together, and that included college. We'd gotten package offers from Duke, where we just said no way, Maryland, Memphis, Kansas, UNC, UCLA, and Wisconsin. We knew those all meant nothing because this tournament would determine it all. There was DeMatha, who was above us as #2 in Maryland with the #1 state and national ranking, there was Oak Hill, who had the country's top player, Marcus Bell, who was going to UNC, there was the #2 team in Virgina behind Oak Hill, T.C. Williams, and then there were assorted other top programs in the area like Randallstown, Mount St. Joe's, Towson Catholic and the Dunbar from DC. We were the Dunbar representing from Baltimore. I was pumped for this because 1: It was the country's top tournament and 2: This was the best chance I had to get away from the streets. My parents worked for the government, and were killed when I was 1. The killers burned their will and everything, so I was taken to an orphanage in the streets of East Baltimore, one of the most dangerous places in the world. My adopted parents were the nicest black couple in the world, and I loved them to death, but the "Oreo" and "Milk Chocolate" comments really hurt me. They were poor, and with AAU and all the trips I had to make and the money they cost, the NBA was my destination right after freshman year. This tournament could get me out of the slums and make me millions. Our first game vs Randallstown was a walkover. They were a Baltimore county school, which had some good teams, but nothing close to the city. We ran our Phoenix-style offense with me as Steve Nash and DeShaun as my running mate, winning 82-50. I had 23 points and 16 assists, and DeShaun had 34 points. Our second game was a bit closer against T.C. Williams, but we pulled away in the homestretch. The final score was 72-64, and DeShaun had an "average" game scoring 19 points. I had 12 points and 10 assists. The final game was between the winner of Oak Hill-DeMatha and that game was a classic. DeMatha came out on top in the 4th overtime on a buzzer-beating halfcourt shot. At least they would be tired. I didn't care that our national ranking was #2, we were not even close to them as a team. Their team could win a NCAA championship, the way they played. Coach K called my cell, I didn't care. He was my hero, even though I hated his team, but tonight was a shooting night. Cell went off and I biked to my school gym. This would be a long night..........

[desmin123]

good story, another update 2night?

[Oo_SU_oO]

Good Stuff man I like these I will def follow

[boomosby50]

I was on fire the whole night. Coach Baker always had folding chairs for me in the corner of the gym, knowing I came her to get away from everything. I was shooting and dishing deep into the night. I heard gunshots, sirens and screaming right outside the gym, "Another kid transferred" I thought. Every shot seemed to swish. I turned the lights off at about 2:30, but kept shooting. DeShaun joined me at 4, he couldn't sleep tonight. If I must hand something to DeShaun it was how cool he was about his life in the night. He was above it all, but his brothers were drug dealers, and his dad was the head of a gang. Most of the time, DeShaun was alone and didn't sleep much. Basketball was his only way out. That's why he was the model citizen. He knew that colleges would jump on any character issue possible, so he always met college recruiters at school and studied harder than anyone else in school. We were in a ryhtm, no words, just the sound of the ball hitting the floor and swishing through the net. We heard a door open, and a man walked through Coach Reed's office. "Hello boys, my name is Grant Johnson." "What the hell you want?" DeShaun's brother said, walking in just at the right time. I could see his revolver sticking out of his pocket. "Yo, Andre get out of here. You only bring trouble." DeShaun said. I was the only one who hadn't talked yet. "I'm from the City School Board." Johnson added. "You guys can't play tommorow." I was confused, was I missing something here? "We have proof that you guys fixed your grades." I had some feeling this guy wasn't legit. "Who sent you here?" DeShaun asked, which I would've asked if I could find where my tongue went. "No one." Johnson pulled out a gun and shot Andre, then ran. DeShaun chased him, but I held him back. This guy had a plan. Something was up. "Call the police" I said, he shot him in the foot, Andre'll be fine. This wasn't about Andre I don't think. Or grades, or recruiting. This was something about my parents. I just knew it. It was 5:21. I heard sirens. The paramedics came in. My mind went blank, and that was the last thing I remembered.

[desmin123]

ewww, it gets intense!

[boomosby50]

I couldn't see Johnson's face last night, but I ahd a feeling he was in the stands, and his name wasn't Grant Johnson. DeShaun and I played like never before, and DeMatha couldn't stop us. What I thought about their team did not apply tonight. Everyone was in the zone. DeShaun had 40 points and 13 rebounds. I had 26 points and 18 assists. Basketball wasn't fun during the game, it was business. We had something to prove to whoever that guy was the night before, and nothing could stop us. I don't remeber the final score, and really, I didn't care. I went back to the gym alone, waiting for Johnson to come. He never did. The season was over. I had to make my college decision. Fun. DeShaun was asleep on my floor when I came back home. I looked down ths street to his house. His dad didn't pay the electricity again. I called Coach K. I needed someone to talk to. I already had turned down his cholarship offer, and he respected my decision, but he was quickly becoming the father I never had. Whenever something came up, I called him. He didn't answer. I climbed into bed to the tune of gunshots and screams. Same old song and dance. My eyes closed and I drifted off into a deep sleep. When I woke up, DeShaun was smiling and said we needed to talk. Andre was ok, and that was a relief to me. He was coming over in a few minutes and I never could've been happier to have a hoodlam in my room. We talked about colleges and we broke it down to 3. One was UCLA. We couldn't stand any more cold winters and the history was great there. Plus, they had no returning guards and we would be immediate starters. #2 was Florida. Billy Donovan had been talking to us since 8th grade, and they were the first to offer us a scholarship. 3rd was Gonzaga, because it was the farthest one away from home. Andre approved all 3. We called The Sun, and they said they would report it. There was just some weird feeling I had that we wouldn't go to any of those 3. DeShaun and I went to the gym again that night, practicing and waiting for Johnson, and we brought Andre along this time. No sign of him. At midnight, I got a call from my apopted mom. She knew my deal coming to the gym, but she had other news. I was suspended from the state playoffs for violating team rules. I hung up and called Coach Reed. He said he had no idea about it. The next day I was labeled eligible again and everything was fine. Except one thing. Andre got arrested. This was the 5th time it had happened, but there was actually going to be a case this time. It was scheduled the day of signing day and he couldn't change it. Our college advisor was going to be in court when DeShaun and I were going to be signing the dotted line

[boomosby50]

sorry there so long, just gotta get all the information in now. Mine will get more basketball-related, I promise. It just has to be intense to start and introduce all the problems

[Oo_SU_oO]

Dang!!! People are gettin shot this fast, I like this one already!

[boomosby50]

Our first game was against Franklin High School. They were another county school, but they were automatic shooters. They were our toughest test last year when we won our 22nd straight state championship in school history. We were in the 3A class, which is the 2nd biggest school division. They had the lead on us most of the 1st half, but we pulled away in the 2nd half. I saw some familiar scouts who seemed pretty pleases with the 65-47 score as we advanced to the quarterfinals. We were hosting the tournament up until the finals, which was at Comcast Center, so we went to the gym after the Franklin game, and nothing was up. School the rest of the week was basically one pep rally after another and reporters overran the school after DeShaun and I released our top schools. The quarterfinals was a breeze, we beat River Hill, the Howard County champion, who had some good big men, 80-52. I was averaging 21 points and 13 assists in the 2 games. DeShaun was on both games, averaging 29 PPG. We didn't even go to the gym the next night, because we hadn't slept in days, and we knew he wouldn't show up until the time is right. Maybe the state finals or Andre's case. We won in the semis again in a walk-over, 71-30 to the cinderella so far, Long Reach. The finals was against our archrival, Edmonson. We had beaten them on my game-winning free throws earlier in the year, and they were the only team who had beaten us in the last 3 years, since DeShaun and I made varsity. We went to the gym again, but this time to lead a team meeting. This game was big for everyone, not just us. Walking back home, I saw Johnson. I knew it was him. Talking to him was my foster dad. I could see the gleam in Johnson's eye as my dad invited him in, thinking he was a college recruiter. When Dad went to the bathroom, Johnson gave me the scoop. "DJ, I didn't want to tell you this, but if you don't win this game, Andre will go to jail, along with DeShaun. I have people. Win and you'll be fine. Lose and they're gone. DeShaun's not as perfect as you think." This time, I believed him. But I wasn't letting DeShaun go. This game was ours.

[boomosby50]

Dang!!! People are gettin shot this fast, I like this one already!

its real world stuff man, Baltimore's violent as crap in certain areas. But it's not a crime story. Basketball will be big in this. One more update before I hit the hay 2nite.

[boomosby50]

I saw Johnson in the stands. I gained an admiration for him for some reason. DeShaun had a worried look on his face. He knows too. "Your game, your floor, your ball, your team, your night." Edmonson came out as hot as ever, but we had an answer for everything. The score at the half was our lowest of the year, 19-19. "That's like a pee-wee socre out there, but you guys are playing the best game of this whole season" Coach Reed told us. I had almost nothing, no points, only 2 assists, but I knew it was my best game of the year. I had no turnovers and was playing the best defense of my life. The stakes were high. Coach K was there, and everyone was hounding for autographs, which made me laugh. If there's anything he didn't want, it was attention. He joined our bench in the 2nd half. Too bad I couldn't join him. The 2nd half was as intense as my life the past few weeks. Hard fouls, shoves, battles of words. I never got too verbal and didn't usually show emotion, but I found myself duking it out with Edmonson's backup point guard, who was playing as hard as possible. The score with 20 seconds left was Edmonson leading 42-41. I had the ball. The clock winded down. I paseed it to DeShaun with 2 seconds left. He got it back to me. I pulled up from 11 feet. Swish. I couldn't hear anything. I passed out. Again. I woke up in the hospital and who else but Grant Johnson was sitting next to my bed. "Hell of a shot kid. That pesky kid fouled you, ya know. Anyway, DeShaun's good now. You saved him from jail. He knew, yeah." I couldn't stop his talking. "Anyway, this will be the last time I ever talk to you. Good luck in college. And just to mention, my name is Thomas. Chris Thomas." Uncle Chris, it was him all along. He was supposedly dead. I couldn't talk, maybe it was more severe than I thought. But it was definitely him. He had the ear, the Thomas ear in all my parents' pictures. I saw a piece of paper he left on my table. It was his business card, he was a college scout. It said he was from UCLA, and his name was Gary Reddick. No wonder I recognized him. He came to my house before, he offered me my scholarship. Why was he here? Why did he shoot Andre? why did he finally confess he was my uncle? Something was up here. DJ Thoams and DeShaun Butler were going to be in the PAC-10. I had a call from Ben Howland. I could suddenly talk, but he had some bad news. "DJ, I'm sorry but we have recieved 2 transfers, and we have decided to rescind DeShaun and your scholarships." I hung up without saying anything. I knew the PAC-10 was my place, UCLA or not. Something was about to happen

[Superjames1992]

I used to live about 15 minutes from Dunbar... Dunbar, West Virginia. :)

[Preo32]

well, if they arent going to UCLA and they are still going Pac-10, i feel like 2 High Schoolers are going to another University located In Southern California

[Oo_SU_oO]

its real world stuff man, Baltimore's violent as crap in certain areas. But it's not a crime story. Basketball will be big in this. One more update before I hit the hay 2nite.
Oh I know man I have been there, I was just sayin in the Petie Miles one everyone was tellin the guy writin it to have someone get shot.

[chestnutz6]

That's cause ya'll aint patient in my story, there will definately be gun shots, you just wait. I have all 4 years planned out. Think bout it, does the climax usually come in the beginning?

Looks good though boom, only suggestion is to break your one giant paragraph up with more paragraphs, makes it a LOT easier to read.

[boomosby50]

good advice chesnutz thanx

[boomosby50]

At one point, I didn't even need to think twice about some schools' recruiting camps, because everything would be handed right to me, but after UCLA, I was with DeShaun in Cornwallis, Oregon. The Oregon State camp was known to be the main camp for any Pac-10 hopeful. I saw Tim Floyd, Randy Bennett and none other than my uncle, Chris Thomas, talking with Ben Howland.
I walked over, "Coach Howland." I said, looking for a nice little hello and some coach small talk, but he meant business. "DJ, I want you to meet someone. His name is Andy Thompson, you may have heard of him. He coached at Howard for a year and a half, then resigned, but is at Arizona now. You've heard of him, right?" "Definitely, his team was great. Honor to meet you Coach Thompson." Before he could start saying hello, everyone in the room could hear DeShaun yell "Yo Coach, Andre's great, thanks for the call. You thinking of offering us up a scholly yet?" Coach Thompson was ready. "That's great news DeShaun, I think I might have room to get you guys on the team next year." I liked this guy. "Coach Andy Thompson, I would like to officially announce Daniel Thomas and DeShaun Butler's college choice as Arizona University." "That's great DJ." Thompson said.
This would be a great season. We went home the next day, and I slept the best I ever had that plane ride. We went back to the gym the next night, not to scout for my uncle, but to get back in the groove. Arizona was tough. Coach Thompson gave me Jerryd Bayless' number and he said he was without a doubt, going to the NBA after this season. DeShaun and I had immediate playing time, and Marcus Bell from Oak Hill was going to USC. The Wildcats were predicted as a bubble team this year. DeShaun and I hadn't lost a game since 3rd grade AAU. This would be a new thing. I needed to find a suit for tommorow's press conference......

[Oo_SU_oO]

Nice Im tryin to go to school at Arizona too

[boomosby50]

I think ill have 2 more updates tonite. I have baseball till like 8:30, but I should get into the start of the season by then

[boomosby50]

no baseball. update now

[boomosby50]

Graduation was, well, interesting.About 20 kids faked their diploma and a shouting fight broke out between our principal and some students. Nothing out of the ordinary for our school. DeShaun was voted Validictorian, and made a pretty great speech, if I must say so myself.
We went to a graduation party of Chris Thornton, who was a guy on our AAU team. The typical hillbilly forward, he was from Owings Mills, another county school. His parents were pretty rich though and it was a killer party. DeShaun was getting all the girls there, and I was just hanging around with this one girl named Emily, who was pretty smokin' and was smart too. By the weirdest coincidence ever, she was going to Arizona too. This would be pretty awesome.
After the party, I got her number and promised we would meet up when she got to school. DeShaun and I said bye to everyone and caught our plane that was leaving at 4:30 in the morning. I was wired the whole way, and it had to be the most I'd ever been on a plane. DeShaun took the role of sleeper the whole way. The one thing we were above as high-profile players was drugs and alcohol and all that. Basketball equaled life for us, and we weren't gonna lose that.
The plane hit the runway in Phoenix, and we had arrived. All the guys from out of town were in the airport, including Scott Owings, the junior stud center who was on the Pac-10 All-Conference first team and my competition, Reggie Wiley. As a frosh, Reggie was overshadowed by Brandon Jennings, who declared with Bayless last year, but now in his sophomroe year, he was ready to start. I had to stop him from taking my spot. Coach Thompson was known for having tough summer sessions. Wiley had already been there a year. This should be fun

[boomosby50]

Our first day in the summer, we just watched tapes of last year's team. Boy they were good. Bayless, Owings, Budinger, Jennings and Jordan Hill were a beastly front 5. Coach Thompson said that was exactly the problem with last year's team. They had no depth, only starters. This year he talked about all the new guys that were brought in and how we will be a deeper team. For a 1st year coach, he sure scouted out the team. Our second day was completely different. Under NCAA rule, we couldn't practice with a basketball until October 15th, and today was August 29th. Everyone on the team had reported early enough to not have ot do winter classes, just another NCAA loophole exploited by Coach Thompson. We ran a 5K, got a 10-minue rest, then did 10 suicides on the soccer field. Then another 10 minute break then a mile. We had to run more tommorow, and almost no one could take it.
There were other students showing up, and I called Emily's cell. She was in my dorm building, only down the hall. I decided to go over and help her get moved in. "Oooh, the whiteboy blondie is going on a date." DeShaun considered this a huge step for me, because I never really had a serious girlfriend. She had lots of stuff, but by the time we unpacked the 2nd box, we were connected. After we were finished, we decided to eat at Olive Garden the next night. She was playing volleyball, which was pretty big in the Pac-10. They practiced in the gym, but in some of the other courts behind the main floor. After many more days of running, we were in shape and started to run with the cross country team. I beat a fat kid in a 10K. He was the team manager. It was October 1st, and the school was getting pumped for Basketball. The football team was 0-7 to start the season, and no one really cared much. In 2 weeks, DeShaun and I would find out if we had what was needed to make it in the big-time. I sure hoped we did.

[Jabbar]

ha...i don't mean to be an *******...as i've read evryhthing so far but u said DJ was the only white dude on the team and then there's a hillbilly cat on the team a couple of entries later...for a kid from the hood, he must be dealin if he takin a broad out to olive garden...haha

good stuff man

pz

[boomosby50]

for his AAU team, not his high school team. I clearly said AAU. Wow I sound like chesnutz now

[boomosby50]

Midnight Madness

Midnight Madness was like nothing I had ever experienced before. DeShaun and I took on Scott Owings and our lanky, sharpshooter forward Jordan Ray. Ray was 6'9" and covering me. He was one of those lanky forwards who were deadly from outside, but had an inside game too. We were the last of all the 2 on 2 games, and DeShaun and I won, 11-0. Next was the 3-point contest. I was in it, but had no chance. I lost in the 1st round and Jordan eventually won it.
The dunk contest was up for grabs. DeShaun lost by a hair to our starting SF, Freddie Green even though he put down what I thought was an NBA-caliber dunk.
In the main intra-squad scrimmage, I was with Green, Ray, our backup 2 guard, Mark Hummel and our backup center Alex Jacobson. Reggie Wiley was on the team with DeShaun, Scott Owings, the senior captains, Forward Zane Johnson and Forward Jamelle Horn. We won in a 94-92 game on a buzzer beater by Ray.
I defintiely got the best of Reggie. He scored 4 points, got 2 assists and grabbed 1 rebound. I forced 5 turnovers off him and had some pretty nice stats myself. With 13 points, 15 assists and 7 rebounds, including only 1 turnover and 4 steals, I probably played the best all-around game of anyone.
The fans were going crazy whole night, and the team fed off of it. Coach Thompson was very pleased with the whole night and told us that if we played so hard the whole year, not many teams could beat us. The usual coach bs, but with Coach Thompson you could believe it. He was great, and this school was great.
We have a game against Bradley in 3 weeks. The fans are pumped, after an Elite 8 run last year and Owings returning, he was expected to lead the team, but everyone was going to contribute. Our walk-ons would be the reason we would do anyhting this season. They play so hard in practice and do evrything needed of them. Just being guarded by them made you feel shameful. Practice was becoming fun again, but still tough. DeShaun was starting to fall into his comfort zone, and he was getting ome pretty good buzz. I was getting buz for All-Pac 10 frshman, but definitelty not All-American freshman like DeShaun. I was the starter, Reggie was riding the bench. He always made me feel scared that I would lose the job, but Coach Thompson was by my side. I needed someone to be.

[boomosby50]

hey, just a question. This is kinda boring for me, don't know for you, just too much write-ups. Would anyone rather me start up a new legacy and stop this? Just a thought. I like the legacies a little more. But I could keep this going. Just tell me

[Superjames1992]

If legacy posting is more fun for you, do that. I personally prefer legacies more, anyways, though I will follow regardless of what you do.

Thus, if you would rather do a legacy, do that! :)

[boomosby50]

thanx superjames, im just debating it. What about an open legacy? how would everyone like that? And you guys could pick a team for me

[sappy3]

This was great. And you said it wouldn't die. It's pretty upsetting.

[boomosby50]

ya know what, you should start one sappy

[sappy3]

haha I did. It's over at sportshouse. It's kinda like yours. Cause I couldn't think of a way to start. Except no killing. Or anything like that. Not yet at least. There might be some.

[boomosby50]

so for the last month or two or so, I've been playing MLB 08, and its gotten very boring, so I played FIFA and MVP BAseball for a while, but I didn't enjoy them very much, so I'm back to this game. I was looking for something to loaqd up to play, and I found that I never deleted this. so I'll post some more on it

[boomosby50]

just to refresh yourselves, head back to page 3 on the midnight madness post

[boomosby50]

Schedule
Our schedule was released, and we had some tough games to start the year, against #2 Villanova, #14 Gonzaga and maybe the best small-conference team in the country, Kennesaw State, who was ranked #9 in the country after an amazing Final 4 run. The PAc-10 was stacked, with #1 UCLA, #4 USC and #23 Washington St. along with us at #12. Our first game was against Villanova, on a huge stage at 8:00 on ESPN. The Wildcats had All-American Point Guard, Jacob Freshling. A win would be huge, and shutting down Freshling would be the key. This is gonna be a crazy game for me.

[boomosby50]

The Season Opener: Villanova

Coming into the game, everyone knew the key would be the backcourts for both teams. Nova had Freshling and Corey Fisher, and Deshaun and I were getting alot of hype. Villanova was a very physical, fast team and Coach Thompson was trying to expose that by making us slow down the game. We were on our home court and two hours before the game, the atmosphere was unlike anything I'd ever experienced.

DeShaun was soaking up lots of glory, being interviewed by Dickie V, Stephen A. Smith and local Arizona stations. WBAL-11 TV in Baltimore was even there and ran a huge special on us. Villlanova showed up in the gym, and I couldn't resist smiling at all the boos and jeers from our home fans. For the first time, I felt like I had arrived in college basketball.

"Your Arizona Wildcats starting point guard, from Baltimore, Maryland. Standing 6 foot 2 inches tall, DEEEEE JAYYY THOMASSSSSS!!!" I was overcome with emotions at my introduction, and just barely kept from crying. I acheived my goal, to get off the streets. I finally felt wanted, hearing the applause and the team's support. DeShaun kept soaking up the glory, as he did a weird little dance after he was introduced, then put on a show in the layup lines. Coach Thompson was just laughing at the whole thing. I had to hand it to DeShaun, he is a great fan motivator.

We won the tip-off and I had the ball. I just had to hold it for a second and soak in the feeling. Then it was down to business. I called play 5, where DeShaun makes a backdoor cut, which triggers Scott Owings to set a pick for Jordan Ray, who gets open for a 3. The play went exactly as drawn up, and Jordan nailed a 23-footer. The crowd was pumped, and DeShaun and I fed off of that just like back in high school. I got a steal off Freshling then gave it to DeShaun to take all the way. He finished with a tomahawk jam, which set off a 22-3 run to open the game for us. Jay Wright called a timeout after Owings got 3 offensive rebounds top finally make a layup.

For the rest of the half, it was a physical, seesaw battle. I had 6 assists in the half, and held Freshling to only 8 points and 3 assists. The score was 41-35, we were in the lead. The crowd had been solid the whole half, but wasn't even close in noise level to the first run we had.

The 2nd half was more of the same, with runs going back and forth between us and the Wildcats. At one point, on an 18-6 run for us, I scored 11 points and got the 3 other assists, so I was responsible for the whole run. With 1:30 left, we were up by 5, and looking to put the game away. Owings completely stuffed Corey Fisher and I went the other way for a layup, bringing my points total to 23 on the night. DeShaun stole the inbound and I held the ball for the next 30 seconds, then fed inside to Owings who dunked right over the Villanova center, and was fouled, putting the game away. One crazy student ran all over the floor screaming "Go Wildcats" and that got the whole student section extremely fired up. I recognized the guy as Mark, from my Biology class.

The final score was 90-83, and my line was 23 points, 4 rebounds, 14 assists and no time on the bench. Seeing Reggie just sitting there the whole time gave me a great sense of victory. The campus was insane after the game, but I was tired as a log. I went back to my dorm and slept till 6, then went to practice as sore as I'd ever been. I thought of the game and my stiff leg made me as satisfied as I'd ever been in my life.

[blakjak12]

looks like you're putting a lot of work into this and the writing is good. i'll start following this

[boomosby50]

hey blakjak, I had a legacy called Coach Thomspon Legacy, if u wanna check that out.

"http://2ksports.com/forums/showthread.php?t=160676"

that's the link