I read an excellent article in the Washington Post about a month ago. Sports writer John Feinstein wrote about a Harvard basketball player who had followed an unlikely path to get to the Ivy League school. His father, Darryl Webster, “was raised by my grandparents…My grandfather never got beyond the fourth grade. I was lucky to graduate from high school. I had a 2.0 grade-point average and bad SATs.”[1] But the George Washington University coach took a chance on this struggling young man and brought him to the university. Darryl Webster didn’t have a stellar career at GW, and the coach who took a chance on him was fired after four years. But the coach had encouraged Darryl and helped him succeed academically, and in the end Darryl graduated with a degree in sociology. Darryl’s son Christian, now playing for Harvard, faced some of the same challenges: “I went from a public school in the inner city to a jacket-and-tie school [the Landon School] on 75 acres of land that looked like a college campus. It was a big adjustment.” Yet now Christian, whose father was the first person in his family to graduate from college, is attending Harvard University.
As I read Feinstein’s article, I was reminded of a young man named James Brown who played basketball at DeMatha High School for my godfather, Morgan Wootten. At the beginning of his senior year, James was one of the most highly recruited basketball players in the country, being recruited by Dean Smith at UNC, John Wooden at UCLA, and “Lefty” Driesell at UMD. Lefty even took out a full-page ad in the Washington Post to try and persuade James to come to his university. Imagine my shock as an eight-year-old, basketball-obsessed boy when I heard James announce he had chosen to play at Harvard.
Because Morgan was my godfather, I got the chance to ask James why he had chosen Harvard over all the other schools. He replied, “Little Doonie [a reference to my dad], it means more to me to be ‘James Brown, Harvard graduate’ than it does to be ‘J.B., professional basketball player.’”
I couldn’t understand the significance of that choice at the time, but I sure understand it now.
James’ pro basketball career was cut short, but he has had a very successful career in sports broadcasting. He is the same James Brown you have seen on national TV as a host and chief analyst the NFL on Fox pregame show with Howie Long, Terry Bradshaw and Jimmy Johnson. He is a three-time Emmy winner for his work in sports broadcasting. He is a published author and minority owner of the Washington Nationals. In 2006, he was named one of the NCAA’s 100 most influential student athletes. And he has used that Harvard degree to serve as a role model and mentor to countless kids nationwide.
Have a great weekend,
Ro
[1] “Basketball opens doors for the Websters.” The Washington Post, January 16, 2011 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/15/AR2011011503792.html