The Player
By: Cole H
His name is DeMarian Young. It’s the winter of 2015 in the south side of Chicago, and DeMarian is walking home from school with his basketball shoes and his ball. He is a senior at Whitney Young high school and has played basketball since he could walk. DeMarian’s mom works two jobs, one as a janitor during the day at a hospital, and one at a fast food restaurant at night. She needs to work these jobs to support DeMarian and his three brothers. He is the oldest out of all his siblings. He has a freshman brother, and twin sophmore brothers. DeMarian is the only one of his siblings that hasn’t fallen into the world of drugs and gangs like most of his former friends. All DeMarian wants to do is play basketball for a division one school. He currently has a pretty good shot at it too. He’s the best on his team and the second best highschool basketball player in the city of Chicago, right behind his rival Shaun Thompson. DeMarian averages 28 points per game and 8 assists. The crazy part is, he’s only 5’9”.
DeMarian is coming home from practice and is on his way to the YMCA to keep shooting. He’s been doing this since he was a kid. Right after practice, he goes to the YMCA to get 300 more shots in. Following the YMCA, DeMarian heads over to the gym across the street to workout. This is a new adventure for him. He’s always been known as the scrawny kid, so he decided to put on muscle this year so that he could finish his layups through contact. DeMarian is determined to improve every aspect of his game, even though it’s better then almost everyone’s in the city.
It’s two months later. DeMarian is on the bus to the last game of his season. The championship game, against none other then Shaun Thompson’s Cougars. Kendrick Lamar is blasting through his headphones as he tries to block out the world. DeMarian’s teammates are talking about how they will shut down Shaun, but DeMarian knows that he’ll be guarding him because of his own quickness, even though Shaun has about 4 inches on DeMarian.
Shaun Thompson. He’s played basketball against DeMarian since they were in 6th grade. Shaun has always been a better shooter, but just a step slower. He’s the 3rd best high school three point shooter in the country at 47% from behind the line. Shaun uses this to his advantage when he plays DeMarian, he’ll do the quickest move he can, then pull up for a jump shot. He almost never drives the lane. Especially when he’s facing DeMarian. He might be taller then DeMarian, but DeMarian’s much smarter on the court, especially on defense. DeMarian knows when to go in for a steal and how to stay in front of him. Shaun rarely ever passes because he thinks that the only way to get noticed, is to score points. DeMarian, on the other hand, knows that winning gets you noticed, and individual scoring doesn’t necessarily get wins automatically.
It’s the fourth quarter of the game. DeMarian’s team is down by 2 with 6 seconds left. Shaun has 36 points and 2 assists. DeMarian has 28 points, 13 assists, and 4 steals. DeMarian gets the inbound pass at halfcourt, runs to the three point line, acts like he’s going to pull up for a jumpshot, Shaun hesitates, DeMarian blows by him towards the basket. Shaun tried to catch up to block him, but ended up fouling him. Even though he got fouled, DeMarian dunked right over Shaun. He’d only dunked one other time in a game, so he was very surprised at his own jumping ability. Now the game is tied with DeMarian at the free throw line. The gym falls completely silent. The official passes him the ball. Two dribbles, looks at the basket, swish. The gym is going insane. The ball is inbounded to Shaun and he doesn’t even have time to get a half-court shot off. The gym floods with Whitney Young fans and they surround DeMarian and lift him up on their shoulders. Shaun sulks out of the door. This is DeMarian’s time.
It’s the 2019 NBA draft. DeMarian is in New York with his mother and brothers in the conference building where it is being held. DeMarian got recruited by Wichita State University and he lead them to win two consecutive National Championships in his Junior and Senior year. Now he’s projected to be a top 10 draft pick. The NBA Comminsioner Adam Silver walks up to the stand. “With the first pick, in the 2019 NBA draft,” Silver says, “The Los Angeles Clippers select, DeMarian Young.” He goes ecstatic. DeMarian had finally made it. The first person he thanks, is his mom.