Westchester Grateful to See James Up Close
LeBron James has been dangled in front of Westchester High boys’ basketball players over the last week like a piece of candy attached to a yo-yo.
Now you get to play him, now you don’t.
Now you get to play him....
A judge settled the issue Wednesday when he cleared the way for James, the top player on nationally top-ranked Akron (Ohio) St. Vincent-St. Mary, to play against Westchester at 4:30 PST today in the Isles Prime Time Shootout in Trenton, N.J.
Only five days earlier, the Ohio High School Athletic Assn. had ruled the NBA-bound swingman ineligible for the remainder of his senior season after he accepted two free jerseys from a Cleveland clothing store.
Westchester players tracked the developments by watching ESPN and conferring with teammates who had the latest answer to the “Is he or isn’t he?” question. Forward Trevor Ariza’s mother informed him by phone that James’ eligibility had been restored.
“It was cool,” said Ariza, the 6-foot-8 standout who had previously declared he didn’t want to make the trip to New Jersey if James wasn’t going to suit up.
“He’s supposed to be the best,” Westchester forward Scott Cutley said, “so we’re going to go out there and see what he’s all about.”
The ordeal has given the Comets (22-2), ranked as high as No. 7 in one national poll, cause to think as much about sports ethics as their quest to dethrone “King James” and St. Vincent-St. Mary (14-1).
Posted on one wall of the Westchester basketball office is a red sheet of paper with the phrase, “There is no such thing as something for nothing” printed in black ink. The words “something for nothing” are underlined.
It is a mantra Westchester Coach Ed Azzam tries to instill in his players.
“If someone’s giving you stuff,” Azzam said, “more often than not they’re going to want something in return, whether it’s now or years later.”
But like St. Vincent-St. Mary, Westchester does capitalize on an association with a major supplier of sports apparel.
Nike, through a sponsorship deal, plies the Comets with everything from warmups to high tops, while Adidas provides the Fighting Irish with their James-designed jerseys.
James got into trouble because he violated amateurism rules by “capitalizing on athletic fame by receiving money or gifts of monetary value.” Store employees gave him two retro jerseys worth a combined $845 and he posed for photos to be hung on the store’s walls. It might not have seemed like much of a price to pay at the time, but it almost cost James his eligibility.
Ariza, a high-profile player headed to UCLA, said he likes to think he would never put himself in a situation like that because he realizes the potential consequences.
“I go to the mall with my mom, my little brother and my friends,” Ariza said. “If I see something I want, I’ll buy it.”
The freebies can be tempting, though, acknowledges Cutley.
“Sometimes, yeah, but you try to think that your stuff will come later on in life,” said Cutley, who is bound for Kent State. “My goal is to get the big payday, not the little stuff.”
James, projected as the top pick in the June NBA draft, is set to sign a multimillion-dollar contract with the team that selects him and an even bigger contract with the shoe company whose products he agrees to endorse.
Had James’ suspension been upheld, it wouldn’t have affected his draft status or marketability, NBA sources say. But lesser players who violate similar amateurism rules might stand to lose not only their high school eligibility but also a shot at a college scholarship.
Azzam hopes James’ ordeal heightens awareness of rules among high school players.
“I heard some people say they knew college guys aren’t allowed to take stuff because it would affect their NCAA eligibility,” Azzam said. “But I don’t think the high school kids realize there are amateur rules and they pertain to them. Guys are now realizing, ‘I’m not supposed to be doing this,’ and ‘I can get in trouble for doing this.’ ”
