Anybody grow up with a future pro?

[yellowxdiscipline]

(01-04-2017, 04:11 PM)McC Wrote: Not sure where to put this so I'll stick it here and let the chips fall where they will.

Has anybody ever played alongside someone who went on to become a pro athlete?  My question is---how much better than everyone else is a future pro?

The best I ever played with seemed pretty good but none of them were anywhere near pro caliber.  I'm just trying to imagine what these kind of guys look like in HS.

I'm thinking mainly football but any sport would be relevant.

I went to school with this guy.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Jones_(quarterback)

Don't remember much of him I was a freshman and he was a senior. I mean coming from a small town, Tommy Jones was obviously the talk of the town. Your typical high school star quarterback story. I didn't follow his career, I knew he went to IU and then went on to be an UDFA for the Bengals. Last thing I heard he was back in that small town selling insurance or something.

When I was in high school I worked for my grandmother who was a professional photographer. Well she was contracted to do the Miami (Ohio) University athletes, and I helped her do a few shoots of the football teams in which Pig Ben was on, and the basketball teams Wally Szczerbiak was on.

[fredtoast]

I just realized that I concentrated more on saying who I played with instead of answering the original question..."How did these guys look growing up."

Allen Wenglekowski was a good athlete in high school, but was not All State in anything. I never imagined he would play in the NFL. But he got really big in college.

Van Williams was a physical freak who looked like he should be in the NFL. He was a RB who was outbenching many of his O-linemen. People are a lot bigger and stronger today than they were in the early 80's. Back then benching 8 plates (405) was a big deal. Van would do laps around the gym jumping on one leg switching legs at each corner.

Boyce Green was fast, but I never thought of him as NFL fast. The year I was there he did not get many carries because he was behind Van. He played another year after I was gone. But even then he split carries with another RB at a tiny college.

It shows me that there is something to scouting that many of us do not see. I was surprised when Allan got a scholarship to Pitt. They were a huge power back then. They had just finnishe #2 in the country. But some scout for them was able to see what kind of an athlete Allan would be if he concentrated on football only. And some NFL scout was able to see how good Boyce could be even though he was not putting up huge numbers at a small school.

Clearly not all NFL players dominate from the start. It is definitely a huge myth that they were all so physically blessed that they did not have to work to get into the NFL. Other than just a few ridiculous guys most NFL starters have busted their asses to get there. That is why there is not a lot of correlation between high school recruiting rankings of players (which are generally based on raw athletic ability) and how they turn out in the NFL (based more on work ethic). There are a lot of really great athletes who do not make it to the NFL simply because they don't work hard enough.

[shanebo]

I played in a basketball tournament game against DuPont High School in WV -- had a couple of decent players in Randy Moss and Jason Williams. Second or third play of the game, I tried to take a charge from Moss and he essentially jumped over me for a dunk. We all thought he was going to the NBA for sure -- I still think he could have. Can't argue with his choice, though. They were up by 25 or so toward the end of the first half and Williams jacked up a shot from well past half court, just messing around, but it went in. Coach benched him anyway, lol. Pretty clear that those two were in a different class altogether.

A few years later, I'm working on a road crew paving the track around the stadium at Marshall. Moss is on the field tossing a football back and forth with another guy. I go over and say hi, end up throwing the ball a bit with them. Other guy turns out to be Chad Pennington. I did not expect him to go to the NFL -- he was smaller than me at the time, and Moss seemed to have the more impressive arm.

Also in high school I played in a pickup game against Katie Smith, who at the time I think had committed to going to OSU. She was good, but not dominant. I was surprised she had as much success as she did at OSU (and in the WNBA), although in fairness I was quite a bit bigger than her.

Then I played in an alumni game against OJ Mayo, who went to my high school several years after I graduated. (Briefly dated my sister, too ...) He was only in 7th or 8th grade at the time, but he was already being heralded as the next Jordan. He was very good, even at that age. Big and fast, could shoot. Disappointing pro career, though. Bill Walker also played in that game (and also briefly dated my sister ...). He was pretty good, too, but overshadowed by OJ. Those kids took my old high school to the state tourney, and I think they even won a game or two.

Lots of other guys I played with who I thought would do something -- bunch of them got scholarships and a few were even drafted, I think ... Juan Thomas, David Caldwell, Jackson Julson, Eddie Hale, Anthony Barrow, Marc Washington, JR Vanhoose, Casey Lowe ... Don't think anyone else ever made the big show, though.

[McC]

(02-07-2017, 06:52 PM)shanebo Wrote: I played in a basketball tournament game against DuPont High School in WV -- had a couple of decent players in Randy Moss and Jason Williams.  Second or third play of the game, I tried to take a charge from Moss and he essentially jumped over me for a dunk.  We all thought he was going to the NBA for sure -- I still think he could have.  Can't argue with his choice, though.  They were up by 25 or so toward the end of the first half and Williams jacked up a shot from well past half court, just messing around, but it went in.  Coach benched him anyway, lol.  Pretty clear that those two were in a different class altogether.

A few years later, I'm working on a road crew paving the track around the stadium at Marshall.  Moss is on the field tossing a football back and forth with another guy.  I go over and say hi, end up throwing the ball a bit with them.  Other guy turns out to be Chad Pennington.  I did not expect him to go to the NFL -- he was smaller than me at the time, and Moss seemed to have the more impressive arm.

Also in high school I played in a pickup game against Katie Smith, who at the time I think had committed to going to OSU.  She was good, but not dominant.  I was surprised she had as much success as she did at OSU (and in the WNBA), although in fairness I was quite a bit bigger than her.

Then I played in an alumni game against OJ Mayo, who went to my high school several years after I graduated.  (Briefly dated my sister, too ...)  He was only in 7th or 8th grade at the time, but he was already being heralded as the next Jordan.  He was very good, even at that age.  Big and fast, could shoot.  Disappointing pro career, though.  Bill Walker also played in that game (and also briefly dated my sister ...).  He was pretty good, too, but overshadowed by OJ.  Those kids took my old high school to the state tourney, and I think they even won a game or two.

Lots of other guys I played with who I thought would do something -- bunch of them got scholarships and a few were even drafted, I think ... Juan Thomas, David Caldwell, Jackson Julson, Eddie Hale, Anthony Barrow, Marc Washington, JR Vanhoose, Casey Lowe ... Don't think anyone else ever made the big show, though.

Good stuff.  I just imagine how wicked Moss would be on a basketball court.

NCH, huh?  I thought Walker and Mayo won the state title.  Isn't there a plaque on Hamilton Ave. about it?

[shanebo]

(02-07-2017, 07:03 PM)McC Wrote: Good stuff.  I just imagine how wicked Moss would be on a basketball court.

NCH, huh?  I thought Walker and Mayo won the state title.  Isn't there a plaque on Hamilton Ave. about it?

Yeah, Moss was the best BB player I'd ever seen in person at the time.  He was pretty phenomenal.

I actually went to Mayo's first high school in KY -- he never won a state title for us.  Not sure if he won one in Ohio, but I know he won at least one WV title for Huntington High, where he went after leaving Cincy.    

[Air Force 1]

As a kid in Cincinnati, the Walnut Hills / Evanston Area, there were some really good athletes I grew up with. There was this one kind of skinny, tall kid who didn't say much and when they played school yard basketball, a lot of the guys would kind of punk this dude out and run rough shot over him on the court. I never thought he was that good but he kept doing a lot of the right things and kept himself involved in AAU and programs like that. I wont say we were friends but we did know each other..Fast forward about 6 years from that point and I see him playing on TV in the NBA..

His name??

Tyrone Hill

I have two nieces who went to High School with O.J. Mayo and they said that he was dumb as a rock but could play some basketball.

[Shouldamapads]

I went to HS with Shawn Kemp- Seattle Supersonics, Portland, Orlando..

There was no doubt he was a beast long before he was recruited to Kentucky. May have been the best if not one of the best dunkers in the history of the NBA. In HS he was a man among boys, blocked shots, 360 dunks, changed the whole flow of any team's game as they had no chance if they came in the lane.

We were ranked #2 in Indiana and the #4 team in the state came to play us. They had 3 guys on their front line 6'7"+. I really thought this was the game that would challenge Shawn. This team was from Hammond, which is about 20 minutes outside of Chicago and was a pretty rough town. Shawn blocked probably 3 or 4 shots in the first few minutes of the game and completely changed the tone of the game. Their front line had to start pump faking, etc and they were scared to death to go straight up and shoot. I've never seen anyone owned so bad by the mental stature Shawn set up.

It was not uncommon to see big name coaches in the stands. Bobby Knight, Gene Keady, Eddie Sutton to name a few. Coaches like that don't typically show up to HS games. Shawn was different- he might have been the best HS player in the nation.

I knew him fairly well, though he's a year older than me. He used to get tutored 7th period and I was in the same room with him as I had study hall, which I was able to be in the A/V room. I'd talk almost the whole hour with him for the entire year. Probably why he was a prop 48. He was a really nice guy, just wasn't especially good at school. I'd see him in the summers too after he went to the NBA. One day a white Grand Cherokee pulled up next to me bass kicking, all tinted. I look over...Shawn rolls his window down and says hi. I get him to pull over and he had gotten the GC from doing a commercial. Later that summer I saw him at the mall buying about 30 cds. I'd see him about 3-4 times a year throughout my college life until I moved here.



At our rival school, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Mirer was the star. AS you may recall he was drafted 2nd in the draft after a nice career at Notre Dame. I played baseball against him and went 3/4 the last time I faced him. AS a HS football player, he was the QB, LB, PK, punter - damn the guy probably was the towel and waterboy too. He was flat out heads above anyone on the field. I talked with him a few times outside of sports (we used to cruise in Goshen IN) and hang out at a few local places). Nice guy, humble, not a bad thing to say about him. Ended up being a good, but never great QB in the NFL. He did start for Seatlle as rookie, had a losing career record after playing for many teams along the way.

[mallorian69]

I never have but my brother played little league with Jay Payton

[SYLVIA]

I went to collage with Jim Otto of the Raiders, and taught Ted Hendrix my 1st. year . I played an important role in the life of one playing now.

[bearstronaut]

I played against Jake Ballard in 2005 when he went to Springboro. I don't remember him doing anything impressive as a tight end. But he did hit me during a special teams play, I wanted to go to the hospital afterwards. He was like 6-7 260 or something crazy for a highschooler.

[RASCAL]

I went to school with Gordon Bell, who played for Michigan and NY Giants.
I played softball with Tim Vogler who played for THE Ohio State Bucks and Buffalo Bills.
I played football with Butch and Chris Carter while Butch played BasketBall in the pros and Chris was in the NFL and Hall of Fame.

[WrongVerb]

Define grown up with. As a youth I bowled in the same league as PBA champion Brian Kretzer. But he wouldn't know me from Adam.

Other than that, the only other mildly noteworthy person is a guy I went to high school with played at Michigan and had a tryout with the Bears.

I have known a bunch of people over the years who had relatives playing major league baseball. The most notable is my fiance, who's cousin is Dan Gladden.

[OrlandoBengal]

(01-04-2017, 04:11 PM)McC Wrote: Not sure where to put this so I'll stick it here and let the chips fall where they will.

Has anybody ever played alongside someone who went on to become a pro athlete?  My question is---how much better than everyone else is a future pro?

The best I ever played with seemed pretty good but none of them were anywhere near pro caliber.  I'm just trying to imagine what these kind of guys look like in HS.

I'm thinking mainly football but any sport would be relevant.

I played Little League all the way through High School with a guy who made it to AAA with the Royals organization (he had shoulder surgery and it became apparent he would never reach the major leagues).  He was by far and away the best player on the field at all times.  He hit over .700 our senior season with some insane amount of home runs.  We lost track of each other because I went to college and he signed a contract, but I always hoped he would make it to the majors.

I have a friend now who played two years in the NFL and he has said, not bragging, that he was never really pushed or tested until he got to Michigan.

[BengalHawk62]

Josh Stamer was in the grade behind me in high school.  Stick was his nickname.  He played safety and WR for our football team.  He went on to become USD (University of South Dakota) school record holder for tackles.  He went on to play with the Giants, Bills, and Titans, among others, mainly as a Special Teams guru.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Stamer

[Goalpost]

My cousin is Bob Banck who I am guessing is mostly an unknown on here. But he was a professional tennis player. He was more known as a tennis coach. He coached some fairly big names back when these players were in their primes. Jimmy Arias and Aaron Krickstein male tennis players. And Monica Seles, Mary Jo Fernandez, and Mary Pierce female players. As a kid I knew him as Bobbie. Shot pool with him. Played racquetball. Unfortunately I didn't see him much or grow up with him because we were in different cities.