"High School Superstar"

"High School Superstar"

All around the nation there are high school athletes competing in various sports.  Some of these athletes are considered "superstars" or "celebrities" around the school, in the community, or in some circumstances the nation.  However, most of these gifted players don't play for their team or school.  I find that these "superstars" are just looking to put on a show and boost their own statistics.  I have personally witnessed a couple of these players in action. 

 I watched a student at the state finals 2 years ago play.  He was, of course, a highly talented player dunking and making several moves on offense to get his points.  However, he didn't hustle and played lazy for the most part.  This game was the state championship game too.  One would think since this was his last game of the year he would go all out and leave it on the floor.  This was not the case, however, and his team lost by around 6 points.  So maybe if this "star" left his ego at home and played for his team they could’ve won the state championship. 

 Another example that I recently witnessed was the play of a student from East Aurora.  He is a top recruit and player out of Illinois who has committed to the University of Connecticut.  I was expecting great things from his play.  He of course put on a show with his skills. The first example that he wanted a "show" and not a good team game was when he had an alleyoop dunk in the first half.  He proceeded to hang on the rim twist around and do a chin-up; of course he got a technical foul.  He's lucky he is a star player and not a regular one because the coach would’ve chewed him out.  Countless times during the game he would taunt the South Elgin fans making signals, like pretending to smoke.  The last example that really ticked me off was when his team was up by around 30 in the 4th quarter and his coach took him out.  He had 34 points and played a solid game statistically even though he didn't play much defense or with any hustle or passion for the game.  While on the bench he proceeded to get mad at his coach for taking him out.  He did this the rest of the game and didn't even cheer on his own teammates.  This is a clear sign that he clearly doesn't play for his team, just himself. 

Though these two players are highly skilled and will have good careers the "superstars" of the high school world have lessons to learn.  They need to respect the game and people who have played before them.  They need to play and act like a team, play with passion, and work hard.  They need to stop acting like "superstars" and act and play with the team.  This is how a true player plays.

By Andrew Mason