Desert Oasis football coach recalls working with LeBron James

After Desert Oasis pulled retired a triumph against Chaparral a fewer weeks back, Diamondbacks manager Brant Smith mentioned helium had tutored LeBron James erstwhile the NBA fable was an incoming freshman astatine St. Vincent-St. Mary High School successful Akron, Ohio.

I was truthful focused connected the breathtaking decorativeness that a factoid I would usually person recovered absorbing didn’t wholly register.

Later, it occurred I mightiness adjacent person fixed the manager the abbreviated shrift astir having had a brushwood with greatness.

Smith, a 1991 postgraduate of St. V., arsenic it is commonly called successful the Rust Belt, was teaching and coaching astatine the schoolhouse and worked with James successful a summertime grooming programme soon earlier accepting a teaching presumption astatine Buchtel High, an Akron nationalist school.

“I had him successful the value country and summertime carnal acquisition people — erstwhile helium came into St. Vincent-St. Mary, helium was a drawstring bean,” Smith recalled. “All-around large kid … respectful of each adults. He bought into lifting weights and doing each the things to go great.

“Obviously, the impervious is successful the pudding.”

Be similar Gronk

Initially, Smith said James was destined to beryllium each spot the shot prima that Maurice Clarett was astatine Warren G. Harding High successful Youngstown and past astatine Ohio State. LeBron broke into the St. V. lineup precocious during his freshman twelvemonth and, aft a maturation spurt, began to pull attraction from Ohio State arsenic good arsenic Florida State, Notre Dame, Florida and Southern California.

James played 2 afloat precocious schoolhouse seasons earlier taking his talents exclusively to the hoops tribunal and becoming Akron’s top export since a acceptable of all-season radials produced astatine the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. He inactive ranks among the St. Vincent-St. Mary vocation leaders successful receptions with 99 and touchdowns with 27.

One NFL wide manager said James could person been 1 of the league’s all-time large choky ends had helium not discontinue shot implicit concerns of getting injured. But arsenic Matt McDonald, a backmost astatine St. V. during James’ last shot season, told Bleacher Report: “He’s not the feline that’s going to get hurt. It’s the guys he’s going against.”

James’ shot prowess was specified that helium was offered tryouts by the Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks during the NBA’s 2011 lockout. He was 26 astatine the clip and intrigued by the anticipation of moonlighting successful the NFL.

“I decidedly thought astir it,” James told Peyton and Eli Manning during an ESPN2 “Monday Night Football” telecast successful precocious September. “I inactive got the jersey they sent maine … I wanted to beryllium a red-zone specialist, similar (Rob Gronkowski).”

James told the Mannings helium was assured helium would person made either squad, oregon his (near) hometown team, the Cleveland Browns, had helium tried out.

Chosen ones

While inactive successful precocious school, the man-child who would beryllium King was anointed “The Chosen One” by Sports Illustrated for a screen story. A fewer years later, the mag called Las Vegas’ Bryce Harper “Baseball’s Chosen One” for a akin piece.

Smith said the examination betwixt the 2 is apropos, fixed Harper was a fullback and linebacker earlier helium began hitting mammoth location runs implicit trees and onto distant streets beyond the Las Vegas High School diamond.

This week, Desert Oasis volition beryllium a immense underdog against Silverado successful a showdown for the Class 4A Desert League regular-season title, though Smith thinks the passing limb of backmost Tyler Stott gives the Diamondbacks a “puncher’s chance.”

Stott, the nephew of erstwhile UNLV backmost Derek Stott, doubly has thrown 7 touchdown passes successful a crippled this season. The nighttime I saw him against Chaparral, helium completed 28 of 43 passes for 416 yards and 5 TDs.

Unlike his coach’s erstwhile pupil, astir each of his receivers are small guys. Smith was asked however galore yards Stott mightiness accumulate if helium had a people that stands 6 feet, 9 inches and weighs 250 pounds.

“Probably a million,” helium said.

Contact Ron Kantowski astatine rkantowski@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-383-0352. Follow @ronkantowski connected Twitter.