NBA prospect Juwan Staten shows why LeBron had so much faith in him as West Virginia defeats Kansas

  

Juwan Staten reppin' West Virginia after huge W

    Seven years ago Juwan Staten was "The Man" in the state of Ohio. A junior at Thurgood Marshall out of Dayton, Staten had led his squad to the Ohio High School State Finals and had just fallen short of winning a state title, which had sent the All-State guard in tears. LeBron James, on the sideline watching Staten put on a show to keep the Cougars in the game, had consoled the young star, letting him know his future was bright, that he had balled out and dominated in the presence of one the best players in the NBA, all the while patting him on the back and hugging the distraught Staten.

LeBron consoles Staten at HS State Finals

     Staten would then go to a prep school his senior year, leaving Thurgood, to better prepare himself for college. He would use those words for inspiration that LeBron had left him. When he decided to stay at Dayton, the whole city was in shock. The best player in Ohio - who left for prep school - will comeback to play for his hometown?

This was sure to bring a level of respect, love and appreciation to Juwan, as he would be able to lead the Flyers to the promise land right?

In the words of Borat the Entertainer, "Not so much."

In a tumultuous year at UD, Staten decided to transfer after his freshman year. He was badgered by the city. He was dissed by the UD faithful. Called a quitter, a trader, and not loyal. It hurt him and his family, especially his father, Bill Staten, who had carefully watched his son throughout the whole process, and was not hesitant to step in, when he felt needed. Staten had coached at Thurgood and Colonel White, and heard all the negative words that was said about his son. Not to mention the fact that Staten wasn't starting his freshman year. Whether he was ready to start or not, is another story, but then-coach Brian Gregory decided to bring him along slowly, which was not happily taken by Staten. This caused a rift between Staten and the staff, and ultimately would lead to Staten heading to West Virginia.

 While that moment wasn't a storybook ending for Staten, this season sure has been, with his signature moment at the hands of the mighty Kansas Jayhawks.

   Staten was accepted by Huggins, and wasn't coddled by any means. Huggins wasn't sold on his sophomore prodigy. He wanted Staten to take more responsibility for his mistakes. Work harder. Show more. Become more mature.
So Staten did.

Staten GW shot vs Kansas

His junior year for the Mountaineers was phenomenal and you could see Huggins opening up to his star, all the while keeping him accountable. Staten made All-Big 12, and was selected this year as the Pre-Season Big 12 Player of the Year.

So with the Kansas Jayhawks leading by 1 with 9 seconds to go and Staten having missed his last two shots, who would get the ball?
Hmmm....Yep, you guessed it.

Staten went coast to coast with a smooth spin move and left hand layup to give the Montaineers the lead - then ran full speed down to the other end - beating everyone down the court, to rattle Perry Ellis into missing the shot and giving the Mountaineers the huge W, solidifying their March Madness hopes.
After the game, Staten quoted, "We keep fighting and believing. We didn't give up".

Im sure LeBron knew what he was watching that March day in Columbus.

Now the whole world knows as well.



More info?    www.SportsEffectLive.com
Subscribe to the SELive Hot 5 blog!

Top 5 Sports Topics of the Weekend

(1) Lakers coach Mike Brown axed after 5 games; D'Antoni sneaks job over Phil Jackson
     When Mike Brown was given his pink slip after only 5 games, it was one of the quickest (and lame duck) firings in history (of any sport)..And once the fans started chanting, "We want Phil, we want Phil" it looked like a foregone conclusion that they would be dusting the amazing Luxury Chair they pull out for Jackson while everybody squishes together on the sideline...But as fast as a Nash steal to a driving Kobe slam, D'Antoni signed a deal (3 years, 12 M) in which he had convinced the Lakers that his offense and his prowess could get them to a NBA Title... Just one question.  What in the hell is Lakers Management doin'?  They sidestep Phil Jackson (and Brian Shaw!) for Mike D'Antoni? Did they not see what happened to him in New York?
    

(2) Trotwood, Thurgood Marshall one step away from state   
   Trotwood continues to show its championship swag by pulling out a late comeback against Winton Woods; Down 20-7, they come back to win 27-20 in OT, (led by RB Israel Green) and a key late pick..Thurgood just dismanted Galia 69-9 to move into a rematch with Springfield Shawnee for a trip to State...This Cougar team is quite possibly the best ever to come out of Colonel White, and depending on how they do this season, maybe better than the Roth teams in their Keith Byars heyday


(3) Bengals end slide against champs; 3 QB's taken out from concussions Week 10 NFL
   The Bengals ended their 4 game slide by beating up on the Giants; Andy Dalton threw for 4 TD's to get them back into playoff race (4-5).. Starting QB's Alex Smith (S.F), Mike Vick (Phi) & Jay Cutler (Chi) was knocked out of game this week;  none of their teams won, while the 49ers and Cards tied at 24....Texans win in the Statement game of the week @ Chicago 13-6 and knocking Cutler out of the game on a vicious hit.
  

(4) Alabama Loses, now opens door for new Champion outside SEC
   Alabama takes a loss at home to the newcomer of the league, as Texas A&M stops the Crimson Tide winning streak. Wonder if the Alabama QB cried after this game too....Not sure why he was crying after a win, but you have to cry after a loss too right? Anyways, now Notre Dame, Kansas St., and Oregon are the only undefeated teams....I can just hear the groans of the Southeast every time I see a shiny helmet and a leprechaun running around after a Irish TD.  Who wins the championship? Im betting on Oregon.


(5) Dayton Knights hold hoop tryouts for new season  
   The Dayton Knights will be playing the UBA this season, (starting in December) and held their first tryout at Vandailia Rec Center; with over 20 players in attendance, the staff was able to grab some key players...However there will be another showcase (Early December) as the Knights prepare for the upcoming season. Go to the Dayton Knights page on facebook for more info.

Top 5 Games in High School Football; Week 2 Schedule

SportsEffectLive.com saw a crazy week 1 which featuted the best players (Malik Zaire, Heath Harding) doing what they do best, while some teams got off to a good start (Thurgood, Oakwood, Dunbar) and others not so much (Trotwood)...

Here are our SELive HOT 5 GAMES of Week 2 in MIAMI VALLEY High School Football

 (1)  Dunbar  1-0       @   Trotwood  0-1      7pm
   With Dunbar coming off its electric last minute win last week over Valley View, the Wolves will be charged up for the Rams, who lost to powerhouse University (Fla) last week on ESPN. However, look for the Rams to be a little upset as well, with players settling into their roles a little better. Still, off of a short week for the Rams, this will be a battle, as the Defending D-2 Champs cannot afford to go down 0-2 in the season.


(2)  C-J  1-0   @   Thurgood Marshall  1-0       Welcome Stadium 7pm
    With both teams winning on the road last week, this should be a great early season matchup. Marshall continues its Double wing T offense led by Soph QB Ja'Mahl Manley, while C-J will hand the ball to Fab Frosh QB Jacob Harrison, who lead the Eagles to a late W in Troy last week.


(3)  Canton McKinley 1-0 @  Wayne 1-0      Sat 7pm
    Wayne showed this year that its defense will be much better, and it will get a stiff test from McKinley, who has beaten them two years in a row. Wayne will need to be consistent on O and will need an even better effort defensively to pull out the win. Watch out for Defensive standout Dorian Hendrix in the game, as he could be a major factor for the Warriors.


(4)  Springboro   1-0  @  Centerville  0-1  
   This rivalry between neighbors heats up as the Panthers travel to take on the Elks tonight; The Boro won last week, uglified nevertheless. They will have to be on their best performance tonight to take out the Elks, who look to get back on track after falling last week 34-21; If Sprinboro can pull off the upset, they could vault up the polls.
 

(5) West Carrollton  1-0  @  Franklin  1-0
   One of these teams will be 2-0, which could be huge in securing a possible playoff spot. Franklin will be led by their RB Chris Hymer who ran for 143 last week. West Carrollton will be ready for the rivalry.

BONUS GAME
   Alter     @   Guerin Catholic (Ind) 
  Alter and its prized QB (Malik Zaire) looks to head to Indy to take on a powerhouse. The Knights typically do well on road trips, and this one will rack up some points in the Playoff Polls...This could be a tell-tale sign of how good Alter could be.


OTHER GAMES

Bellbrook       @  Xenia
Belmont         @ Greenview
Carroll            @  Beavercreek
Miamisburg    @ Fairmont
Middletown    @  Springfield
Northmont      @  Westerville South
Piqua              @  Kings
Stebbins          @  Fairborn

Follow us on twitter:
@TheSportsEffect
@SELive Pickem