It seems as if this situation has occurred already. A middle school basketball player in Fort Wayne dominates his peers on the court and draws raves locally, statewide and nationally.
The “buzz” on his game reverberates throughout the basketball community.
“He's so smooth.”
“The kid is unbelievable.”
“He's so much better than anyone else his age.”
“He could play in college right now!”
All right, let's curb the hyperbole right there. Yes, James Blackmon Jr. is good. In fact, for his age, he's great. But let's not put him starring in college just yet. Let's let him actually play a minute of high school basketball first.
“High school basketball is a challenge for any freshman,” Bishop Luers coach James Blackmon Sr. said of his son. “James is really talented. I think he needs to come in and just adjust to high school. High school is a lot different.”
Blackmon is following the exact footsteps of Deshaun Thomas.
Lauded as the next “big thing” at the middle school level, he enrolls at Bishop Luers, wins a ton of games, earns Mr. Basketball and awaits a stellar college and – perhaps – professional career.
That was Thomas' path.
Blackmon has traveled only as far as the middle school part, but he soon will begin his freshman season at Bishop Luers, where he'll be coached by his father, as Thomas was. But before he gets to Bishop Luers, the 6-foot-1 guard is currently part of a superb squad (Spiece Indy Heat 2014) trying to win the USSSA National Basketball Tournament at Spiece Fieldhouse this week. In Thursday's 76-57 cruising victory over a scrappy Columbus (Ohio) Aces team, Blackmon put in 19 points in a variety of ways.
“I started off pretty well,” the younger Blackmon said of the win. “A couple of my shots weren't falling, but I stayed in it.”
Blackmon is a silky-smooth player who scores quietly, not spectacularly. By the end of the game, few watching will really have a good grasp of just what his statistics were.
Against the Aces, he scored on three-pointers, floating drives, beating his man off the dribble and laying the ball in the basket. When the defense slid over to stop his drives, he simply hit one of the talented cutters on his squad. Blackmon has the dual ability to help his team win by either scoring a lot or by scoring a little and dishing out a bunch of assists.
“When guys are open, I'm going to try and feed it to them,” Blackmon said. “We have a lot of shooters, so when they're hot, I'm looking for them.”
Early as the game progresses, you get the sense that Blackmon is analyzing just how the game is going to come to him. He's not going to execute an opponent like a rattlesnake with the quick strike. He's more likely to take the approach of a python and methodically put a team out of its misery. A three-pointer here, a pull-up jumper there, an assist over here and a steal and lay-in over there; then just like that, it seems his team has a comfortable lead en route to another win. Just like Thursday's contest.
Much like Thomas, the adulation has come early and often for Blackmon. While at Memorial Park Middle School, he was ranked second-best eighth-grade player in the country at the 2009 Junior All-American Camp.
Unlike Thomas, Blackmon is not physically imposing. Thomas looked like a man-child even in junior high. Blackmon looks like… well, an incoming freshman in high school.
“I haven't started to lift weights yet,” Blackmon said.
He did say getting stronger will be something he focuses on in high school.
“Adjusting to high school basketball is going to be different than playing middle school or AAU,” the elder Blackmon said. “A young man coming in and playing against juniors and seniors, which in itself will be a learning experience.”
