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Lucas III is a guard who gets
the point at Oklahoma State
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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. _ Always, it seems, John Lucas III has
found himself on the fringes of crash sites. Always, it seems, he
has been able to pick up the pieces and move on.
There was his famous dad, John Jr., whose life at one point was
spiraling out of control because of a cocaine addiction.
There was Baylor, beset by murder and scandal.
The younger Lucas, now the starting point guard at Oklahoma State,
has distanced himself from his former school while at the same time
embracing his dad, now a fixture at his games.
He was there Thursday night, when the Cowboys beat Pitt in an East
Rutherford Regional semifinal in the Meadowlands, and will be there
Saturday night, when they face Saint Joseph’s for the right
to go to the Final Four.
It is, John Jr. has said, the only way he can repay his son for
standing by him, even in his darkest days.
The son bears some resemblance to the father, at least facially.
But at 5-11 and 152 pounds, John III is nowhere near as big as his
dad, who spent 14 years as an NBA point guard after starring at
Maryland.
Still, John III seems to be made of some sturdy stuff. He talks
openly about his past. He laughs easily. He discusses his faith and
credits his mom, Debbie, for keeping the Lucases together when
things were bleakest.
But in the end, don’t things always come back to the point
guard? Aren’t they the ones who have to shoulder the burden,
run the show, adapt to changing circumstances?
That’s how he has always looked at it.
He can remember that, when he was young, his dad would head out the
door on another dead-end night. This despite his son’s
protests; he would grab the bottom of his coat, tell him he wanted
to come along.
Didn’t matter. And as John Jr. left, he would tell his son:
You’re in charge. You have to be the man of the house.
“I used to take that to heart,” John III said.
In time John Jr. cleaned himself up. He became an inspiration to
other recovering addicts, and a coach. John III developed into a
promising player_the top point guard in Houston, everybody said, by
the time he was in middle school.
Then John Jr. was hired as the Sixers’ coach, and the family
moved to Philadelphia. His son was thrust into a new environment,
which was nothing new; he ticked off the names Friday of seven
cities where he has lived, and said he has always made friends
easily.
But basketball-wise, Philadelphia was an altogether new environment
for a skinny sixth-grader, who because of his reputation was put
into the Sonny Hill High School League his first summer in
town.
“I was cocky and didn’t think anyone could stop
me,” he said. “I ran into Dajuan Wagner.”
Forty-five points later, the younger Lucas had a firm understanding
of what was what. He would get back in the gym, he said. He would
work with his dad.
And he did. He starred at a high school in Houston, then went on to
Baylor, there to perform unevenly for two years. He was a
shoot-first guy, to such a degree that he was benched late last
season.
Then the summer hit, and the shocking news accumulated: a Baylor
player named Patrick Dennehy, found dead … his ex-teammate,
Carlton Dotson, accused of murder … a coach, Dave Bliss,
disgraced.
John III said it was really surprising how little he really knew
anyone there. Then again, it’s not like anyone tried.
“Even at pregame meals,” he said, “everyone sat
at different tables.”
All the Baylor players were allowed to transfer and play
immediately in the wake of the scandal, and Lucas vowed to get to
know all his new teammates as well as possible. That has
accelerated his adjustment, enabled him to make an immediate
impact.
It has enabled him, really, to take control.
Just like always.
Gordon Jones
The Morning Call (Allentown, Pa.)
(KRT)