SHAUN LIVINGSTON
               NEWS

The time is mid-February 2000. The place is a small gym in the middle of Illinois. The scene, an eighth grade Lutheran boys basketball tournament.

Everyone could feel the anticipation as the two teams stepped onto the court. The players and fans were nervous. The winner of this game would advance to the championship tomorrow afternoon.

An 11-year-old boy watched in the stands as the two teams did layup drills before the game. This boy’s sister was a cheerleader for a school in Yorkville. Yorkville was playing a team from Peoria whom appeared to be just an average team. The boy looked up to his dad, “We can beat these guys. No problem.”

What happened next was unforgettable for this young boy. No. 14 from Peoria was scoring at will, and the boy's school was down big early.

“Who is No. 14?” he asked his dad during one point in the game.

His dad looked in the program and saw the name. “His name is Shaun Livingston,” his dad replied.

Livingston was single-handily taking over the basketball game. He would stand on top of the key and drain threes. He would drive to the basket and effortlessly pour in layups. He would pass, and he would rebound. The rest of the players on Peoria seemed to just be standing around watching as Shaun Livingston won them the game.

“Remember the name Shaun Livingston,” the father told his son as they exited the gym. “He is going to play in the NBA someday.”

Two short weeks later, the boy and his family traveled to Arlington Heights, Ill., to watch the Lutheran Sports State Basketball Tournament. Yorkville and St. Peters were playing each other in the first round.

There was a new player who stepped in and took over this time. A boy named Jonathan Spector from St. Peters, once again dominated Yorkville. Spector, just like Livingston, would drive to the basket and make all the layups. His shot was also just as fluid and beautiful.

A couple of days later the boy heard the team from Peoria had won the state tournament. He wasn’t surprised at all, considering they were lead by Livingston. The young guard earned the MVP award en route to the championship, while Jonathan Spector was named to the the All-Tournament team.

Livingston went on the lead his high school to back-to-back state championships. After high school, he skipped college and moved on to the NBA. He was drafted fourth overall by the Los Angeles Clippers. Livingston had a successful beginning to his professional career, appearing to get better each year. However, in his third year, he tore his ACL on a breakaway layup. He hasn’t appeared in a game since.

Spector has had similar success after his eighth grade basketball season. Spector was not only good at basketball and track, but was at his best while playing soccer. He was signed by the European soccer team Manchester United in the summer of 2003 and now plays for West Ham soccer team in England. Just this past week the United States Olympic qualifying team added Spector to the squad.

The young boy who watched Livingston and Spector defeat his school, still monitors their success in professional sports. The boy’s memories of these two playing basketball will never fade.

The boy mentioned in this article is also the one who wrote this article.

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