CSI: Boonies

Lefty was recommended to me as a troubled teen. I had a lengthy conversation with Lefty's Guidance Counselor about the baggage he could be bringing to my basketball program. Sadly, I wasn't taken aback by Lefty's tough home life since his story was an all too familiar tale: his father wasn't around and the mother struggled to make ends meet. As a result, Lefty felt like he had to do some shady things in order to provide for himself.

In his late teens, Lefty turned a corner. He went from barely passing all of his classes as a freshman and sophomore to earning "Bs and Cs" as an upperclassman. His Guidance Counselor recommended that he enroll at a Community College to improve his grades and develop his game. As a high school senior, he had posted multiple 20 point games and almost singlehandedly lead his team to a championship.

Prior to my meeting with the Guidance Counselor, I had never heard of Lefty even though he was tearing it up in his league. The league he played in didn't have a track record of producing big time college players so I never went to any of those games. I didn't get to see Lefty play in an official game, but we had a chance to meet at his high school. Much to my surprise, it went well. He was articulate, sincere, and polite. I took his information and told him that I'd be in touch once our season was over.

I finally got to see Lefty play a few months later on our campus. I invited a bunch of guys to play some pick-up games on a Saturday and he showed up. Lefty was tall, athletic, and agile but he wasn't very skilled. I chalked up his success in high school to his size (6'2, 165) and quickness. Since I had some better guys coming in at his position, I opted to pass on Lefty. Sadly, he decided not to enroll in school that fall...

During a visit to Lefty's high school three years later, I asked his Guidance Counselor about him. Unfortunately, the news wasn't good.

Me: How's Lefty doing? I'm thinking about taking a second look at him.
Counselor: That would be good for him, but I think he's caught up in some stuff right now.
Me: Oh no. What kind of trouble?
Counselor: From what I've heard, he has been knocking off homes.
Me: Did he get caught?
Counselor: Yeh. (laughs) He kind of did himself in during a break in.
Me: How so?
Counselor: He dropped his driver's license in the garage of one of the homes he robbed.