Antawn Jamison should be lumped in with Jeff McInnis, Rasheed Wallace, Jerry Stackhouse and J.R. Reid in the category of UNC basketball players who, due to an extreme desire for money, and an unwillingness to learn how to read, left early for the NBA, right?
Absolutely not.
Jamison decided to forgo his senior year of eligibility at Carolina to enter the NBA draft, but, unlike many of the aforementioned "scholar athletes," he deserves the utmost respect for his decision.
Jamison is planning on getting his degree in African Studies by working hard for two summer sessions. This is something that some of the players above had to come back to school to do, and some didn't bother trying. Jamison is simply graduating early, something that thousands of regular students do every year.
Also, amidst the elbowing incidents, the spitting incidents, the taunting, the lying and general lack of class shown by the Tar Heels this past year, Jamison was a solid example of dignity and respect. Sure, he had one or two slip-ups, but they weren't nearly as serious as the many other allegations coming not just from Carolina, but across the country.
In addition, during the stampede off the court following Duke's amazing comeback victory over UNC this year, Jamison risked his health-and perhaps his future NBA career-to shield a handicapped person from being crushed by the joyous crowd.
Antawn Jamison's skills on the court are not to be debated. Neither, really, are his class and humility off the court. What needs to be assessed is whether or not leaving to go to the NBA is the right decision. In Antawn's case, not only is it justified, but it is the right choice.
"If I would've stayed, it would have been kind of like for selfish reasons, like breaking records," Jamison said at his announcement press conference. "You know, my mom and dad cannot believe that I'm leaving, but it's also good so that they don't have to work as hard as they've been doing in the last couple of years, and for them to relax and enjoy life a little."
Jamison's mother works full time, and his father works two jobs to keep the family going. Antawn's sister is going off to college soon, and he has a younger brother as well. It is nice to see a young man giving back to his family when he knows it needs him.
Should Jamison be chastised for leaving school? No. He's getting his degree, and leaving school for all the right reasons. It is hard to say that anyone reading this article could turn down a chance to make millions upon millions of dollars while having fun and achieving your lifelong dream, even if that means giving up a college degree-which Jamison isn't doing.
It is not often that you hear someone who is about to become a superstar making millions of dollars say that his parents "are the best thing that ever happened to [him]." This is a young man who is polite, generous and sensitive to others. You can't ask for much more in a person, especially one who averages 22 points and 10.5 rebounds a game.
Asking him questions after his press conference, I found that Jamison was never condescending in talking to a student reporter. He took a lot of time to answer my questions in-depth and smiled while looking directly at me the whole time. He does not have the ego of a superstar, but he does have the skills.
Jamison said that he left because there was not much more to accomplish at the college level. Critics of his decision would ask, "What about a national championship, or at least another Final Four?" But there are so many unpredictable things in college basketball that Antawn knew he couldn't count on either of those occurring. Sure, there would have been a decent chance, but was that relatively unlikely opportunity worth it? You can't count on anything in college (as perfectly demonstrated by this past NCAA Tournament), but as soon as he signs his first contract, Antawn Jamison and his family will be financially set for a very long time to come.
I hope Antawn Jamison succeeds at the next level. I hope he becomes a star in the NBA. Former UNC coach Dean Smith said it best when he described the team that drafts Jamison as "lucky to be getting a man of his character." Coach Smith, for once I agree with you. In a time where sports is filled with incessant trash-talking and selfishness at almost every level, sports, and especially basketball, could use another good representative to complement Michael Jordan and Grant Hill. Antawn Jamison could be just the man for the job.
Dave Schepard is a Trinity junior. He probably had a heart attack when he saw his column in print this morning. Dave is now batting .064 as a column writer.
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