Wednesday, February 10, 2010

A feature on JayDee Luster

Here's a human interest story on former New Mexico Stater JayDee Luster, who is returning home (San Diego) as a member of the Wyoming Cowboys. We far too often forget that these are just kids who, despite their talent, face the same life travails and hurt like the rest of us.

Luster finding his way back home
After trials and travails, ex-Hoover star is comfortable on the court again
Mark Zeigler
San Diego Union Tribune
February 10, 2010

The San Diego Section basketball championships were at San Diego State in 2004, in what was then known as Cox Arena. Hoover High reached the Division II final for the first time in 43 years, led by a diminutive point guard named JayDee Luster.

People saw the 5-foot-6 Luster play that night, saw him amass 21 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals before fouling out in a loss to Escondido, and then ran their finger down the Hoover roster to his name and his class: 9.

Freshman.

Most people — Luster included — just figured they were watching the first of many games he would play there, a prodigy at his first recital in his home concert hall. There would be the future high school championship games there, maybe some all-star games, followed by a career as an Aztec for the kid who grew up a few miles from campus...
Go here for the remainder.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I liked JayDee, and understand that he wanted to play, but he was behind Justin Hawkins and Fred Peete both Srs., and Johnathon Gibson a Soph., and Jahmar Young a fellow Fr. I know he left due to playing time but he left a top tier WAC team for a bottom dwelling MWC team. I'm sure fellow Aggie Fans would love to still have him, esp. over the likes of Diop, Gomez and Britt. But even in Laramie he isn't really living up to the billing in the article. He avg's. 6 points. In terms of where that ranks him on NMSU, that's barely above Gordo Castillo and he's only started 2 games. I know there are intangibles, but when you look at what he did against the 2 common opponents for NMSU and Wyoming he really hasn't proven Menzies wrong for not playing him. Against Boise he had 2 points in 5 minutes and against UNM he had 5 in 27.