Following an underwhelming season at USC, theories over where Bronny James will take his basketball career are in full swing. Over 25 games with the Trojans, the freshman averaged 2.1 assists and 4.8 points with a 36.6% shooting rate — not typical marks of an NBA-caliber player.
Yet, while teams like the Suns and Lakers seem to be willing to take a chance on the last name, there appears to be a new frontrunner — a community rec center team in Norton, Ohio.
The basketball league, which primarily consists of dads between the ages of 38-52, has a storied history in the town of of under 12,000 people. Many grow up hoping to defeat the odds in order to join one of 10 teams at the local center, but a less-than-stellar season has led the Poison Frogs to expand their search.
"A lot of us have been at this for 7, 8 years — the current pool of players is unlike anything we've ever seen," began Dale Brierson, the team's manager and starting point guard. "It used to be that if you join the high school team as a freshman, you'll get a state championship before you graduate — or at least close enough to it to keep you wanting more."
Now, says Brierson, the spirit isn't there.
"After winning state in '96, I was like a king at school — all of the girls wanted to date me and all of the boys wanted to be me. Now, I drop my kids off and nobody gives a damn — I can't even get a hug from my daughter's choir teacher," scoffed the former local star. "Teens need to be reminded what they're missing out on."
With just under a month to go until the NBA draft, the struggling team needs a youth movement. Specifically, for LeBron James' oldest son to move from sunny Los Angeles to plenty of shade Ohio.
"At first, I thought Dale was talking crazy. But then I thought, shoot — Akron is only a 45 minute drive away. Maybe we'll even get LeBron!" expressed 5'11 center Rick Varney. "I'm not saying it'll be easy, but I think we can at least train Bronny up to be the next John Oatley."
Oatley was, of course, the winner of Norton Recreation Center's MVP award five straight times from 1970-75. While this may not catch the attention of a layman, it caught the eye of the GOAT — and he's all in.
"Y'know, I've been in this league for a long time. NBA championships, MVPs — my family's already got that. But still, there are some things I haven't been able to do in my career, and becoming NRC MVP is at the top," stated LeBron, a whisper of a tear in his eye. "If people are always going to compare me to MJ, then I can only hope my son surpasses me with a comparison to JO."
You can tune in to the first round of the draft on June 26. Nothing will probably happen involving Bronny James, but eh — it's something to watch on a Wednesday.
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Photo courtesy of Katelyn Mulcahy
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