Deep-rooted drive(kendrick perkins)

Discussion in 'Boston Celtics' started by Truemaster14, Jul 7, 2003.

  1. Truemaster14

    Truemaster14 JBB JustBBall Member

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    <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">BEAUMONT, Texas -- The historically black Pear Orchard neighborhood feels more like proud, small-town Texas than part of a city indebted to the oil industry. Tucked into the south end of Beaumont, Pear Orchard is anchored by two Catholic churches, Ozen High School, and the kind of closeness that comes when families live in the same place for generations. Mary Lewis raised her children and grandson Kendrick Perkins in the same home on Glenwood Street. Perkins recently promised his grandparents a new house with part of his $814,300 rookie salary, but Lewis cannot see herself moving to another section of Beaumont. Before he was selected 27th overall in last month's NBA draft and then traded to the Celtics, Perkins wasn't sure he wanted to leave either. The people of Pear Orchard were there for Perkins when his father abandoned him as a toddler and his mother was murdered a few years later. Now, as an 18-year-old making the transition from high school to the NBA, life in Pear Orchard is remarkably uncomplicated for Perkins. Standing in front of his house, he can see the Ozen High School athletic facilities where he prepares almost daily for the NBA. Standing in front of the main gym, he can see Our Mother of Mercy, where he serves as an altar boy on Sundays. One square mile encompasses all that is important to Perkins.

    To understand Perkins and the challenges ahead for him, you must first become familiar with that well-traveled 1 square mile in Pear Orchard. The people there supported Perkins long before he grew into a high school basketball star and NBA prospect. They made sure he stayed far away from trouble and remained focused, though everyone claims Perkins never lacked a strong work ethic. They made sure the absence of a mother and father faded into the background. For Perkins, moving from Beaumont to Boston may be the toughest part of turning pro.

    ''It's like one big family,'' said Perkins of Pear Orchard. ''Everybody's very supportive. It's just home. If my grandparents are out of town, I can easily go stay with somebody. I can go somewhere knowing I'm not going to be messed with, because everybody gets along. You can just go to a neighbor's house and eat. You're not singled out or left out. I'll miss this small, little city.

    ''I've traveled a lot of places and never wanted to leave [Beaumont], but right now, I'm comfortable with leaving. Where your team plays [in the NBA] is like your hometown, but it's really like you're living everywhere because you're traveling so much. I feel like I'm ready to go to Boston and live.''

    The Celtics are uncertain exactly what they have in Perkins. With the proper nurturing and attention can he become a solid NBA center? It may be two or more years before the Celtics know how the post moves, rebounding, and shot blocking that made Perkins a high school All-American translate to the NBA. He has the requisite body at 6 feet 10 inches, 275 pounds, but the size that was a rarity at the high school level is commonplace around the league. And adjusting to a grander scale is only one of many upcoming challenges.

    Perkins arrives at Logan Airport tomorrow for his first extended stay in the Boston area. He has never seen the FleetCenter. When told the Celtics' home arena was a 30-minute drive from the team's practice site, Perkins could not believe it.

    ''Everything far away?'' he asked. ''Like in Houston? For real?'' For convenience, Perkins will buy an apartment or townhouse close to the team's training center in Waltham. To ensure as smooth a transition as possible, he will live with an Ozen High School coach. His grandparents plan to visit as often as possible during the season. But there is no way Boston can be anything like where Perkins grew up.

    Life-altering event

    The clapboard house on Glenwood Street stands out with its fresh coat of custard yellow paint and lime sherbet trim. Neighboring homes have been worn down by time and weather, appearing faded and unsteady on the cinder-block foundations that protect them from flood waters. When asked about the color scheme that makes his home look more Bermuda than Beaumont, Perkins shrugged and said, ''That's what my grandparents chose.''

    Inside is considerably dimmer than the brightly hued exterior. Uncovered bulbs protruding from the ceiling and open windows serve as the only source of light. The one-story home consists of three bedrooms, a living room, a bathroom, and a kitchen. There are no hallways, so every room is a walk-through, making the home awkwardly intimate. The walls are thin enough that a knock on the living room wall summons Perkins from his bedroom on the other side. The uneven ceiling in the living room reaches no higher than 6 feet 7 inches, presenting a challenge for Perkins. A floor fan by the couch offers little respite from the southeast Texas heat.

    Mary and Raymond Lewis make themselves comfortable amid the family pictures that clutter the living room walls and the basketball trophies and mementos that fill the rest of the space. They have raised Perkins since he was 5 years old, since the night his mother, Ercell Minix, was shot in the neck by neighbor and onetime friend Sylvilla Humphrey. The two women argued on and off for weeks prior to the incident, though no one remembers why.

    After she was shot, Minix was rushed to St. Elizabeth Hospital and placed on life support for six days before she died, giving Mary and Raymond Lewis time to break the news to Perkins in stages. Although the murder took place outside Pear Orchard, it shocked members of the quiet, close-knit community, almost all of whom knew Minix. Humphrey was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the crime. The Lewises explained what happened, but there was nothing they could say to help their grandson fully understand.

    The Lewises never made much of raising their grandson, and they still don't. Given the circumstances they knew only one way to move forward. They set about raising a kind, young man and devout Catholic. With Mary cleaning houses and Raymond working at the Gulf States Asphalt Co., the couple saved enough money to send Perkins to Our Mother of Mercy Elementary School, figuring the right start was essential. But in the beginning, Mary and Raymond Lewis needed support from Perkins as much as he needed it from them.

    ''After his mom died, I just stuck to him,'' said Mary Lewis. ''That kept me going, that and the good Lord. I think I would have lost it for a while, but for God and him. When Kendrick's mother passed, I would sit and cry. Kendrick would come sit on my lap and ask me if I was sad about his mother. I would say, `Yes.' And he would say, `Don't worry, Granny, I will never leave you alone.' ''

    Mary Lewis recalls this memory and begins to cry again. She looks around the room and points out all the pictures of her daughter Ercell, trying to focus on better times. There is a photograph of Ercell in cap and gown, another shows her as a high school rhythm stepper. Mary Lewis says her daughter and grandson share a shy but friendly disposition. People just naturally gravitated toward Ercell, and now, she sees the same happening with Kendrick.

    ''I tell him all the time, `Pick out your friends and be careful. Remember what happened to your mom.' That was supposed to be her friend,'' said Mary Lewis, 67. ''He's going to meet up with a lot of people in Boston, and I just worry about that, bigger guys, older guys. But he's got a pretty level head on his shoulders.''

    While Perkins describes his grandparents as strict but loving, he adds with a certain amount of pride that Mary Lewis only ''whupped'' him once. He was 10 when he went swimming without his grandmother's permission. Perkins was already dry when his grandmother picked him up at a cousin's house, but his chlorine-reddened eyes gave him away. The only other trouble Perkins got into as a kid came when a neighbor complained about his basketball hitting the side of her house on missed shots. To solve the problem, Raymond Lewis extended the wire fence between the homes 4 feet higher.

    Now, the backboard, rim, and metal pole lie at the bottom of the fence, having been ripped out of the ground by a kid who quickly outgrew his backyard basket. Perkins broke the basket four times and his grandfather finally decided not to fix it. It was a sign Perkins was growing up.

    ''We didn't really have any problems with him coming up,'' said Raymond Lewis, 68. ''He played basketball out here in the evenings and we'd have to call him to come in the house. He always said he wanted to play pro basketball, and all I told him was, `You have to work hard. And you have to put the Lord first because you're going to run into a lot of obstacles.' ''

    No dwelling on past

    Perkins never viewed growing up without his mother and father as an obstacle. That distinction always belonged to more tangible, basketball-related challenges. Perkins doesn't think about his father or mother very often, though for very different reasons. ''When I start thinking about my mother, I start thinking what will happen if I lose my grandparents,'' said Perkins. He does have a barely recognizable tattoo of a rose on his right shoulder in memory of his mother.

    His father, Kenneth Perkins, has never been a part of his life. The last time Kendrick spoke to his father was a five-minute conversation sometime last year. He doesn't remember exactly when. It was like talking to a stranger. The last time he saw his father was three years ago. Kenneth Perkins found time to return to Beaumont when Lamar University honored his stellar athletic career, but he did not come back for the funeral of Kendrick's mother. Kenneth lives in New Zealand, though Kendrick has no idea where or why. No interest in knowing either.

    Kenneth passed on the basketball talent, but nothing else. While at Lamar University in the early 1980s, Kenneth Perkins compiled career marks that placed him at or near the top of several school all-time lists. Rebounding. Field goal percentage. Blocked shots. Games played.

    ''Honestly, I don't have anything to say to him,'' said Kendrick. ''About three years ago, we were together, face to face. I couldn't say anything except, `What's up?' I didn't even say, `What's up, Dad?' People say he had game, but I've never really asked about it. People never really wanted to approach me about it, so I never really wanted to know either. No grudges. I'm not a person that just gets mad. I'm kind of happy what he's done because it kind of turned out good.''

    Perkins found a surrogate father in Ozen High School basketball coach Andre Boutte. The two got to know each other when Perkins showed up to shoot baskets at the high school gym the summer before seventh grade. At 6 feet, Perkins already had a natural shooting touch and soft hands. Boutte added discipline and purpose to Kendrick's summer routine, introducing post moves and shooting drills.

    By the time Perkins enrolled at Ozen, an assistant coach convinced Boutte to let him play with the varsity. In an early scrimmage, Perkins scored 28 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. When Perkins was a sophomore, Ozen went undefeated (36-0) and won the state 4A championship. When Perkins was a junior and senior, the team was runner-up. While Boutte researched his NBA prospects last season, Perkins focused on his high school team. He averaged 27.5 points, 16.4 rebounds, and 7.8 blocks per game. Boutte is confident that a summer's worth of hard work in Beaumont will translate to playing time next season in Boston.

    ''I don't have to do anything different with him than what I do with my own kids,'' said Boutte. ''I know the only difference is that Granny and Pa are his guardians and he has other family. I just deal with the basketball end of it.''

    But Boutte greatly underestimates his importance to Perkins away from the court. There is a connection between the two that goes much deeper than basketball. Boutte grew up in Pear Orchard and dated Perkins's mother when the two attended Hebert High School, the black school that once stood on the Ozen campus before integration forced its closing in 1982. At carefully chosen moments, Boutte shares memories of Minix with Perkins. Boutte shows Perkins pictures of he and his mother together.

    When asked what Boutte has meant to him, Perkins said, ''Second father. Well, first father, really. He's just been there for me. He took me under his wing. During high school, my grandparents never really worried about me. People don't even know that he bought my first car. He bought the Lincoln. I don't know what I'm going to get him yet, but it's going to be something special. Without him, I'd probably be looking to get into a junior college. He helped me just that much on my game. My coaches and my family were the people who really believed in my basketball.''

    Day at the office

    There are two nonnegotiable rules when the Ozen boys' basketball team goes through its summertime, morning workouts. No complaining. No water breaks. Perkins has not missed a conditioning session since starting the routine the summer before seventh grade. The workouts start shortly after 8, once the football team clears the track and some 30 basketball players of varying ages arrive. This is how it all started for Perkins, summers filled with hard work. This is why Perkins believes he will be ready for Boston and the NBA by October.

    As the players line up on the track, Perkins is easy to spot in the far left lane. His sleeveless undershirt reveals an already mature body, though Perkins has shed 26 pounds over the last month. When he played in the McDonald's All-American Game in late March after a three-week break from competition, he was at an all-time high of 301 pounds. He expects to start training camp at 265.

    ''I just want to be ready to come in and try to work myself into the rotation,'' said Perkins. '' Like Coach [Jim] O'Brien said, you've got to earn your spot on the team. I figure I've just got to work hard and come in and prove I should get minutes. [The Celtics] just said I'm a project out of high school with a nice body, great post game. They just said, if I work hard I can be a great NBA player.''

    The track workout starts with 30 yards of running with an emphasis on high knee lift, followed by 30 yards of backpedaling. As Perkins lifts his knees, he is astonishingly light on his feet and agile for someone of his size. Watching the workout it is clear what attracted the Celtics to Perkins.

    With the temperature close to 100 degrees and the humidity approaching the same number, kids start to ask for water. Only the younger ones get permission for a break. Keena Young, who is heading to the University of Memphis in the fall, threatens to drink the muddy water from a trench next to the track.

    ''It's like we're in lockup,'' joked Perkins. ''This isn't the pen.''

    But the workout for the older players continues uninterrupted. The 1 1/2-hour track session finishes with abdominal work that leaves the players groaning in agony. Perkins heads to the weight room to work on his upper body, then moves to the main gym. The three courts inside are filled with kids of all ages playing pickup games, summer camp without counselors. The players clear out half a court for Perkins, who works on his inside game for a half-hour. He drives home in his metallic green 1993 Lincoln Town Car, eats, rests, plays dominoes with teammates, and then returns to the gym.

    The afternoon session consists of shooting from five spots on the floor -- left baseline, right baseline, left wing, right wing, top of the key. There is a rebounding machine that counts makes and misses. On average, Perkins throws up close to 700 shots and makes more than half. Scouts questioned Perkins's outside shooting ability, but Boutte contends it is only because he never took midrange jumpers as a high school center. The day finishes with 45 minutes on a stationary bike. Although he tries to barter for 30 minutes, Perkins does what Boutte says. It is all part of a bigger plan, part of the transition from Beaumont to Boston and a future much different than the life Perkins leaves behind in Pear Orchard.

    ''Everybody wants to go to the NBA,'' said Perkins. ''It's a lifetime dream. If it's a goal for you and it's right there, then why not take it? Why go to college? If your job is right there, why not go for it right then? I was just ready to play. It was the right decision. No regrets. Coach [Boutte] always put it to me, `Either, you can work now or you can work later doing construction or something, but you're still going to have to work.' So, why not work now and become a millionaire later?''
    </div>


    Its kinda long, but if you want to know about kendrick perkins then look here. I didnt even read it all the way. heres a picture of him:

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    http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/187/spor...ed_drive+.shtml
     
  2. olskoolfunktitude

    olskoolfunktitude JBB The Pig Pirate

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    its a good article. i get the globe so i already read it. it defently makes u wanna root for him but makes you wonder if hes not going to be a total bust. after what hes been through it would make sense that he ahs focus problems
     

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