2008 Woodie Awards
Column: The saga of Shawn James
Issue date: 7/2/08 Section: Sports
"SWAT! SWAT! SWAT!" echoed the rafters of Cabot Gymnasium in 2004 and 2005, where Shawn James made his mark as a prolific shot blocker and a threat on the low post as a Northeastern Husky. James was a legitimate NBA prospect whose NBA dreams may no longer become a reality as the two rounds of the 2008 NBA draft came and passed with no team calling his name.
Going into 2006 things for James were looking up - he was an all conference player in the Colonial Athletic Association the year before. Head coach Ron Everhart left for Duquesne University, which threw a wrench in James' plans. As Everhart went, so did James, to Duquesne. James was forced to sit out one season due to NCAA transfer rules, and during the off-season, tragedy struck the campus and the basketball players.
Five of the Duquesne players were shot at a dance on the Pittsburgh campus. James was shot in the foot, and he later filed suit against the university claiming they did not provide proper protection for the players on campus. On top of that, James claimed that Everhart forced him to practice while still healing from his wounds. James was told by Everhart to remove a doctor-ordered therapeutic boot, according to the lawsuit.
There are a lot of what-ifs with James. Would he have been taken in the NBA draft had he stayed at Northeastern? Some certainly think so. Would Northeastern's team have been any better? That's up to debate, although James arguably has a lot of talent. The one certainty is that someone, who at one point many thought might be talked about as one of the NU greats, is now going to be playing basketball for Bnei HaSharon in the Israeli Super League, which is not quite the NBA.
"By sitting out a year and transferring to Duquesne, his chances took an even bigger hit. He never got a fair chance to display his developing offensive game and his minutes were very inconsistent at Duquesne," said Northeastern basketball broadcaster and former News columnist Adam Jones. "Had he stayed at NU, he would've been 'the guy' and he could've proved to scouts he was capable of carrying the load."
Going into 2006 things for James were looking up - he was an all conference player in the Colonial Athletic Association the year before. Head coach Ron Everhart left for Duquesne University, which threw a wrench in James' plans. As Everhart went, so did James, to Duquesne. James was forced to sit out one season due to NCAA transfer rules, and during the off-season, tragedy struck the campus and the basketball players.
Five of the Duquesne players were shot at a dance on the Pittsburgh campus. James was shot in the foot, and he later filed suit against the university claiming they did not provide proper protection for the players on campus. On top of that, James claimed that Everhart forced him to practice while still healing from his wounds. James was told by Everhart to remove a doctor-ordered therapeutic boot, according to the lawsuit.
There are a lot of what-ifs with James. Would he have been taken in the NBA draft had he stayed at Northeastern? Some certainly think so. Would Northeastern's team have been any better? That's up to debate, although James arguably has a lot of talent. The one certainty is that someone, who at one point many thought might be talked about as one of the NU greats, is now going to be playing basketball for Bnei HaSharon in the Israeli Super League, which is not quite the NBA.
"By sitting out a year and transferring to Duquesne, his chances took an even bigger hit. He never got a fair chance to display his developing offensive game and his minutes were very inconsistent at Duquesne," said Northeastern basketball broadcaster and former News columnist Adam Jones. "Had he stayed at NU, he would've been 'the guy' and he could've proved to scouts he was capable of carrying the load."
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