Take note young men, here's a real role model
THE VERY IDEA ... Take note

AJ jokes with the referees during halftime at last Saturday's game.

AJ Bowma n worked at The News-Reporter as one of our high school kids - who do the inserting, trash dumping, labeling, and sundry other essential jobs in the back - about fiveyears ago. He stops by once in a while to say hello and we are always glad to see him. But he doesn't stop by so much anymore. He's gone on to bigger things.

I went to see him last Saturday as he played his last regular season home game on the basketball court at Augusta State University and I saw how far behind he has left that 17-year-old kid that used to be so much fun to be around. Oh, I'm sure he's still that much fun to be around, but with a mature attitude and grace which complement his competitive refusal to accept defeat.

Not too long ago, in a discussion with a high school coach, we talked about the widespread malady, especially prevalent in local teenage athletes, which is the inability to deal with and ultimately overcome adversity. It's a trap that's easy to fall into and it applies to life in general, not just to athletic contests.

Take, for example, a baseball team that maintains a small lead through most of a game. Then, in a late inning a little looping single, a hit batter, and a wild pitch leave runners on second and third with no outs. The team can react positively to do whatever it takes to get out of the situation, or it can just make a feeble effort to avoid what it perceives as the inevitable defeat.

Similarly, a person on a diet (I had originally used the word "woman" there but decided that a number of women I know would object), in a moment of weakness, may indulge with a sweet treat only to be tempted to call off the diet because "it was sooo good and what's the point anyway." The alternative, of course, would be to regroup and react positively to do whatever it takes to stay in diet mode.

So at Christenberry Fieldhouse on Saturday, I saw the Peach Belt Conference's No. 2-ranked Jaguars get behind to the next-to-last Hurricanes of Georgia Southwestern. In fact, Southwestern led for most of the game. But what did it matter? It was Senior Day and there were a lot of distractions. The outcome of this one game was probably not going to make or break the Jaguars in the playoffs. It just didn't matter.

It seemed like everything Southwestern threw up in the air came back down through the hoop. It seemed like the referees could see only ASU's infractions and none of Southwestern's. AJ himself, ASU's leading scorer, got three quick fouls and had to sit out much of the first half. It just wasn't going well and it looked like it would be just too hard to turn it all around.

Not! During the second half warmups, AJ struck up a conversation with the referees, and in that unique style that's all his own, laughingly chided them about his three fouls and how he didn't need three more in the second half. (Now, it must be understood that I did not hear the conversation but I was only about 15 feet away and it looked like that's what they were talking about -- besides, it makes the story better.

do have the accompanying photograph to prove the conversation did take place.)

AJ has a way of just making you feel better. His positive attitude seems to come through no matter what. His eyes are always bright. There's almost always a smile on his face, though sometimes it might be lurking just beneath the surface. And he has a way of disarming potential adversaries with his charm and good humor. Just as he did the referees during warm-ups, he did the same with Southwestern players around the key during free throws. He would smile and "cut the fool" with them just before stepping in to get the rebound and make the shot.

The Jags and AJ pulled away at the end and finished off the Hurricanes in right good style.

I know AJ's high school coach, Don Keiser, is proud of him, as are his family, his friends, and all who know him. The fans at ASU love him too.

Whether he knows it or not, he is

valuable role model for all the high school students and athletes who have not yet learned how to deal with and overcome adversity. Sure, he is a talented and gifted basketball player - but more than that, he is a cheerful and positive young man who knows how to make the best of his situation without throwing out unwarranted blame.

I can't wait until he stops by for another visit. And by the way, whether his halftime conversation with the refs had anything to do with it or not, he had no fouls in the second half.

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