“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.”
Former Northeastern assistant and current Kansas State head coach Frank Martin discussed the shooting in a June 24 article in the Boston Globe.
“There’s no way you can get hit with two bullets and walk around like nothing happened,” Martin said. “That’s got to affect you physically and mentally, and from what I understand, it kind of affected him mentally a lot more than physically and it was just hard for him to get back on that trail that he needed to be on to get better.”
I can’t say I’ve ever been shot, but I have to agree with Martin. That cannot be something that when you wake up the next morning, you are totally cool with. Being shot is not something that happens everyday and most people go their entire lives without ever being shot.
I feel bad for James. I was never 100 percent sold on him being a great NBA talent, but could he have made a career in the NBA? I have to think some team would have at least given him a chance.
Even if he wasn’t drafted, when it was all said and done I think he would have found himself in NBA camps much like former Husky great Jose Juan Barea, who afterward found himself with an NBA contract.
James was a talent, that’s for sure. A little rough around the edges, but with the proper coaching, I think he could have found himself playing in the greatest basketball league in the world.
I still haven’t made up my mind about if the lawsuit is frivolous or not. Obviously there was a falling out between James and Everhart, but I wonder how much of the lawsuit is out of anger.
Duquesne recently gave Everhart an extension, and he has some quality recruits coming in for next year. Did James just see his playing time being eliminated? Duquesne already runs a unique system with lots of different players getting playing time.
James is someone who will always be remembered by Husky fans for those two magical years, along with questions about what would have happened had he stayed. I have a feeling the saga of James is not done yet. There is still a lawsuit pending and you never know, if he makes a big enough impact in Israel, he could make his way back to America.
James is like that ex-girlfriend you never got over, even though she dumped you, so you still check Facebook to see how she is doing. That’s how I am going to follow James: through the anonymity of the Internet, quietly watching from a distance and secretly hoping the best for him.
– Keith Lavon can be reached
