Spreading the wealth

James gets teammates involved in semifinal triumph

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- As it turns out, Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary is more than just LeBron James and the seven dwarves.

"They're a great team without Mr. James," Canton South coach Henry Cobb said after St. Vincent-St. Mary, the nation's top-ranked team, rolled to a 71-46 win on Friday in the semifinals of the Ohio state boys high school tournament.

As good as the Fighting Irish (24-1) are, there is still no disputing that James makes them an extraordinarily good team.

"The problem -- and it's a good problem to have -- is when you're playing in the shadow of the greatest player in Ohio high school history, people tend to overlook some of the other talented young guys we have," St. Vincent-St. Mary coach Dru Joyce said. "That's something that our guys have had to deal with for a long time. But they understand that LeBron's the guy and they accept their roles.

"Could we do it with without LeBron? Of course I believe that we could. But right now I don't have to worry about that."

James, the 6-foot-8 senior expected to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft, didn't put up eye-popping numbers. He did, however, fuel the Fighting Irish.

"Anybody who has seen most of our games knows I'm not afraid to pass," said James, heralded as "The Chosen One" in a 2002 cover story in Sports Illustrated. "They played a matchup zone. Me being 6-8, I could see over the defenders and get the ball to my teammates."

James finished with 19 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Romeo Travis, a 6-6 senior headed for the University of Akron, had 16 points including several thunderous dunks. Dru Joyce III, the coach's diminutive son, added 15 points on five looping 3-pointers.

Tickets were being scalped for $50 -- more than seven times their face value. Many of those trying to sell their tickets wore jackets with the names of high schools written across the back and the word "Coach" sewn on the front.

The crowd was a sellout at 18,409 but didn't include any major college coaches. They have almost all dropped off the trail of James, who has made it clear he plans on bypassing the college ranks to move right into the pros.

James has been more closely followed by controversy this season.

The state's sanctioning body for high school athletics looked into his mother's purchase of a Hummer H2 that she gave to her son for his 18th birthday. That eventually faded away with the scrutiny.

Then James acknowledged he accepted two free "throwback" jerseys from a Cleveland sports-apparel store. The Ohio High School Athletic Association ruled that St. Vincent-St. Mary had to forfeit a game -- won by 11 points against another Akron team -- and suspended James indefinitely.

A court in Summit County overturned that decision, permitting James, who won Ohio's Mr. Basketball award for an unprecedented third time earlier this week, to play the rest of the season.

It was James' star power that turned what would normally be a sleepy 11 a.m. tournament game into an event at Ohio State's Value City Arena. Credentials were issued for more than 130 writers, 60 photographers and 30 television stations, most on hand to focus on every move of No. 23.

Everything James did was under a microscope. He was the only St. Vincent-St. Mary player wearing Nike shoes -- the rest were in Adidas -- fueling speculation that he might soon sign a multimillion dollar shoe and apparel contract.

As James came on the court for warmups, Canton South's players tried to not look at James but some couldn't help themselves.

He was at his unselfish best throughout the game: taking charges, blocking shots without picking up fouls, surveying the court for open teammates and working hard on defense.

"It took the best team in the nation to knock us out," Cobb said. "It was a privilege and an honor to be here today."

Having lost in the state finals a year ago to Cincinnati Roger Bacon, St. Vincent-St. Mary wasn't taking anything for granted. The Fighting Irish will be a prohibitive favorite in the finals against either Columbus Beechcroft or Kettering Alter.

"It puts a big smile on my face," James said of the semifinal victory. "You can't see it right now, it's on the inside. But I think we're going to play a lot better in the finals than we did today."

And that's a scary thought for whomever opposes James in his final game in a St. Vincent-St. Mary uniform.

 

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