On January 5, 2010, I went to see 6-10 freshman Kevin Huang of Hampton Roads Academy of Virginia Beach, Virginia play on the road against The Collegiate School of Richmond, Virginia
I left the house at 2:35 P.M. that afternoon. At 2:51 P.M. I was headed on Route 64 East, listening to car’s FM radio, and the band “U2″ was playing: the lyrics “with or without you” could be heard from radio station “94.3 FM.”
By 2:52 P.M., on FM radio station 94.1, a caller named Donna was saying, “Look at the people we have in charge right now….” to conservative talk show host Mark Stein, a man with a British accent.
At 3:16 P.M., I was still on Route 64 East, and I passed a sign that said it was 31 miles to Richmond, Virginia. At 3:35 P.M., I arrived at a gas station called “Bulletts.” I got to Richmond at 3:50 P.M.! Finally, at 4:10 P.M., I got to the school. But the game wasn’t due to start until 5:45, so I sat in the car, reading newspapers and listening to the radio. It was cold outside! At 4:55 P.M., I went in and watched some of the junior varsity game.
The varsity game started, and I kept track of each shot Kevin Huang took, as well as each rebound he grabbed, and each shot he blocked. He didn’t score until the 3:32 mark of the first quarter. (High school basketball games are comprised of four 8-minute quarters). His team trailed 10-2 at the end of the first quarter. Hampton Roads Academy had poor team ballhandling. Finally, he scored at the 6:21 mark of the second quarter! But his team trailed 24-14 at the half. It was 6:13 P.M.
In the second half, Kevin Huang came alive, mostly because his team stopped turning the ball over, and decided to look for him on offense. He began shooting the ball. He finished the game with 12 points, hitting on 6 out of 9 shots for the contest. But he had little help around him. His team lost 42-31. The game ended at 6:47 P.M.
Kevin Huang has a thin uppper body, but hey: he’s just a high school FRESHMAN! I talked to the man whose family he is staying with. Kevin Huang is an exchange student from China. Kevin Huang’s parents were basketball players back in China. He has Division 1 potential, but then: there are 347 Division 1 schools in the USA. He could still be growing. He has a soft touch. He’s a prospect to keep an eye on. He plays smart and does not commit fouls! At 7:06 P.M., I left Richmond. By 7:36 P.M., I was 30 miles from Charlottesville. By 8:10 P.M., I was back in Charlottesville!
