It may come as no surprise that UF freshman Jai Lucas has no idea how to make a Big Mac.
What may shock, though, is just how close he was to learning.
In the summer of 2003, after spending many hot Houston days melting into the couch, his father, John Lucas II, gave Lucas a life-changing ultimatum.
BHe wasn?t just going to lie around here and play video games all day,C said John Lucas II, a former NBA player and coach. BHe was going to learn how to play basketball, and if he wasn?t, I told him he was going to have to go get a job at McDonald?s.C
The irony of the situation came full circle for Lucas last March, when the speedy guard participated in the 2007 McDonald?s All-American Games as a representative of Bellaire (Texas) High School.
Getting to that point, however, wasn?t easy. When Lucas first heard this plan, his father can remember having to deal with his son?s complaints and disapproval.
BWell, it sure wasn?t like a fish jumping into water,C Lucas II said. BHe was just dead tired at first. But he knew he had to learn.C
The regiment bore more similarities to a high-octane boot camp than it did to the game of basketball. Lucas and his father woke up at 6 every morning to begin intense drills.
The 5-foot-11 guard wore a 40-pound vest while he was forced to convert 500 jump shots before school. There would be 250 more jump shots waiting for him when he returned home.
BHe had to catch up. And with his small size, I knew he had to learn to make shots,C Lucas II said. BI told him, 'If you learn to make shots, you?re going to be just as big as you want to be.?C
Even with the late start, the game of basketball came as second nature to Lucas, whose family background is embedded in the world of hardwood floors and leather balls.
Lucas II played in the NBA for 14 years, where he averaged 10.4 points per game for six different teams. His skills as a teacher were renowned as well, where as a coach, he had four separate stints before being fired by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003.
Lucas?s brother - John Lucas III - is currently a member of the Houston Rockets and was the starting guard for an Oklahoma State team that made it to the Final Four in 2004.
So for the youngest Lucas member, defining his own legacy is going to take some work. Lucas should have no problem, though, since according to his father, he was born to play this game.
BJai has the knack, the gift to play the point,C Lucas II said. BI think point guards are born, not made, and I think Jai has the total package to be a great player.C
Lucas is reaping the benefits of an NBA family in many ways. Among them is the ability to train with current NBA players, including Damon Stoudamire, T.J. Ford and Sam Cassell.
Due to the high-profile workouts, he never gets intimated among his peers, Lucas II said.
Lucas II, who worked with NBA stars Kobe Bryant and Lebron James at young ages, said he believes his youngest son has shown great strides since his early playing days.
BRight now, at this age, he?s better than the father and the older brother,C Lucas II said. BBut he still has a long way to go.C
Lucas feels he will have the benefit of adjusting to anything the college game might throw at him. The freshman said that after dealing with his father, the rest should fall right into place.
BGrowing up around basketball, I?m not overwhelmed by much,C he said. BI just know what to expect, and I?m prepared for anything.C
