Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, October 8, 1993 TAG: 9310080108
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By SCOTT BLANCHARD STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
In a small pocket of adolescence - the sweaty, raucous cafeteria at Roanoke's Addison Aerospace Magnet Middle School around noon Thursday - the consensus on Michael Jordan's retirement was threefold.
We saw it coming. We sympathize. We think he'll be back.
Lunch-table chats with 14 students produced some opinions out of the ordinary - such as the Knicks fan who ripped Knicks-killer Jordan as "garbage" - and illustrated Jordan's impact not only on basketball but on fashion.
Justin Umstead, 13, stopped by and shrugged about Jordan's retirement. He just doesn't follow sports much, he explained, and wandered away - wearing new, flashy Air Jordan high-tops.
Only a couple of youngsters said Jordan shouldn't have retired, saying too many children looked up to him. Among them were 12-year-old Daniela Taylor, who predicted bad news for the Bulls' won-lost record, and 12-year-old Tia Jefferson, who worried about the Bulls losing Jordan's 30-points-plus scoring average.
None of them, however, seemed crushed that the 30-year-old star said he had played his last NBA game.
"I was shocked when he retired," said 12-year-old Tara Cofer. "Now, I'm OK with it."
Added 13-year-old Kendall Wallace: "I say, `Go for it.' "
Almost all the youngsters interviewed said they're convinced Jordan retired because of the death of his father, James, murdered in North Carolina in July, and said they understood. One said it "wouldn't be right" for Jordan to keep playing; 13-year-old Ramon McGeorge offered a counterpoint.
"His father wanted him to play," McGeorge said, but he admitted, "It's going to be hard for him to play a game. He's going to be thinking about his father."
Brian Taylor, a 13-year-old, said Jordan shouldn't retire because he could have won another championship with the Bulls; 14-year-old Otis Kasey was upset because "I was looking for another championship, and some more [trading] cards."
Angela Wilson, 12, said she'll miss the dunks. And Wallace was asked what he'll miss most about Jordan.
"Action," he said simply.
These children saw Jordan as a role model, not because of his personality or off-the-court life but because, as Wallace said, "He was, like, the king of basketball."
Most remain convinced the throne won't be empty for long; some spoke of Jordan's announcement as a leave of absence.
"He should take a break," said 12-year-old Robi Johnson. "He lost a very special person in his life. He just wants to have some time [to himself]."
Brad Scruggs, 13, agreed.
"A guy that good can't stay away from the game," Scruggs said.
There were those who have tired of Jordan's omnipresence, however. David Wallace, Kendall's 14-year-old brother, is the Knicks fan who defiantly claimed the Bulls "really didn't need Jordan anyway. He's a nut. He's a ballhog." James Washington, 13, said maybe Jordan won't be seen in as many commercials and some other NBA players will get exposure.
Jordan said Wednesday he has nothing left to prove, but he didn't consult with 13-year-old Kasson Bratton.
"He could be the best ever," Bratton said, withholding a title most already have given Jordan. "He has to come back to be the best ever. If he takes a year off and comes back and sets records, that would be something."
by CNB