THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, January 27, 1995 TAG: 9501270871
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Long : 117 lines
Shawn Hobson says he is prepared for the verbal taunts that await when Granby visits Booker T. Washington tonight.
These once were his fans, when Hobson was a Booker. Now they root against him and call him a traitor.
He maintains that a little yapping by the Booker T. crowd - the Eastern District lead is at stake - will not shake his game. He has overcome greater distractions, particularly in the last year.
Like developing a hernia at the end of last season.
And having his mother move to Louisiana after remarrying.
And the threat of the NCAA enforcing stiffer academic requirements for freshman eligibility. Such a move could have made Hobson an NCAA academic casualty, sidetracking his dreams to play Division I basketball next season.
What a difference a few months can make.
The hernia has been surgically repaired, the family of a teammate took him in for his senior year, and two weeks ago, the NCAA reverted to its previous standards for freshman eligibility.
Hobson's year of frustration has become a year of contentment. As a bonus, he is the star player on the area's only unbeaten boys basketball team.
The 6-foot-5, 200-pounder is averaging 22 points, seven rebounds, four assists and five steals a game for Granby (14-0), ranked No. 2 in South Hampton Roads and in the state Group AAA poll.
And if the usually vocal crowd at Booker T. thinks a dose of name-calling will bother Hobson, he has news for them.
``It only sets fuel to the fire,'' he said.
Granby coach Jim Harvey, whose Comets were 0-20 two years ago before Hobson's arrival, said Hobson's had enough to deal with on the court without concerning himself with what people holler from the sidelines.
``People are holding him, punching him, kicking him, pulling him and grabbing his shirt trying to slow him down, but nothing seems to bother him,'' Harvey said. ``He's a very poised kid.''
Hobson ended up at Granby when his mother separated from his stepfather and moved into the Granby zone. He had an option to appeal for an out-of-district transfer and remain at Booker T., where he averaged 9.5 points as a sophomore. But he decided to give Granby a try.
``At Booker T., I was forced to play center and power forward,'' Hobson said. ``For all of my life I'd been a guard, and now I was being converted into a post player. I accepted the role because we were winning as a team.
``But I really didn't get a chance to play my game at Booker T.''
Hobson looked to his future and knew that, at his size, playing inside in college was inconceivable.
As a junior, Hobson averaged 17.8 points and Granby improved to 9-10, with upset victories over perennial powers Booker T. and Maury.
``Here at Granby I'm not restricted,'' Hobson said. ``I can rebound and post up, but I can also go out and shoot the 3-pointer. I've been able to showcase my offensive skills.''
And he can free-lance defensively. With towering teammates like 6-6 Toweh Ketter, 6-7 Clifton Townes and 6-9 Ricardo Trevisain behind him, Hobson can take a chance to sneak into a passing lane for a steal. He's confident that if he guesses wrong, one of his shot-blocking teammates will be there.
If he guesses right, chances are it will lead to an easy basket.
``And nothing gets a crowd going like a breakaway dunk,'' he said.
Booker T. coach Barry Hamler concedes Hobson is a quality player and adds that Hobson's move to Granby has made for an intriguing Eastern District race.
``Granby beats Maury by one, we beat Maury by one, Granby beats Lake Taylor in triple overtime,'' Hamler said. ``If Granby didn't have Hobson, they wouldn't have won those games, and if we still had Hobson we'd be running away with the district title. With him at Granby, it just makes for great games.''
Hamler still contends that the state's best player is his own Shawn Wilson, a 6-4 senior whose 23.8 points per game leads the area's Group AAA players.
``Since his coach says he's the best player in the state, I'm anxious to see if I'm good enough to play against him,'' Hobson said with a grin.
Hobson played the final games of last season with the hernia and a doctor's clearance. But his mother said she wouldn't have allowed it had she known its severity.
``Shawn was lucky,'' said Monique Henderson, Hobson's mother, from her home in Leesville, La. ``He didn't tell me when it got bad. He put the game in front of his health.
``When I found out what would have happened if it would have ruptured. . .
While growing up, Hobson moved frequently due to his family's military ties. He lived in Seattle, in Texas and in Germany before ending up in Norfolk. When his mother decided to move to Louisiana, she gave Shawn the option of staying in Norfolk.
``That was his choice, and (it) being his senior year was the only reason I left him there,'' his mother said. ``I was very sad. But I knew he's the type of mature individual who can handle just about any type of situation.''
Hobson moved in with the Ketters, and Toweh's mother, Beverly, took legal guardianship.
With the summer recruiting period so important to colleges, Hobson's hernia operation limited his play and, as a result, his exposure. But he's made up for it this winter, particularly last week when he scored 35 and 31 points in victories over Oscar Smith and Lake Taylor.
Now the college coaches are calling, particularly since the NCAA has returned to its minimum standards of a 2.0 core class grade-point average and 700 score on the Scholastic Assessment Test. Hobson is projected to attain the 2.0, and he already has scored 710 on the SAT.
But while those coaches are likely to start rolling in and dotting the stands for the conclusion of Hobson's high school career, there is a more immediate concern: Granby hasn't won an Eastern District title since 1976.
Hobson's uncle, Clifton Robinson, made sure Hobson was aware of the fact when he arrived at Granby 17 months ago.
``I'm a Granby alumni,'' Robinson said. ``The Comets haven't won a title since the days of Dexter Reid. I pointed to the banner in the gym and let him know Granby was overdue.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
LAWRENCE JACKSON/Staff
The Eastern District lead will be at stake when Shawn Hobson leads
Granby tonight against Booker T. Washington - where he used to
play.
by CNB