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A sweet turnaround jumper

The high flying Benson Callier, once a St. Petersburg playground legend with no future, straightens out his life and signs with Florida State.

By PETE YOUNG and JOHN C. COTEY
© St. Petersburg Times
published April 11, 2002

[Times file photo] Benson Callier played a few games with Gibbs High before moving on to George Junior Republic.

Two years ago, Benson Callier was an aimless St. Petersburg teenager, intermittently attending school, wasting his prodigious basketball talent and tumbling toward an empty future.

A year ago, Leonard Hamilton was coach of the NBA's Washington Wizards.

Wednesday, Hamilton and Callier hitched their futures to each other.

Callier, a 6-foot-6 leaper extraordinaire, signed a letter of intent to play for Florida State and its new coach, Hamilton. Callier's mother, Patsy Powell, was expected to affix her signature Wednesday night and send it to Tallahassee today to make it official.

Callier starred this season for George Junior Republic, a school of about 500 boys located 45 minutes north of Pittsburgh. His road from here to there to Florida State was almost laughably farfetched two years ago. It developed into a feel-good story that makes The Rookie seem mundane because of a few people dedicated to helping him -- and Callier's dogged determination to reclaim his future.

"I knew it could happen," Callier said. "I had a plan."

That plan actually was hatched by Pat and Anthony Lawrence, high school basketball standouts at Boca Ciega and Lakewood, respectively, and who had played collegiately under Hamilton at Miami.

Callier was cutting school one day in the spring of 2000 when they spotted him in a playground pickup game. The Lawrences took him under their wing and emphasized the need to get established academically and on track toward a diploma.

"We just told him all the things he could do if he could get it together," said Anthony Lawrence, the girls coach at Shorecrest. "He had talent. He was a street-baller. We started working with him, providing him with a little guidance."

Callier needed it. In November 2000, he was profiled in the Times. He was a 17-year-old playground legend and occasional AAU standout who frequently skipped school and had fathered a child. He had attended three high schools -- Lakewood, Bradenton Southeast and Gibbs -- but lost his athletic eligibility early his freshman year because of poor academics.

Callier's parents separated when he was young. His father, Darryl Callier, has a criminal record that includes convictions for assault and cocaine possession.

Heeding the Lawrences' advice, Callier buckled down and progressed rapidly. He became eligible for basketball late in the 2000-01 season and played in Gibbs' final few games.

"Benson took charge, but it (also) was a lot of people helping him," Powell said. "He had a lot of mentors, and I guess it sunk in."

He opted to spend this year at George Junior Republic in Grove City, Pa., a private school that historically has emphasized work experience and schooling for delinquent and troubled boys.

"He needed something new, like this program," Anthony Lawrence said. "He needed something to help straighten him out a little bit."

"I was glad he got away," said Powell, who works as a restaurant cashier. "He could get his mind clear and focus on what he needed to do. There were some bad influences around here."

Callier, a small forward, led George Junior Republic to a 22-3 record, averaging 18 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks.

The season was filled with highlights, including a 58-57 win over Akron (Ohio) St. Vincent-St. Mary and its standout, LeBron James, who recently appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated. A crowd of 7,000 watched at Youngstown State.

"He played his best against the best," Republic coach Bob McConnell said of Callier, who had 14 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks (two on James) in the win.

Callier, a small forward, was named big-school (Class AAA and AAAA) first-team all-state; MVP of the Mercer County Conference; and MVP of the Pennsylvania-Ohio All-Star Game, in which he scored 31.

The best news: Callier, who has between a 2.6 and 2.7 GPA in his core courses, according to McConnell, scored 840 on the SAT and likely will be qualified to play immediately for the Seminoles.

"Every junior college in the country wanted him because nobody thought he was going to (qualify)," said McConnell, who listed Cincinnati, Auburn and Xavier among Callier's suitors. "Once he qualified, it was a matter of how quickly (Division I schools) came out of the woodwork."

Hamilton was hired to replace Steve Robinson on March 19. The Lawrence brothers quickly alerted him about Callier.

"(Hamilton) got a couple of tapes of me," said Callier, who turned 19 in January. "I guess he liked what he saw. It feels real good. It's a good school, he's a new coach, it's in the ACC -- I'm excited."

Not long ago, Callier appeared destined to be a "whatever happened to" question -- with no answer. Now, he is a beaming example of overcoming adversity.

"He had a struggle. Oh, yeah, he had a struggle," Powell said. "I'm proud of him. I guess he grew up. He knew what he had to do and went out there and got it."

With a little help from his friends.

"I'm just ecstatic," said Anthony Lawrence, who made the first call to Hamilton. "He's really become like a little brother to me. When FSU said they wanted him and had sent him his (papers), I mean, I wanted to cry. This is just a great, great story."

Another FSU signing

New Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton signed Al Thornton of Perry, Ga.

Thornton, a 6-foot-8 forward, averaged 27 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks as a senior at Perry High. He was MVP of the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association All-Star Game and the Georgia/Tennessee All-Star Game, in which he had 28 points and nine rebounds. Thornton was named the middle-Georgia Player of the Year by the Macon Telegraph.

"We are excited about a player with the abilities of Al Thornton coming to Florida State," Hamilton said. "Our fans will love watching this young man play in a Seminole uniform."

CLEMSON: Lamar Rice, a 6-7 forward from Flint, Mich., signed a letter of intent out of Mott C.C. in Michigan.

MARQUETTE: Coach Tom Crean was given a multiyear contract extension. Terms weren't given.

MEMPHIS: Athletic director R.C. Johnson plans to add a year to coach John Calipari's contract. The extension on the $1-million-a-year contract would carry it through the 2006-07 season.

MISSISSIPPI: Trey Pearson, a 6-4 guard from Tennessee, signed a letter of intent.

NORTH CAROLINA: Sophomore guard Adam Boone will transfer after the spring semester.

Boone led the Tar Heels with 89 assists in 28 games last season. He also averaged 7.2 points and 2.2 rebounds and shot a team-best 43 percent from 3-point range and 81.8 percent from the line.

"I'm sorry to see Adam go," coach Matt Doherty said. "He made a great deal of improvement last year. I was looking forward to seeing him help re-establish our program over the next two years."

No reason was given for Boone's decision to transfer. It was not know where the Minneapolis, Minn., native planned to enroll.

-- Information from other news organizations was used in this report.

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