"Mississippi transformed my whole game," Devin said. He became a McDonald's All-American and played in the Jordan Brand Classic. He averaged 30.9 points for Moss Point as a senior and finished a three-year career as the school's all-time leading scorer with 2,518 points. Just as Melvin anticipated, Devin went from good to great. Devin always knew his dad would say, 'You half-assed this play.' He didn't allow him to take plays off." He'd tell him what he did well, but he'd always tell him when he half-assed something. "It's a special thing between those two," Shannon said. In fact, Shannon recalled, Melvin asked the coaches often what they wanted Devin to be working on. Shannon called Melvin a "helluva likable guy" and said Melvin never interfered with the coaching of his son. Head coach Robert Shannon said not only did Melvin make sure Devin never missed a practice, but Devin was also never late for a single practice in two years on the team. Melvin also drove Devin 200 miles nearly every weekend during the offseason, from Moss Point to Montgomery, Alabama, so Devin could play for the AAU's Alabama Challenge. Devin recalls his dad sweating through the workouts just as much as he did. They worked out daily together-on the beach, in the weight room and especially taking thousands of shots in the gym. Melvin taught Devin hard work as much as anything. He didn't understand what it would take to make him great. "I told him that's what the great players do. I'd ask him how many shots he was taking outside of practice, and he would say, 'I practiced for two hours, and you're saying I've got to go practice more?' "He always had a high basketball IQ, but he needed to learn some things. "I used to go to Michigan to watch him, but I thought it'd be better to have him day-to-day," Melvin said. So, Melvin pitched this idea prior to Devin's sophomore year of high school: Move to Mississippi. And the bad: His shot needed a little help, and more than anything, he needed to get more serious. The good: He was going to be taller than his father, his basketball IQ was through the roof and he had natural talent. Melvin noticed everything in Devin the basketball player. When he was back in the United States, Devin would travel from Grand Rapids to stay with Melvin in his hometown of Moss Point, Mississippi. Melvin played basketball overseas, 10 months out of the year, for most of Devin's childhood. A first-team All-American, Booker also was selected as the Big Eight's Player of the Year. He shot 41 percent from three-point range and better than 50 percent from the field overall. Melvin Booker led a loaded Missouri team with an 18.1-point average in 1993-94. "He's told me to enjoy the moment," said Devin, a 6'6" guard, "because you won't ever be in a situation like this or on a team like this again." It's tough to picture a brighter spotlight than being on a team attempting to make history this weekend in the Final Four. Would the spotlight shine brighter on the star of any other team than it does on the sixth man on perhaps the greatest college team ever? With nine McDonald's All-Americans on the roster and nearly that many players who will likely be picked in this summer's draft, the Wildcats somehow managed to share both minutes and the spotlight without any apparent bickering.Įveryone knows Booker would be the best player on nearly any other college team in the country. He's the symbol of what makes this Kentucky team, which stands two games away from a perfect 40-0 record, so unique.
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