On the Eve of Greatness? Sports Prodigies

Confidence is one of the "big three" characteristics, along with composure and concentration, that young athletes need when competing at sports' highest levels. But there are "no perfect predictors" for what makes a phenom. Dakota Simms seems on track for greatness and is hoping the NBA changes its age requirement so he can go directly to the NBA from high school. His jump shot is masterful; a basketball fan might consider it art. He elevates through his legs, toes pointed downward and back straight, and strokes the ball toward the hoop, following through as if he were painting a wall with his fingertips.

Dakota practices the jumper and other elements of his game every day, staying at the gym until he makes at least 200 three-point shots with an NBA regulation ball. And Dakota is only 9. Some guys in the NBA who don't have form like that, "If he stays focused like he is right now, he'll write his own ticket," said ex-Atlanta Hawk and NBA Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins after he and the youngster met at Philips Arena's practice court for a friendly three-point shooting contest from the NBA arc.

Darryl Dawkins, like many teen sports prodigies, wasn't afraid to join the professional ranks as a youngster. He was emboldened by his size and imagination. A big man -- 6-10 in 1975 when the Philadelphia 76ers drafted him out of high school -- Dawkins wasn't in awe of the stars of the era. Dawkins, by all accounts, was expected to write his own ticket as well, but he was sidetracked by the temptations that often accompany fame and fortune. After the 18-year-old signed a seven-year contract for about $1 million -- a sum for which most of today's NBA players wouldn't sweep the gym floor -- he quickly immersed himself in "soft drugs" and women. His backboard-shattering dunks would earn him the moniker "Chocolate Thunder," but he also garnered a reputation for his playful demeanor and trash talking. He spun tales of his fictional "Planet Lovetron" and anointed his dunks with colorful names like "Turbo Sexophonic Delight" and "Spine Chiller Supreme."

Darryl Dawkins was a hit with fans, but dogged by injuries, he never statistically lived up to their towering expectations during his 14 seasons. He has no regrets, he said, because he entered the NBA to lift his family out of poverty. Now as head basketball coach at Lehigh Carbon Community College in Allentown, Pennsylvania, he tells his hoopsters to do as he says, not as he did. "You can be whatever you want to be. Nurse, doctor, lawyer, teacher -- we need all those, and those are going pro, too. You can be a doctor a lot longer than you can play ball," he tells his charges today.

The fate of a teen pro athlete hinges on a host of variables, and only one is sheer skill. Also important are breathing, coordination, communication, openness to feedback, built-in motivation, an understanding of hydration and nutrition, musculoskeletal development and the ability to recover from the rigors of exercise. Work ethic is important, too. While there are hundreds of examples of teens having average or workmanlike careers, there are also monumental busts and booms. At one end of the gamut, you have football's Todd Marinovich and tennis' Anna Kournikova, young athletes whose hype overshadowed their actual accomplishments. On the other end, you have Sydney Crosby and Lebron James, guys whose ages were never evident when they took the ice and court as teens.

Hoping to follow the leads of ballers like Leron James, Dakota Simms practices up to 14 hours a week, but outside his Herculean work ethic, Dakota is a typical kid. Terence Simms, his coach/father, and Kobe Bryant are his favorite basketball players. Cheeseburgers and hamburgers are his two favorite foods, in that order, and he enjoys writing stories and playing video games when he's not on the court. But talk to him about basketball and you'll hear some things atypical of 9-year-olds. "If you miss some shots, you've got to get your head right," said Dakota. "You've got to fix it. Nobody else is going to do it for you."

It's imperative that young athletes have focus, drive and the ability to reset their minds when they're off the playing field, but often overlooked is something that should be at the root of all sports. If fun isn't the key element at this point, that's what typically leads to burnout or change of sport. Having fun certainly helped Jonathan Spector. A member of the U.S. national soccer team who plays for England's Premiership squad West Ham United, Spector said it was hard to be homesick when he was doing something he loved. He moved to England in 2003 after Manchester United offered him a contract at age 17. "It's one of the best clubs in the world, and I was pursuing things I wanted to do so it was kind of hard to feel sorry for yourself," he said.

Spector had to acclimate quickly. Without his friends and family nearby, he faced new competition, different styles of play, constant travel and, of course, the pressure of 40,000 spectators watching. He said he thrives on pressure. Rachele Fico is not easily rattled, either. A softball pitcher with a rise ball her father described as "murder," Fico began receiving letters of interest as soon as she took the mound in high school. Pitches clocked at 64 mph catch recruiters' attention, and Fico was throwing curveballs at 68 her junior year. Louisiana State University signed Fico last year, before she even tossed a pitch her senior season (she later shattered the national high school record for career perfect games).
Ralph Fico said his daughter owes her success to her unflappable bearing and to her diligence -- she has thrown about 30,000 pitches a year since she was 9.

Athletes who hone these coping attributes at an early age are better able to deal with fear and pressure at higher levels as adults. Making great athletes is good, but making great people is much better. A pro sports career is only going to be so long. You are going to be around for a much longer time as people. Ultimately, teams want the best person out of the deal.