When Jadeveon Clowney arrived in the
South Pointe (Rock Hill, S.C.) basketball program as a freshman, coach Dwayne Hartsoe knew he had an unusual talent.
While the team was stretching before its first practice Clowney, a ninth-grader, looked around and told the other post players that he was going to be taking someone's spot in the lineup.
"It did not take long for that to happen," Hartsoe said.
At the time, Clowney was 6-foot-3 and weighed 180 pounds and was fresh off a football season that saw him dominate ninth-grade football at the running back position.
Clowney's freshman season was his most productive on the hardwood. His sophomore and junior seasons were compromised due to injury; his senior season was shortened due to football commitments like the Shrine Bowl and Under Armor All-American Game.
Hartsoe said that Clowney played forward/center for South Pointe. Unsurprisingly, he was able to dunk as a ninth-grader.
In an alternate universe where Clowney did not pursue a career in football, he could've been more than adequate in hoops, according to Hartsoe.
"He could have been a great basketball player, but we knew where he was going to excel and it has worked out well for him," Hartsoe said.
Check out Clowney's highlights in the video above.
