Sports Illustrated Kids - November 2018

NOVEMBER 2018 | SIKIDS.com

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(c) 2018 Time Inc. Sports Illustrated is a trademark of Time Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.

NOVEMBER

2018

VOLUME 30
NUMBER 10

Photograph by
ROBERT BECK

20 PRIME TIME 40 NCAA BASKETBALL FROM THE PAGES OF FAVORITES
California native PREVIEW SPORTS ILLUSTRATED
JT Daniels was so dominant 2 Freeze Frame
in high school he skipped Nevada twins Caleb and 48 IT HAD TO BE 7 Sports Cards
his senior year and became Cody Martin have the Wolf What do Memphians 12 November
the starting quarterback Pack on the hunt for love even more than Elvis?
for the USC Trojans. an NCAA men’s title, A winning basketball team. Birthdays
alongside the teams who The city’s other favorite
24 ROOKIE MISTAKE made our preseason top son, Penny Hardaway, is 16 Future Stars
Just how bad 10. And Arike Ogunbowale putting his legacy on the 18 LOL
was first-year running back of Notre Dame is ready line to restore the Tigers 26 Posters
Sony Michel’s Turkey Day for an encore after hitting to glory. 52 What’s the Call?
mix-up? Find out in our two game-winners in the 53 Games
Patriots Thanksgiving story. women’s Final Four for the COVER 54 Art Gallery
champion Irish. 55 Comic Cards
John W. McDonough 56 Buzz Beamer

TAYLOR BALLANTYNE (BACKGROUND)

31 We’ve gathered action-packed, cool,
and iconic pictures and talked with
some of the best shutterbugs in the
business about the styles and techniques
that help them capture unforgettable photos.

MOON SHOT

At the 2016 Masters,
photographer Robert
Beck used an infrared

camera to snap a
lunar-looking picture

of Jordan Spieth.

SIKIDS.COM / 1



Head Over heels

September 9, 2018 • Denver, Colorado

After a long offseason, Emmanuel Sanders was happy to be back on the field.
How happy? The Broncos wide receiver celebrated his first touchdown of 2018
by doing a front flip on his way into the end zone. Sanders had 10 catches in
Denver’s season-opening 27–24 win over the Seattle Seahawks.

Photograph by
JAMIE SCHWABEROW

long way down

September 8, 2018 • Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina

It’s safe to say that Catalin Preda isn’t afraid of heights. The native of Romania
competed in the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, which meant he had to
leap off a platform on the Stari Most bridge 90 feet above the Neretva River.
The 27-year-old did pretty well; he finished third in his first career event.

Photograph by
PREDRAG VUCKOVIC/RED BULL/GETTY IMAGES



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’90S KIDS REMEMBER

McGwire (left) and
Sosa combined for
163 home runs in
1998, but their legacy
is still debated.

BURNING QUESTION YOU DON’T REMEMBER it, but 1998
was a historic year in sports. Mark
WHAT WILL SPORTS BE McGwire and Sammy Sosa raced to set
LIKE IN 20 YEARS? the new single-season home run
record. Michael Jordan won his sixth
BY SAM PAGE and final NBA championship with the
Bulls after hitting a dramatic title-
Photograph by winning shot against the Utah Jazz.
JOHN BIEVER And John Elway’s Broncos edged Brett
Favre’s Packers in a close Super Bowl.

What happened in the ensuing
years, however, did more to define the
landscape of American athletics than
in any other time in history.

Revelations about doping in baseball

SIKIDS.COM / 9

tainted the achievements of McGwire, disinterested in slow games.
Sosa, and others, and led to a gradual
decline in MLB’s offense—and fan Football, meanwhile, faces a
interest. Jordan retired (for a second
time). Seventy-two million people had crisis even bigger than steroids
tuned in for his heroics in Utah. The
Spurs’ clinching win the following in baseball, as medical research
summer would draw less than half as
many average viewers. Soon, Jordan’s increasingly suggests a link
analogue in hockey, Wayne Gretzky,
would also call it quits. between the game and serious

Football emerged as the most brain damage. Players are
popular American sport as the other
Big Four leagues struggled to keep starting to retire earlier and
up. And following the U.S. women’s
national team’s victory at the earlier. Legendary running back
1999 World Cup, there was a
renewed excitement for soccer Bo Jackson recently admitted he
and women’s athletics.
never would have played the
Twenty years from now, will 2018
be remembered as a similar turning game in the first place had he
point? How will the events of the past
12 months impact the future? known the health risks.

The two leagues that once Immediately, the NBA figures
dominated American sports—MLB and
the NFL—seem the most threatened. to benefit the most. The Warriors
Baseball attendance reached its lowest
average in 15 years this season. Even as offer fans a dynasty on par with LAND OF THE FREE KICKS a historic year in
offense rebounds from the depths of the Bulls’, while LeBron James is sports. LeBron
four years ago, young fans seem a star at Jordan’s level. The Major League Soccer is James Jr. broke many
fastest-growing sport in the U.S. positioned to capitalize of his dad’s Cavaliers
on the increasing
popularity of the

in terms of popularity, however, sport in the U.S. franchise records.

is soccer. Seven percent of Americans Connor McDavid won his fifth

now list it as their favorite to watch, up championship with the Oilers after

from 4% in 2013. (Baseball has fallen scoring a dramatic goal in Game 7 of the

from 14 to 9% in the same span.) The NHL finals. And the U.S. men’s national

domestic game will try to capitalize on team’s surprise win at the World Cup in

that popularity: MLS plans to expand West Australia announced the country’s

to five more cities by 2022. emergence as a major soccer power.

Imagine an SI KIDS editorial in 2058 It’ll be up to you to explain to

that starts like this: your kids that there used to be just

You don’t remember it, but 2038 was one Australia.

UNBOXED upper and a cushioned got a pair of especially put the bag in the PETER LOUS/SOCCRATES IMAGES/GETTY IMAGES (MLS FANS); COURTESY OF ADIDAS (SHOE)
midsole that make them foul sneakers, put freezer overnight. Just
PRESENTED BY incredibly comfortable on a them in a plastic bag, remember to thaw your
long run. (And bonus points zip it closed (make kicks out before you
Taking the lid off the for the stretch-lacing sure it’s tight!), and put them on your feet.
coolest sports gear. system that makes them
easy to slide on and off.)
With colorways including
pink and white, grey and KICKS TRICKS Shoes
pink, and—the most stylish smell. It happens. You’re
of all—pink on pink, the not going to get your
girls’ line of the Adidas feet to stop sweating,
Originals X_PLR might not so the best way to
look especially rugged. But combat those funky
this isn’t a case of form odors is to go after the
over function. The shoes bacteria that cause them.
have a breathable mesh One way to do that is to
freeze the shoes. If you’ve

10 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS



WATCH NOVEMBER
BIRTHDAYS
B-BALL Maui Invitational RICK BOWMER/AP/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK (MAUI INVITATIONAL); ELSA /GETTY IMAGES (WINSTON); ELSA /GETTY IMAGES (HOWARD); PETER G. AIKEN/GETTY
BONANZA 3 ▶ Nashville Predators IMAGES (SMART); ISTOCKPHOTO/GETTY IMAGES (TURKEY); DANNY MURPHY/ICON SPORTSWIRE/GETTY IMAGES (RINNE); ADAM GLANZMAN/GETTY IMAGES
(November 19–21; ESPN, ESNP2, and ESPNU) goalie Pekka Rinne
These high-profile tournaments celebrates his 36th birthday. (LINDOR); AP/SHUTTERSTOCK (GOODWIN); RICHARD HEATHCOTE/GETTY IMAGES (JUTANUGARN); RICK KERN/WIREIMAGE/GETTY IMAGES (HUSTON)
are the perfect warmup for the This venerable tournament exists because of
2018–19 NCAA season. Honolulu’s Division II Chaminade, which has 6 Seattle Mariners pitcher
upset two D-I schools over the last six years. James Paxton is 30.
But for the first time since the event began in
1984, the Silverswords won’t play in the Hawaii 10 Tight end Zach Ertz
portion of the bracket. Luckily for viewers, of the Philadelphia
teams such as Duke, Arizona, Auburn, and Eagles turns 28.
Gonzaga will provide star power, if not theatrics.
12 PGA Tour golfer Jason
State Farm NIT Season Las Vegas Day of Australia is 31.
Champions Tip-Off Invitational
Classic 14 ▶ Cleveland Indians
(November 21 and 23, ESPN2) (November 22, FS1; shortstop Francisco
(November 6, ESPN) November 23, FOX) Lindor celebrates his
The Barclays Center in 25th birthday.
Four top teams descend Brooklyn, New York, hosts If you’re
on Indianapolis for these games. Louisville looking for 17 Atlanta Braves
this early-season and new coach Chris Mack nonfootball rightfielder Nick
gem. There’s face fourth-year entertainment Markakis turns 35.
built-in drama: Tennessee coach Rick on Turkey Day,
Kansas takes on Barnes, who has the Vols search no 19 ▶ San Francisco
Cassius Winston winning again. Kansas further than 49ers wide receiver
(left) and is Kansas—and KU this four-team Marquise Goodwin is 28.
Michigan State, does hold a 6–1 tournament.
whom KU beat in series lead over Coach Shaka 22 Pittsburgh Steelers
the second round Marquette–but Smart (Barnes’s wide receiver
of the 2017 NCAA Markus Howard successor, JuJu Smith-Schuster
tournament. (right) and the above) and celebrates his
Plus, any time the Golden Eagles Texas should 22nd birthday.
could shake run with mighty North
Blue Devils play Big Blue things up. The Carolina, and Michigan 23 ▶ LPGA Tour golfer
(Duke and Kentucky winners and State and UCLA are two Ariya Jutanugarn
have split their last two losers square of the game’s most of Thailand turns 23.
matchups, both at this off on the 23rd. storied programs.
event), you gotta watch. 25 Dallas Mavericks
point guard
Dennis Smith Jr. is 21.

29 New Orleans
Pelicans forward
Julius Randle turns 24.

30 ▶ Nine-time X Games
gold medalist
skateboarder Nyjah Huston
of the United States
celebrates his 24th birthday.

12 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS



DARING DUDS CAMMING IT UP Definitely the NFL’s ANDREW D. BERNSTEIN/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (WESTBROOK); ROB KIM/WIREIMAGE/GETTY IMAGES (WESTBROOK HEADSHOT); YOUTUBE.COM (NEWTON, MCGREGOR); CHARLES KRUPA /AP/SHUTTERSTOCK (BELICHICK);
COURTESY OF SEAHAWKS.COM (SHERMAN); TWITTER (FITZPATRICK); WARNER BROS/EVERETT COLLECTION (HARRY POTTER)
LOCKER boldest dresser, Panthers quarterback
ROOM Cam Newton has a penchant for hats and
LOOKS ties. This boater-and-bowtie combo led
to plenty of barbershop quartet jokes.
Postgame press conference
attire just keeps getting GUN SHOW Bill Belichick is famous
bolder and bolder. So in
honor of the NBA’s fashion king, for sartorial choices as strange as his
we’ve ranked some of the most teams are good. After last season’s AFC
eye-catching outfits on a scale championship game, the man known as
of 1 to 5 Westbrooks. the Hoodie wore a shirt with the fit of
an old trash bag.
A-LURE-ING

This Russell Westbrook outfit, from 2012, proved ahead of
its time. The glasses-without-lenses look would often be
imitated by those outside Oklahoma City but never topped.

DRESS LIKE A PIRATE DAY Buccaneers LOOK OF THE IRISH TEN POINTS TO GRYFFINDOR

QB Ryan Fitzpatrick’s look from Week 2 Long before Fitzpatrick adopted the Cornerback Richard Sherman
led many to call him a Conor McGregor aviators-and-blond-beard look, UFC celebrated Halloween 2016 by
twin (right). But the chains, jacket, fighter Conor McGregor put it on the explaining the subtle differences
and sunglasses were borrowed from map with an assist from a floral-print between football and Quidditch to
teammate DeSean Jackson’s locker. silk Versace shirt.
some muggle reporters.

14 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS

It’s time to take a stand for homeless pets. It’s time
to adopt change. Every day, more than 4,100 dogs
and cats are killed in shelters across the country —
but with Best Friends Animal Society leading the
way, and your support, we can help our nation’s
shelters and Save Them All.

save-them-all.org

ON OUR RADAR

AKSHAY BHATIA SPORTSKIDS
OF THE MONTH
HEIGHT: 5'11" BIRTH DATE: JANUARY 31, 2002
HOMETOWN: WAKE FOREST, NC SPORT: GOLF MAGGIE
HEAPHY, 12
■ Down one stroke on the final hole of the
2018 Boys’ Junior PGA Championship in August, Charlottesville, VA
Akshay chipped in from 40 feet for eagle to BASEBALL
become the first ever two-time winner of the Maggie hit .850 with
event. He also came in first last year, when he three home runs, including
shot the lowest round (61) and finished with two grand slams, for the all-girls
the lowest 72-hole total score (266, 22 under DC Force at the annual Baseball
par) in tournament history. For All tournament in Rockford,
■ This year’s victory clinched his Illinois. She had 17 RBIs and
spot on the U.S. team that went on 12 runs, plus eight strikeouts in
to win the Junior Ryder Cup. (He four appearances as a pitcher.
helped the U.S. Junior Presidents
Cup team to victory in 2017.) MASON BUMBA, 13
■ In 2018, Akshay also won the
Junior Invitational at Sage Valley and Yorkville, IL
the AJGA Polo Golf Junior Classic. KICKBOXING
He won the latter event, in June, In September at the
by 10 strokes, finishing at 17 under. WAKO Juniors World
■ Akshay was named a Rolex Junior Championships in Italy,
All-America in 2016 and ’17. Mason won two gold medals—in
the 13–15-year-old weapons and
musical forms events—and earned BOB LEVERONE (AKSHAY)
bronze in 42-kg points fighting.

NEIL HOWARD III, 12

Hudson, NY
TRACK AND FIELD
At the USATF Youth
Outdoor Track & Field
Championships this
summer, Neil swept the events in

the 11–12 boys’ pentathlon (2,364
points) and won the high jump
(4' 11"). The next month, he won
the 11–12 pentathlon at the
USATF National Junior Olympics.

ARE YOU A SPORTSKID?

If you think you have what
it takes to be a SportsKid
of the Month, submit
your nomination at:
SIKIDS.com/SportsKid

16 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS

SPARE TIME

TAYLOR BALLANT YNE (DIXON STANDING); ROBERT LABERGE/GETT Y IMAGES (DIXON IN CAR); JEFF FITLOW/NBAE/GETT Y IMAGES (PAUL); ISTOCKPHOTO/GETT Y IMAGES (FRIES); VICTORIA PEARSON/GETT Y IMAGES (ICE CREAM); A CHAMPION’S DRIVE Houston Rockets Point Guard
ANDY HAY T (JORDAN); FRAZER HARRISON/GETT Y IMAGES (WASHINGTON); MIKE MARSLAND/WIREIMAGE/GETT Y IMAGES (BERRY); KEVIN MAZUR/GETT Y IMAGES FOR PARKWOOD ENTERTAINMENT (JAY-Z)
IndyCar’s SCOTT DIXON has traveled a long way to become one CHRIS PAUL’S
of the sport’s most accomplished athletes. By Jeremy Fuchs FAVORITE

A FEW MINUTES after Scott Dixon “Just wouldn’t let up for two weeks THINGS
clinched the 2018 IndyCar Series title straight,” he says with a laugh.
in September, he placed his hands on FOOD
his head and blurted out, “I can’t When he was 15, his dad gathered a French fries
believe this actually happened.” group of New Zealand businessmen to
invest in young Scott’s career and help ICE CREAM FLAVOR
The title was his fifth, which means pay for training and equipment. “It was Pecan and praline
Dixon is now second only to a lot of pressure,” Dixon says. “It
A.J. Foyt in championships. started to make it feel really CARTOON
(Foyt has seven.) And while real. . . . There was a financial risk, GROWING UP
the victory was sweet, Dixon,
who was born in Australia but it was my passion.” Tom and
and grew up in That early passion took him Jerry
New Zealand, was also
focused on the road he back to Australia when he was 16 BOOK SERIES
took to becoming one of and then, two years later, to the AS A KID
the all-time greats. U.S., where he got his start in the
Indy Lights series. At 23, in his first Goosebumps
His mother and father, IndyCar season, he won three races
Glenys and Ron, were and the championship. SPORTS TO WATCH
dirt-track racers and owned a OTHER THAN
track in Australia. Dixon Since then, Dixon, now 38, has BASKETBALL
remembers watching his older won 40 more races, including the
cousins drive go-karts in 2008 Indianapolis 500. “When I Football and golf
New Zealand when he was
seven. Given a chance to strap sat in that car at age seven, I start ATHLETE
in when the races were over, he going around this track—that’s GROWING UP
immediately fell in love. what hooked me,” he says. “The Michael Jordan
sense of adrenaline. Your senses
SUBJECT IN SCHOOL
going crazy. This is amazing. I Math
really want to keep doing this.”
ACTORS
Denzel Washington

and Halle Berry

EMOJI

MUSICIAN
Jay-Z

Interview by Kid Reporter Carlo Vellandi

SIKIDS.COM / 17

FUNNY PHOTO The winning caption “WHEN YOUR BROTHER
from SIKIDS.com: KEEPS TALKING WHILE
YOU’RE DOING HOMEWORK.”
ABBIE PARR/GETTY IMAGES (FUNNY PHOTO); ALEXANDER HASSENSTEIN/GETTY IMAGES FOR BMW (ZVEREV); SEAN M. HAFFEY/GETTY IMAGES (KELCE); JANE GERSHOVICH/ISI/SHUTTERSTOCK (RAPINOE)
— Saleem, 12, Florida

“Whoever wants a cookie, please
raise your hand!”

— Audrey, 8, Arizona

“Bro, that was my football you
just threw!”

— Sky, 12, New Mexico

“Where is the comet you told
me about?”
“Right there!”

— Owen, 10, California

“Man, I love these new
Fortnite dances.”

— Ariyeh, 13, Massachusetts

“You stole third. Do not cross the
plate. Go directly to the dugout.”

— Noah, 9, Oregon

SOUND OFF I wasn’t much of
a blanket kind of kid. I
What was your always lost them, to be honest.
security item when I should have named my blanket,
you were little? Where Are You?? I didn’t take it
many places because, well, I couldn’t
A white teddy find it! I was always a little jealous of
bear I got for my my twin sister, Rachael, because she
second birthday. I think had a blankie named Bo for years,
I still have it! It traveled but I could never seem to hold on to
with me everywhere anything—or find it, for that matter!
when I was a kid.
MEGAN RAPINOE
ALEXANDER ZVEREV Seattle Reign FC
ATP Tour player* and USWNT forward

*Interview by I had a Cleveland
Kid Reporter Browns jersey.

Aidan I got it for a birthday or
Kohn-Murphy Christmas—I can’t remember,
but I had it for years. I never put it
down. I wore it constantly. I mean,
for years. I stretched that thing
out just to keep wearing it. I don’t
have it anymore, but I took it

everywhere.

TRAVIS KELCE
Kansas City Chiefs

tight end**

**Interview by Kid Reporter Carlo Vellandi

Tweet

Streaming

Selfie

Search Results

Connected

Find a park or forest near you at

TEEN SPIRIT

After he earned the
starting gig, Daniels
shone in his debut
against UNLV. He threw
for 282 yards and a
touchdown.

Photographs by
John W. McDonough

JT DANIELS

team

USC

position

Quarterback

spotlight

This California native was so
dominant in high school, he
skipped his senior year and
became the starting QB for
one of college football’s most
storied programs.

T he thing about being the best
high school quarterback in
the country is—if you’re JT
Daniels—you don’t want to
stay the best high school
quarterback in the country for
long. On the eve of his junior season at prep
football powerhouse Mater Dei, Daniels was
asked by a reporter if the rumors that he
would reclassify and enter college a year
early were true.

Daniels laughed it off. He’d never
considered the idea. But over the next few
weeks he turned it over in his mind and its
appeal grew. He had already spent two years
excelling in Southern California’s vaunted
Trinity League; how much better would he
get by staying for two more? So Daniels
consulted his mentors, asking them a simple
question: Was he ready to play college
football? “If I was ready,” he says, “then
I was gonna do it.”

Which is why, at 18, just a few months
after he became the first male to be named
the Gatorade National Athlete of the Year as

SIKIDS.COM / 21

a junior, JT Daniels is now role seriously. According to Daniels READY, AIM
the starting quarterback at family lore, after JT heard a TV
USC—while most kids his analyst explain that a quarterback Daniels boasts a
age are just starting their can detect man or zone coverage by rocket arm that he
senior year of high school. sending a receiver in motion, he used to tear through
And although USC has began doing that before every snap one of the toughest
gotten off to a rocky start, while playing Madden. He was in high school leagues
Daniels has shown first grade. in the country.
precocious talent. In his
debut, a 43–21 win over At 15, Daniels started working former Bengals and
UNLV, Daniels threw for with passing guru Adam Dedeaux, Titans quarterback
282 yards and a whose clients have included Jordan Palmer.
touchdown. “He was Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and
efficient, he was accurate, Carson Wentz. He also trained with “Kids his age, they all
and, for the most part, work really hard,” Palmer
made the right decisions,” says. “He has been
Trojans coach Clay Helton obsessed. He’s more of a
said after the game. “He sponge than anyone I’ve
looked extremely ever seen.” Palmer once
comfortable.” feared that Daniels’
intensity might cause him
Coaches have been to burn out. Palmer doesn’t
more willing in recent worry anymore.
years to turn to young
play-callers because “It’s genuinely a passion
they’re better prepared of mine,” Daniels says. “It’s
than ever. There’s a not just that I want to be
growing overlap between great, or that I’m just
high school and college working so I can dominate.
offenses, with a trend I genuinely want to learn
toward simpler schemes. about it. There’s nothing
I’d rather be doing.”
The result is another
way that college ball can By the time he entered
thrill in unexpected Mater Dei, Daniels was
moments, with talented 6' 1" and 195 pounds. He
teenagers taking center took over as the starting
stage in some of the most QB in the first month of his
raucous venues in all of freshman season, and he
sports. Look no further threw for 33 touchdowns
than last January’s national and only four interceptions
championship game, in which true in 12 games. A year later,
freshmen Jake Fromm (Georgia) and he threw a whopping 67
Tua Tagovailoa (Alabama) traded touchdowns, and just six picks.
electrifying plays down the stretch. He also impressed coaches with
Now Daniels is the latest freshman to his exhaustive note-taking in
lead a major college football program. meetings and film sessions. “You
could go to his locker and find six full
NATURAL TALENT notebooks,” says Mater Dei coach
Bruce Rollinson. “You’ve got study-
When Daniels first tried football at smart kids who’ve got great GPAs.
age five, he was hooked. Early forays Then you’ve got football-smart kids.
at running back gave way to time at He was both.” (Daniels graduated
quarterback, and he took the new with a 4.18 GPA.)
So, with Daniels now 6' 3" and 210
pounds, it’s little surprise that those

22 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS

DANIEL DUNN/ICON SPORTSWIRE/GETTY IMAGES (BOWMAN); JONATHAN BACHMAN/GETTY IMAGES (HARTMAN); HANNAH FOSLIEN/GETTY IMAGES (ANNEXSTAD) who know him best agreed there was FROSH FACES
little development left to do at the
high school level. Five games into last Along with Daniels, seven true freshmen have started at quarterback
season, Daniels—who had committed this season. Experience is great, but these newbies are showing
to USC during the summer of that they have what it takes to compete in the NCAA without it.
2017—and his parents sat down with
Rollinson to explain that it would be ALAN BOWMAN
Daniels’ last fall on the team, as he Texas Tech
would be reclassifying to the class of
’18 and graduating in May. (While Only three Power Five programs
reclassifying happens often in offered Bowman a scholarship
basketball, it is rarer in football.) out of Grapevine (Texas) High.
It’s beginning to look like a lot of
Daniels lit up the Trinity League schools made a mistake. In his
again, breaking Matt Barkley’s school third start, he threw for 605 yards
and Orange County record for career and five touchdowns in a 63–49
passing yards (12,014) and leading
the Monarchs to their first CIF state win over Houston. He missed the
title in 18 years. Shortly after, Daniels NCAA freshman single-game
released a slick video on Twitter passing record by six yards.
announcing that he would head to
USC a year early. Then the real work SAM HARTMAN
began: a 10-class spring semester at Wake Forest
Mater Dei, with seven courses taken
at school and three at home, Hartman has been steady
including three religion courses and productive for an upstart
and two in English. Demon Deacons team. He helped
lead a game-winning drive in
The QB who easily dominated one overtime against Tulane and kept
of the country’s toughest leagues says Wake Forest close in a loss to
the ramped-up course load proved Boston College. Through three
“not difficult at all.” Teachers were games, the Charlotte native was
accommodating, as he emphasized 35th in the country in passing
exams and papers over homework. yards, and third among freshmen.
He even found time to tack on more
studies, learning the base ZACK ANNEXSTAD
installations for USC’s offensive Minnesota
playbook in February in just a few
days. His father, Steve, would quiz Annexstad is only the second
him, and JT would dutifully draw up walk-on true freshmen quarterback
the answers on the whiteboard he to start a season opener in NCAA
often keeps handy. “That’s what he history. (The other was Heisman-
does,” Steve says. “He wants to know winner Baker Mayfield, who called
everything about everything as Annexstad before his debut.)
quickly as he can, so he can own it.” The Gophers’ QB responded by
becoming the first Minnesota
Through the early part of the freshman to start and win his first
season, Daniels has shown the poise three games, including a comeback
of a senior. And for Pac–12 teams, victory over Fresno State.
the scary part is that he’s just
getting started. SIKIDS.COM / 23

“Watch out,” Rollinson says. “I’m
telling you, this kid’s going places.”

—Ross Dellenger and Dan Greene

24 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS

SIKIDS.COM / 25

In schools ODELL ARIKE
to encourage BECKHAM JR. vs. OGUNBOWALE
healing. New York Giants, wide receiver Notre Dame, guard

As if dealing with his mom’s 25 AGE 21
death wasn’t hard enough,
Sean had to adjust to a new 5'11", 198 pounds HEIGHT, WEIGHT 5'8", 178 pounds
home and new school. It
was a lot to handle, so he Baton Rouge, Louisiana HOMETOWN Milwaukee, Wisconsin
struggled emotionally and
academically. Lee from Has gone by both OBJ and ODB, NICKNAME Doesn’t have one—but her
Communities In Schools which come from his given names. given name is revealing.
helped Sean develop coping Which does Beckham prefer? Well, Arike means “something that
skills by nding positive you see and cherish” in her
outlets for his feelings. As his his Instagram handle is @OBJ. father’s native Nigeria.
attitude improved, his grades
followed—going from D’s to
B’s. Now, he’s focused on
football and a promising future.
There are millions of at-risk
kids like Sean who need a
caring adult to help them stay
in school and succeed in life.

See how we help
all kids succeed.

CommunitiesInSchools.org

Donated $500,000 to rebuild youth POSITIVE PERSON Active in several charities,
football fields that were destroyed by including Special Olympics and
Ronald McDonald House.
flooding in his hometown.

Says he had the opportunity to try SOCCER SKILLS Won four Wisconsin state cup JUSTIN K. ALLER/GET T Y IMAGES (BECKHAM); ANDY LYONS/GET T Y IMAGES (OGUNBOWALE)
out for the U.S. national team championships with her club teams
and was heavily recruited by several
program. Beckham trained with Division I programs.
Bayern Munich in 2016.

Well-known for his end zone Appeared on Dancing with the Stars.

and pregame dance routines. DANCING MACHINE She was eliminated—somewhat

controversially—in Week 2.

Often posts videos of DOG’S LIFE After helping Notre Dame to the
himself dancing with his dogs on 2018 NCAA title, was given two
jerseys by her idol, Kobe Bryant—one
social media. for her and one for her dog, who
is named Kobe.

Parents met at LSU, where both were GOOD GENES Her dad, Gregory, was a soccer
athletes. Heather Van Norman ran player, and her mom, Yolanda,
track, and Odell Sr. played football— was a softball pitcher.
and roomed with Shaquille O’Neal.

26 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS

NOVEMBER 2018
Photograph by

AP/SHUTTERSTOCK

Career

HIGHLIGHTS

2018 After sitting out most of

the 2017 season with an ankle injury,
Beckham quickly reminded Giants
fans what they had been missing.
He caught 11 passes for 111 yards in
New York’s season opener. That was one
reception short of Beckham’s single-game
career high.

2016 Beckham made his third straight

Pro Bowl and eclipsed 100 receptions for
the first time in his career. His 101 catches
were the second-highest single-season
total in Giants history. (Beckham is also
third and fourth on that list.)

2013 As a junior at LSU, Beckham

snagged 59 catches for 1,152 yards.
He was also a skilled return man; against
UAB he took a missed field goal back 109
yards for a touchdown. He received the
Paul Hornung Award as the most versatile
player in college football. Following the
season the Giants took him with the 12th
pick of the 2014 draft.

BECKHOADEMLLJR.NWEWIDYEORREKCEGIIVAENRTS

NOVEMBER 2018
Photograph by
DAVID E. KLUTHO

Career

HIGHLIGHTS

2017–18 Two days after

making a last-second jumper to
beat undefeated UConn in the
national semifinals, Ogunbowale
drained a buzzer-beating three-
pointer to give Notre Dame a 61–58
win over Mississippi State in the
NCAA championship game. The title
was the second in school history
for the Irish. Ogunbowale was
named the Most Outstanding
Player of the Final Four.

2016–17 As a sophomore,

Ogunbowale moved into
Notre Dame’s starting lineup.
She averaged a team-high 15.9
points per game as the Irish
finished 33–4 and made it to
the Elite Eight.

2014–15 Ogunbowale finished

her career at Milwaukee’s Divine
Savior Holy Angels High by leading
her team to a 25–2 record and the
state championship. She graduated
with 2,240 career points, the
sixth-highest total in
Wisconsin history.

OGUNBOWALEARIKE NOTREGDUAAMRED

Photograph by JOHN W. MCDONOUGH (VIEWFINDER); BACKGROUND PHOTO GRAPHS LEF T TO RIGHT, FROM TOP LEF T: BOB MARTIN; THOMA S LOVELOCK;
JOHN W. AL TIELEMANS; GREG NELSON; JEFF HAYNES; GREG NELSON; PETER READ MILLER; DAVID E. KLUTHO; THOMAS LOVELOCK; ROBERT BECK
MCDONOUGH

Larry Fitzgerald is an avid photographer—the Arizona
Cardinals’ receiver has taken pictures on his travels all over
the world. He’s not the only athlete who’s a shutterbug.
Kevin Durant worked the sidelines at Super Bowl 50.
Ken Griffey Jr. has shot the Daytona 500, and fellow
baseball Hall of Famer Randy Johnson has photographed
everything from sur ng competitions to rock concerts.
If they keep it up—and follow the advice in these
pages—they might see their work in SI KIDS one day!

SIKIDS.COM / 31

Photogs need quick trigger fingers—and
knowledge of what they’re watching—to
catch stars doing what they do best.

32 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS

1. Kentucky Derby, 2017 LAURA HEALD (1); WINSLOW TOWNSON (2); DAVID E. KLUTHO (3, 6); AL TIELEMANS (4); GREG NELSON (5)

With photography
in general, the most
important things are
atmospheres, shapes,
and colors. And with sports
photography, it’s about anticipating
the action. So for this picture, the
key is finding atmosphere—the
famous Churchill Downs spires in the
background—and knowing that the
horses are going to pass by twice, once
as the race begins and once as the race
finishes. It’s about getting the remote-
controlled camera in the right spot,
pointed in the right direction with the
correct settings, and firing at the right
time. I can have anywhere from 10 to 50
remotes set up around the track. Like
I said, sports photography is all about
anticipating the action, and that’s true
whether it’s a predictable sport like
horse racing or a more random sport
like basketball or football. You
have to understand the game,
understand who the players
are, and try to anticipate
where they’re going to go.”

—LAURA HEALD

2. Astros vs. Red Sox, 2017

In baseball, much of the action
takes place at home. Winslow
Townson stayed focused on
the plate and got this shot of
an airborne George Springer.

3. Notre Dame vs. Wake Forest, 2017

At football games, photographers
like David Klutho carry two or three
cameras and a handful of lenses,
allowing them to get tight photos
no matter how far away the action is.

4. World Series, 2016 Sometimes the

best action is actually a reaction,
as Al Tielemans discovered when he
captured the Cubs celebrating their
first championship in 108 years.

5. Trae Young, 2017 To get this

low-angle shot of the former
Oklahoma star, Greg Nelson put
a camera on the floor and used a
right-angle viewfinder to look into
it. He can’t do that at big events like
the Final Four, though, because there
are too many photographers around
and to use his right-angle viewfinder,
he needs to lie down on his side.

6. Capitals vs. Red Wings, 2017

An unexpected perspective can
provide a really cool shot. Klutho
drilled a small hole in the boards in
Detroit and put a remote-controlled
camera in it. He then covered the
hole with plexiglass, giving him an
ice-level look at the game.

A lot happens
behind the scenes to
keep subjects loose,
focused, and looking
and feeling their best.

1. Odell Beckham Jr., 2018 The New York LEBRECHTMEDIA (1); JEFFERY A. SALTER (JONES, BADGERS O-LINE, LAWRENCE); JOHN G. ZIMMERMAN (GIFFORD); BRETT STEPANIK (SALTER
PHOTOGRAPHING BADGERS); YU TSAI (4); TYLER SMITH/GETTY IMAGES (BACKGROUND OF LAWRENCE COVER); CHRISTOPHER WHITTEN (SALTER)
Giant brings electricity to everything he
does, as Michael Le Brecht found out when
he photographed the wide receiver. But no
matter how much fun subjects are having,
they’ve got to look good. So Beckham got
a little beard trim during the shoot.

2. Julio Jones, 2017

What makes a great portrait is
the interaction with the subject.
I like to play music on my sets
to relax people. I always ask, ‘Do
you want to use your iPhone or my iPhone? If
you listen to my iPhone, you’re gonna just get
reggae, so maybe you might like something
else.’ That always breaks the ice. Look them
in the eyes, and it builds trust. Once you make
that initial connection, you use certain words,
like a sense of power, a sense of destiny.
The player gets into it, and he realizes the
importance of the shoot. On the technical
side, you have to be flexible. For instance, I
thought we were going to be shooting Jones
[in the same pose as Hall of Famer Frank
Gifford] in a humongous stadium. When I
arrived, they put us in a 12-foot by 12-foot
room with white walls. The first thing you have
to do is cover those white walls with black
fabric. What makes a portrait strong besides
the connection you have with the subject is
the lighting. And for the lighting to be seen,
you need shadows. Shadows in a photograph
create depth. It’s the job of professional
photographers to always
have the tools they need
to do the job.”

— JEFFERY SALTER

3. Wisconsin o ensive line, 2018

Sometimes the subject does all the hard
work (see Williams, below), and sometimes
it’s the photographer who gets down
and dirty. To capture the Badgers’ O-line,
Salter had to lie flat on his back.

4. Serena Williams, 2015 The tennis

star was named SPORTS ILLUSTRATED’s
Sportsperson of the Year for her physical
dominance of her sport and her grace.
Photographer Yu Tsai captured both of
those qualities when he photographed
Williams for the Sportsperson issue.

5. Anatomy of a Cover The SI KIDS August

2018 cover featured Clemson lineman
Dexter Lawrence as a superhero. The
first step in creating the cover was to
send the photographer, Salter, an idea
of how we wanted Lawrence to pose. So
we had Art Director Drew Dzwonkowski
demonstrate. Then Salter shot Lawrence in
the same stance, and we placed it onto the
background we wanted. Voilà! Super cover!

SIKIDS.COM / 35

Photographers master a variety
of techniques—including finding
just the right prop—to compose
extra cool pictures.

36 / SPOORRTTSSIILLLLUUSSTTRRAATTEEDDKKIIDDSS

1. Rockets vs. Spurs, 2017 Greg Nelson GREG NELSON (1, 3); FRED VUICH (2); SIMON BRUTY (4); JEFFERY A. SALTER (5, 6)

used a special infrared camera to
photograph Houston’s James Harden
going to the rim. The camera captures
only infrared light, which is not visible to
the naked eye. Light sources produce
different amounts of infrared light, so
Nelson sees some surprising results. For
example, outside, grass and trees look
white, but a blue sky will look black.

2. Geico 400, 2012 Fred Vuich created

a cool effect by following the cars
with his camera as he took this picture.
That kept the cars in focus while
blurring the crowd, making the race
look fast even on paper.

3. LeBron James vs. Serge Ibaka, 2012 NBA Finals

To create that spotlight effect,
I had two strobe lights in the
catwalk of the arena, and
they are funneled to one spot.
Typically, in that kind of arena, if you’re lighting
the whole court you’d use about eight of them.
Using fewer makes the background dark, so
you don’t get the distracting background. And
your light is right on the subject, so they pop
a little more. [Note: James has said that this
is his favorite SI photo of himself, even though
Ibaka blocked the shot.] The strobes are
triggered via a wireless signal. There’s about
a two- or three-second recycle time between
shots; that’s the difference
between strobes and just
using available light, where
you can just blast away at
10 frames per second.”

— GREG NELSON

4. Olympic heroes, 2016 Sometimes the

tricks photographers use are hi-tech.
Other times, not so much. To make
gymnast Simone Biles (far right), who is
just 4' 8", appear almost as tall as 6' 0"
Katie Ledecky and 6' 4" Michael Phelps,
photographer Simon Bruty simply had
her stand on a box.

5. Leonard Fournette, 2017 Jeffery Salter

calls this effect “painting with light”
and achieves it by shooting in the dark.
He kept the camera shutter open for
around 10 seconds, and his assistants
manually set off strobe lights. Each
color and shadow you see is the result
of a strobe going off.

6. Michael Thomas, 2016 To create the

illusion that Thomas’s tie was in motion
as he pretended to rip open his shirt,
Salter used plain old fishing line, which
was later removed from the picture
using Photoshop.

HISTORY

Thanks to these
spectacular shots,
some of sports’ most
memorable moments
will live on forever.

1. Miracle on Ice After the U.S. beat HEINZ KLUETMEIER (1, 2); NEIL LEIFER (3); ABBY NICOLAS (LEIFER); WALTER IOOSS JR. (4); ROBERT BECK (5)

the mighty Soviet Union in the 1980
Olympics, Heinz Kluetmeier captured
the celebration. The image was so
powerful that it ran on the cover of
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED without any words.

2. The Touch Michael Phelps was

trying to win eight gold medals at the
2008 Olympics. Kluetmeier knew the
100-meter butterfly would be a tight
race. To guarantee he had his remote
camera in the best position, he placed
it beneath lanes 4 and 5 (where he
guessed Phelps would be swimming)
two days before the final. Phelps
won the race by .01 of a second, and
Kluetmeier took a shot that showed
just how close that margin was.
Phelps went on to get his eight golds—
and Kluetmeier got the most famous
shot in swimming history.

3. The Greatest

Muhammad Ali was the heavyweight champ
of the world. He had beaten Sonny Liston a
year earlier. You can’t have a bigger stature
in boxing than that. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED was
given two ringside seats, right under the ropes, to the
Ali-Liston fight in 1965 in Maine. The one I got was pure
coincidence. It’s one picture. It wasn’t a sequence like
today. It was electronic flash. You get five seconds for the
electrical surge. It’s one shot, and that’s it. We flew back the
next day to New York. When I saw the film in the photo lab, I
thought it was good, but I wasn’t jumping up and down over
it. The magazine ran a cover photograph from the fight, but
they choose one of Ali throwing a punch. My picture ran as
the fourth page in a four-page color spread. Nobody cared
about it. It won no awards. It’s funny, though, because in
1999, SI put it on the cover as the greatest
sports photo of the century. The picture’s
stature grew as Ali’s stature grew. This is
the way people wanted to remember him.”

— NEIL LEIFER

4. His Airness Arrives Michael Jordan

solidified his position as basketball’s
most exciting player at the 1988 Slam
Dunk Contest. He won the event with
a jam that received a perfect 50—and
Walter Iooss Jr. captured the moment
with a shot from the baseline.

5. Thrilling Victory It’s one of the

most famous celebrations in history.
After her penalty kick gave the U.S. a
win over China in the 1999 World Cup
final, Brandi Chastain did what men’s
soccer stars routinely did: She ripped
off her shirt. Robert Beck’s iconic
photo perfectly captured the moment,
a lasting, powerful image for young
girls everywhere.

SIKIDS.COM / 39

aleb Martin is the scorer. Always has been. the way. Caleb, an All-
He’s louder, more energetic. Cody Martin is America candidate,
the more well-rounded player. He’s quiet, averaged 18.9 points per
reserved. And while they are identical twins game in 2017–18, while
(sometimes their mom, Jenny Bennett, can’t tell the 6' 7", Cody averaged 14.0 points.
205-pound brothers apart), their divergent personalities Along with fellow senior
serve as perfect complements. Jordan Caroline and
Like on the court—Caleb can give a nod to Cody, and highly-touted 6' 11"
they’ll immediately be on the same page. Or Cody will freshman Jordan Brown,
glance at Caleb, and each will know where the other is the twin forwards are
going. This brotherly intuition led Nevada to the Sweet 16 fueling Nevada’s national
last season and now has the Wolf Pack looking to go all rise, while rising above
their tough upbringing.
40 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS
They both claim to have

The Martin twins The Best Players high school, but after two
look alike and sound For 2018–19 seasons there, they were
alike, but they play looking for more freedom
different styles, Purdue on the court.
giving Nevada much-
needed versatility. An All-America They found it at
last year, the 6'1" Nevada—and no,
senior guard led they never thought of
the Boilermakers transferring to different
in scoring with schools. “They had
18.5 points per incredible energy that
game and dropped they brought to our
30 in the Sweet 16. practice,” says coach Eric
Musselman. “They wanted
Tennessee us to win.”

The reigning SEC On the court last
player of the year, season, the two paired
up to dominate games.
Williams is a 6' 7" do- Both are good defenders
it-all forward. The junior and can play multiple
averaged 15.2 points positions. As a No. 7 seed,
and 6.0 rebounds per Nevada made the Sweet 16
game last season. and came within one
possession of the
UNC Elite Eight.
“It was so hard last year
Maye passed up an to get to where we were,”
opportunity to enter the says Cody, the oldest by
NBA draft, deciding one minute. “Now, my
instead to try to improve main goal is to win a
on his 16.9 points national championship
and 10.1 rebounds before I leave school.”
from 2017–18. This year the Wolf Pack
have more depth in the
GARY KAZANJIAN/AP/SHUTTERSTOCK (MARTINS IN BLACK); grown up without fully trailer in the tiny Michigan State front court, and point
GRANT HALVERSON/GETTY IMAGES (MARTINS IN WHITE); understanding the town of Cooleemee, guard Lindsey Drew
GREGORY SHAMUS/GETTY IMAGES (EDWARDS, WARD) difficulties their family North Carolina. The trailer Miles Bridges and returns from injury. But
faced. They heard their had only one bed for the Jaren Jackson Jr. if the team makes the
mom say she “wasn’t three boys, so they’d left for the NBA, Final Four, the twins
hungry” instead of eating. rotate who slept in it. so Ward, a 6' 8" will be the ones leading
They saw her work three forward, will pick the way.
jobs. She’d leave at two in The brothers may not up the slack and “We’ve been playing
the morning for one job, have known the full story, should have a with each other ever
making sure to be back by but they saw their mother monster season. since we started,” says
3 p.m. to pick them up sacrifice for them, and they Caleb. “Being able to go
from school. The twins and applied her work ethic to Nevada to my second college with
their older brother, their own lives. Caleb my brother, be at a school
Raheem, lived in a small and Cody committed to Nevada’s leading scorer where our coach has a lot
North Carolina State out of from a year ago, Martin of trust in us—we just get
has more weapons to play freely. You can’t ask
at his disposal and for much more.”
won’t face as many
double teams.

SIKIDS.COM / 41

  Last year’s record: Returning JAMIE SQUIRE/GETTY IMAGES (AZUBUIKE);
Kansas made the veterans will power MARK BLINCH/ THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP (WILLIAMSON);
Final Four last season, championship CRAIG MITCHELLDYER/AP/SHUTTERSTOCK (HACHIMURA)
and the Jayhawks will have contenders—with
an influx of new talent led by a an assist from
pair of transfers from Memphis: top-notch freshmen.
brothers K.J. (12.3 ppg in 2016–17)
and Dedric Lawson (19.2 ppg, Last year’s record:
9.9 rpg). Kansas also welcomes highly The Zags have big-time talent in
touted freshmen Devon Dotson and the frontcourt. Led by 6' 10"
Quentin Grimes. The Jayhawks’ success, Killian Tillie (12.9 ppg) and 6' 8"
though, will depend on the play of center RUI HACHIMURA (11.6 ppg), along with
UDOKA AZUBUIKE, a stabilizing force Brandon Clarke (a transfer from San Jose State),
in the middle who’s capable of putting Gonzaga will be tough to stop near the rim.
And the backcourt is solid. Zach Norvell Jr. is a
up a double-double every night. top shooter, and Josh Perkins is a reliable point
guard. The Zags will be steady and versatile.
Last year’s record:
The Blue Devils will rely heavily on
freshmen this year. So it’s a good thing
they got the best ones. Duke nabbed the
top three players in the 2018 class (R.J.
Barrett, ZION WILLIAMSON, and Cam
Reddish). All are expected to be immediate
stars. There’s not a lot of experience on
this roster, but the new players are
talented enough to make up for it.

42 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS

TIM GANGLOFF/CSM/REX /SHUTTERSTOCK (WILLIAMS); CRYSTAL LOGIUDICE/AP/SHUTTERSTOCK (WASHINGTON); JACOB KUPFERMAN/CSM/SHUTTERSTOCK (MAYE); Last year’s record: The Wolf Pack have more
ABBIE PARR/GETTY IMAGES (GUY); FREDERICK BREEDON/GETTY IMAGES (CAROLINE); MATTHEW VISINSKY/ICON SPORTSWIRE/AP (WADE); JOHN W. MCDONOUGH (BOOTH) The 2017–18 Vols were co-SEC than just the Martin brothers.
regular-season champs, but they Don’t forget JORDAN
lost in the second round of the CAROLINE, a 6' 7"
tournament to Cinderella Loyola- senior who shone in the
Chicago. Tennessee will have its top six postseason. Steady point
scorers back, including player of the year guard Lindsey Drew
candidate GRANT WILLIAMS and three- should be back from an
point sharpshooter Admiral Schofield. Achilles injury. And there’s
Expect to see a lot of offense in Knoxville. depth up front, starting
with Jordan Brown, the
As always, Kentucky brings in a slew highest-ranked recruit
of talented freshmen. But unlike in in school history, and
recent years, there are some holdovers. graduate transfer
Sophomore forward PJ WASHINGTON Trey Porter.
averaged 10.8 points per game and is
poised for a bigger role, as is point guard The Wildcats made the
Quade Green (9.3 ppg). Plus, the Elite Eight last season, and
Wildcats added graduate transfer Reid that was without DEAN
Travis (19.5 ppg with Stanford). WADE. Now healthy
after a late-season
Last year’s record: foot injury, Wade is a
Three of the team’s top four scorers do-it-all big man who
return, including preseason All-America led the team in scoring
LUKE MAYE. Cameron Johnson, a good and rebounding. With
shooter, is healthy after offseason hip him and returning scorers
surgery. And while longtime leader Joel Barry Brown and Xavier
Berry is gone, five-star point guard Coby Sneed in the fold, the
White should be able to fill his shoes. Wildcats have a chance
Adding McDonald’s All-American Game to surpass last year’s finish.
MVP Nassir Little doesn’t hurt either.
The big names from the title
Last season’s Cavaliers made history as teams are gone, but those who
the first No. 1 seed to lose in the first round remain will help. Eric Paschall
of the NCAA tournament. Can this year’s is a reliable scorer, while
team make people forget that? KYLE GUY PHIL BOOTH, who was on
will lead the way on offense, and a healthy both championship squads,
De’Andre Hunter could sneak his way will assume the leadership
into All-America conversations. Big man mantle. Highly regarded
Jack Salt will have to replace Isaiah freshman point guard Jahvon
Wilkins’s defense. Quinerly is the key. If he can
acclimate quickly, don’t be
surprised if the Cats are back
in title contention.

he scene has played out in Ogunbowale took
countless backyards around the final shot in
the world. Time is winding Notre Dame’s two
down on the clock, the Final Four games—and
game is tied, and you have the ball. nailed them both,
Three, two, one . . . can you make leading the Irish to their
the big shot? second national title.
You can if you’re Arike Ogunbowale.
Far from her backyard, she hit a
game-winner at the Final Four in
Columbus, Ohio—twice.
The Notre Dame guard hit a jumper
with one second left in overtime in the
semifinal against UConn. Two days
later, she knocked down a three to
win it all against Mississippi State.
“Initially, I just couldn’t believe it,”

44 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS

says Ogunbowale, now a Most of the title- do for an encore? The good KELSEY MCNEAL /ABC/GETTY IMAGES (DANCING WITH THE STARS); GREG NELSON (DANGERFIELD); ADAM LACY/ICON SPORTSWIRE/GETTY IMAGES (DURR)
senior. “For it to happen winning team returns, news for the Irish is that she’s
twice, I don’t know what’s including All-ACC and ready for the new season—
going on! This can’t be for real. All–NCAA tournament and so is the rest of the team.
It was surreal.” forward Jessica Shepard,
a senior. Notre Dame won the title
What was truly surreal despite losing four players,
was the spectacle that followed. Junior including All-America center
Overnight, Ogunbowale guard CRYSTAL Brianna Turner, over the
became a star. She went on DANGERFIELD course of the season to knee
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, will take on a injuries. Turner is healthy, and
where her hero, Kobe Bryant, starring role as the Irish also added top recruit
surprised her with two signed UConn integrates Katlyn Gilbert to the rotation.
jerseys—one for her, and one highly-touted
for her dog, also named Kobe. freshmen “We are 100% better,”
“My mind was spinning,” she Christyn Williams Ogunbowale says. “Way
says. “But I never get too high and Olivia better. We have depth
or too low. It was a lot going Nelson-Ododa. now. We only had seven
on, but I wouldn’t want to be scholarship players last year.
on the other side, so I   Sabrina Ionescu, We have a lot of really
embraced the moment.” good players.”
a junior point guard, is As for Ogunbowale, she
She also appeared on a triple-double machine, knows she can’t live in the
Dancing with the Stars, trading and the frontcourt is past. “I have to get whatever
crossovers and jumpers for stacked with Ruthy happened out of my mind,” she
salsa shimmies and the foxtrot. Hebard and Notre Dame says, “because we have a target
While she was eliminated in transfer Erin Boley. on our back. It’s hard to repeat
anyways. I’m not focused on
Ogunbowale Senior guard trying to top everything that
followed ASIA DURR is happened. I just want to get
up her game- a player of the to the national championship
winners with a year candidate, and win again.”
turn on Dancing while Jazmine The WNBA beckons
with the Jones and Arica after graduation, but for now,
Stars, but she Carter round Ogunbowale is set on helping
foxtrotted out a loaded, Notre Dame reach the 2019
her way out talented backcourt. Final Four in Tampa, Florida.
before the And she knows that likely
finals. Teaira McCowan, sometime this season a game
a 6'7" center, is the best will be tied as the clock winds
the second week—“I thought post player in the nation. down. Is she ready to take
I did well!”—Ogunbowale has Adding five-star recruits that shot? “I’m pretty sure
taken her sudden fame in Daphane White and everyone in the country
stride. “I never get Jessika Carter gives the who we play is going to
overwhelmed,” she says. Bulldogs unmatched try to not let that happen,”
“It was a really fun ride.” size in the frontcourt. she says with a laugh.
Then she pauses for a
But Ogunbowale faces a big moment and considers her
question this fall: After coming team. “Even though I’m
through with such clutch always up for it, all my
performances, what does she teammates are capable of
hitting the same shot.”

SIKIDS.COM / 45

Buckle up! Take your theunitedstatesofsports
very own virtual road trip
with the latest title from andAnFaActtlassfoorfETevaemrysS,tSattaetsin, SAtmaresr,ica
SI KIDS, The United States
of Sports, now available
wherever books are sold.

CLAYTON KERSHAW

Dodgers pitcher Fans in
Los Angeles—or anywhere, for
that matter—haven’t seen a run
of dominance like this since the
days of Sandy Koufax. Kershaw, a
6' 4" lefthander, won three Cy Young
Awards between 2011 and ’14, and he
finished second in the voting in ’12. He’s had
three seasons with a sub-2.00 ERA, and in his
seven straight All-Star seasons (’11–’17),
his record was a sterling 118–41.

FOOTBALL TEAMS with insignia on
their helmets, until the Rams painted
horns on their headgear in 1948.

AGE at which Chloe
Kim of La Palma won
Olympic gold in halfpipe
in 2018 after hitting
back-to-back 1080s.

CALIFORNIA SCHOOLS
that have won an NCAA
title in water polo. No
school outside the state
has ever won one in either
men’s or women’s play.

BATTING
AVERAGE
of Ted Williams
in 1941.
The Red Sox
outfielder from San Diego
was the last major leaguer
to hit higher than .400.

46 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS

Mavericks Challenge When conditions 8 Super Bowl Wins The 49ers won five Super Bowls from TIM CLAY TON/CORBIS/GETT Y IMAGES (KIM); JAMIE SQUIRE/GETT Y IMAGES (KERSHAW); ROBERT B. STANTON/WIREIMAGE/GETT Y IMAGES (BIG EVENT); FOCUS ON SPORT/GETT Y IMAGES (JOHNSON); DAVID E.
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are right and the swells a couple miles offshore 1982 through ’95 as their West Coast o ense and Hall of Fame
at Half Moon Bay in northern California rise to roster flummoxed their NFL rivals. The Raiders won three
epic heights, the call goes out: Mavericks is on. Super Bowls in the ’70s and ’80s.
And then some very brave surfers ride very
dangerous mountains of water. At their peaks, 15 NBA Championships The Lakers have 11 NBA titles
the wave faces are as high as five-story buildings.
since moving from Minneapolis. The Warriors have four titles
INSIDER INFO since coming from Philadelphia.

Southern Cal has won 13 World Series Championships The Dodgers
12 NCAA baseball
titles, the most have won five World Series in L.A., while the Giants have
of any school. taken three in San Francisco. The A’s have four in
Noted alumni Oakland, and the Angels won their first in 2002.
include Hall of
Fame pitchers 2 Stanley Cup Wins The Kings
Tom Seaver and
Randy Johnson. won their first Cup in 2012 and
added another in ’14.

3 WNBA Championships

The Sparks won titles
in 2001, ’02,
and ’16.

SIKIDS.COM / 47

FROM THE PAGES OF

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

IT
HAD

TO

BE

PENN

WHAT DO MEMPHIANS LOVE EVEN MORE THAN ELVIS?
A WINNING BASKETBALL TEAM. THE CITY’S OTHER
FAVORITE SON, PENNY HARDAWAY, IS PUTTING HIS
LEGACY ON THE LINE TO RESTORE THE TIGERS TO GLORY.

BY DAN GREENE

PHOTOGRAPH BY

JOE MURPHY

Y LET’S START with the shoes. People are always talking about SPORTS ILLUSTRATED • SEPTEMBER 24–OCTOBER 1, 2018 49
Penny Hardaway’s shoes. Not necessarily the ones he’s wearing
now, during a midday break at his basketball camp in June:
Virgil Abloh–designed Off-White (but all-black) Nike
Vapormaxes, with a red plastic tag fashionably dangling
from the left one’s laces. He owns these, but they’re not his.
Those would be the Nikes that bear Hardaway’s 1 cent
logo (the numeral stabbing through a stylized c) and are
still sold in color schemes—and at prices—that stretch
the imagination. He wears a version of those four or five
times a week. Sometimes a recruit will have them on while
talking to Hardaway, unaware of the connection until
an onlooker chimes in to say, “Hey, those are his shoes.”

“They just like the shoe,” Hardaway says. The shoe is cool.
This, since being hired as the coach at Memphis in March,
has been a big part of Hardaway’s job: being cool. Or, more
specifically, making Memphis basketball cool, in a way it hasn’t
been for some time. Four years have passed since the Tigers
made the postseason, their longest drought in almost four
decades. Attendance has cratered. Revenue too. Hardaway’s
hiring was the second coaching change in 23 months.
This time is different, though, or at least it feels as much.
The local reaction has been “ecstasy,” says longtime Memphis
newspaper columnist and talk-radio host Geoff Calkins. “It’s
been crazy, over-the-top stupid.” Take the hat that, on the
same June afternoon, Hardaway had set on the conference
room table between a half-gone bag of peanut M&M’s and
an unopened Dr Pepper. It’s a simple black number with
memphis tigers stacked on one side above a flat, blue brim.
After Hardaway was pictured wearing it on an April recruit-

FROM THE PAGES OF

50 SPORTS ILLUSTRATED • SEPTEMBER 24–OCTOBER 1, 2018 ing trip to Texas, the school’s bookstore sold its entire stock when he volunteered as the eighth-grade boys’ coach at Lester A P/ S H U T T E R S T O C K
of 144 in a week. The shop also printed up 288 in penny Middle School, filling in for Desmond Merriweather, who
we trust shirts that were gone in hours. A second shipment was undergoing treatment for colon cancer.
sold out just as quickly.
Hardaway and Merriweather had known each other since
Sure, it would be exciting anywhere if the local college’s new they played on the blacktops in Binghampton, the Midtown
coach was a hometown hero or an alumnus or a former NBA neighborhood where Hardaway grew up in his grandmother’s
All-Star, and especially if he was all three—and especially if he shotgun home and a series of public housing apartments.
had just coached a city high school to a state-title three-peat. From there Hardaway blossomed into the nation’s top recruit,
But this is Memphis, a city that smokes its ribs, treasures the courted by early-1990s powers like UNLV and Arkansas, but
blues and desperately loves its basketball. he elected to play at what was then Memphis State. (The
school changed its name in ’94.) “It was the thing to do,”
Fifty years ago, after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassi- Hardaway says. “I don’t think anybody even thought about
nated at the Lorraine Motel downtown, deeply rooted racial
tensions boiled over. Riots broke out; white flight HARDAWAY INTERNALIZED ALL
intensified; Time magazine described the city THE DOUBTS HE WOULD HEAR
as a “Southern backwater.” Five years later, led ABOUT WHETHER HE COULD
by point guard Larry Finch, a Melrose High SUSTAIN HIS SUCCESS. “THAT’S
grad, the Tigers reached the 1973 NCAA title FUEL,” HE SAYS NOW. “THIS IS
game. “What pulled us out of those doldrums,” WHAT I WAS BORN TO DO.”
says lifelong resident and university trustee
Cato Johnson, “was the University of Memphis MAGIC TOUCH
basketball program.” Hardaway didn’t plan on
becoming a coach after
The Tigers have continued to fill an outsized knee injuries curtailed
role for a city that has long been among the his NBA career, but then
poorest of its size, that for decades pined for he won three consecutive
the validation of a major pro sports franchise. state titles at East High.
Yet even when the NBA’s Grizzlies finally arrived
from Vancouver, in 2001, players were often per- going anywhere else.” Memphians flocked to the just-opened
plexed by their secondary spot in the local sports Pyramid Arena to watch the hometown-kid-turned-college-
pecking order. When Memphis is rolling—when star—playing under Finch—lead the team to the Elite Eight
Dana Kirk was reeling off Sweet 16s in the 1980s, in his first season (’91–92).
when John Calipari and Derrick Rose reached
the Final Four in 2008—the success breeds civic A year later Hardaway finally left town as the No. 3 pick in
goodwill. But, says Johnson, “when the program the NBA draft. He teamed with Shaquille O’Neal to transform
is down, the community feels down. It’s reflected the Magic from expansion team to title contender. He became
in the overall fabric of the city.” a sensation, memorably costarring in the film Blue Chips with
O’Neal and Nick Nolte and in Nike’s iconic Lil’ Penny ad
And so, it turns out, is the joy experienced campaign alongside a doll voiced by Chris Rock. A left-knee
when the city’s favorite non-Elvis son takes the reins of its injury in ’97–98 would set his career on a new, star-crossed
favorite team. “You can be in Orange Mound, East Memphis, path that ultimately included six surgeries over 10 seasons
South Memphis, Germantown, Boxtown,” says Johnson, “and of varying effectiveness in Phoenix, New York and Miami.
everybody feels they’re a part of this.”
Still, Hardaway’s heart never left Memphis. He returned
“He instantly fixes everything,” says Calkins of Hardaway.
“He sells tickets again. He fixes recruiting right away. He
makes them relevant. It had to be Penny.”

HIS CER TA INLY wasn’t the way Hardaway saw

T his post-NBA life unfolding. He envisioned plenty
of golf. Maybe yukking it up on a studio TV panel
alongside some other former players a few times a
month, checking in on the downtown barbershop-slash-beauty-
salon he owns. Coaching didn’t enter the equation until 2011,

PENNY HARDAWAY

want flash. They want local kids.” But the Tigers’ pace of play

stagnated, and area recruits stayed away.

The effect was stark. Average attendance dropped to 6,225—

a 48-year low and about a third of FedExForum’s 18,119-seat

capacity. Donations to the athletic department fell by $1.1 mil-

lion, even as the football team reached a school-record fourth

straight bowl game. The Tigers had lost their city.

Four days after leading East to a third state crown, Hard-

away was introduced at a press conference in the lobby of

the university’s $20 million, five-month-old basketball center.

Cheerleaders handed out business cards featuring Hard-

away’s likeness with a penny attached. The event was so

popular that many people were left watching through glass

from the portico. When Hardaway mentioned having “that

Memphis blood in me,” you could practically feel an entire

fan base swoon.

There is—naturally—some skepticism around the hiring of

a legendary alumnus with no collegiate coaching experience.

For every Fred Hoiberg, who jumped from the Timberwolves’

front office to revive Iowa State in 2010, there’s Houston’s

ill-fated hiring of Clyde Drexler and Chris Mullin’s current

struggle at St. John’s. Yet the risk here is not Memphis’s alone.

“A lot of people were like, Man, why would you put your legacy

on the line?” Hardaway says. “I don’t look at it that way. I’m

for summers and decorated the entrance to his $5 million coming here to win. And I know that I can do that.”
mansion in Paradise Valley, Ariz., with photos of his modest
childhood homes. The plan was always to move back for good Within hours of Hardaway’s introduction, four-star point
once he retired, which he did in 2008. He had maintained ties
to the city—resuscitating a dormant summer league, open- guard Alex Lomax—Tennessee’s two-time Class AAA Mr. Bas-
ing the barbershop, donating $1 million for the university to
build its sports hall of fame—when Merriweather asked him ketball, who played for Hardaway at East High and even lived
to help coach at Lester Middle.
with him for years—switched his commitment from Wichita
Hardaway took easily to the gig. He saw himself in many
of the kids, trying to excel despite the noise in their lives, State to Memphis. Another four-star guard, Tyler Harris, who
and he felt invigorated by the challenge of bringing them
together. And Lester won: city and state titles in that first played for Hardaway’s rivals in high school and AAU, signed
season, 2011–12, then again in each of the next two. Hardaway
founded an elite AAU program, Team Penny, and took over at with the Tigers too. In a matter of weeks Hardaway had landed SPORTS ILLUSTRATED • SEPTEMBER 24–OCTOBER 1, 2018 51
East High in the fall of 2015. That winter the Mustangs won
Tennessee’s Class AAA championship. They did it again in a top 30 recruiting class. He’s also had an in-home visit with
2017. And again this past March. With each step to the next
level Hardaway internalized the doubts he would hear about East High forward James Wiseman (currently the No. 1 player
whether he could sustain his success. “That’s fuel,” he says
now. “This is what I was born to do.” in the class of 2019) and landed a verbal commitment from

As Hardaway conquered the local schoolboy scene, his alma teammate Malcolm Dandridge (a four-star prospect himself).
mater faltered. “What Memphians want in a basketball pro-
gram is top 20 recruiting rankings,” explains Calkins. “They The university, which cheekily raised its season-ticket prices

by one cent, projects a $4.5 million increase in ticket sales this

season. Even in the summer, the city buzzes with anticipation.

FERNANDO MEDINA/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES “When you’re in Memphis, a great deal of what you look

for is hope,” says Johnson, after rattling off bleak statistics

about local poverty levels. “Penny means so much to the com-

munity because it gives the city something to say, ‘Wow, we

feel good about ourselves.’ This is not something a political

leader can do. This is not something you see a faith-based

leader doing. That is a lot to put on one person’s shoulders.

But he wears it well.” ±

WHAT’S
THE
CALL?

Illustrations by
Sean Tiffany

SYNCHRONIZED SPECIAL TEAMS RATTLE

The Kerrytown Kangaroos are playing the Arborville Anacondas THE CAGE
in football under NFL rules. On fourth and long, the Kangaroos are punting.
Anacondas return man Gordon Percy stands deep, ready to receive the kick. The Livonia Lightning are playing
Blazingly fast Kangaroos wide receiver Drew Bonderman lines up wide in the punt the Churchill Checkers in a hockey
formation. Thanks to a booming kick, Bonderman is able to reach Percy before the game under NHL rules. The Lightning
ball does. Percy does not signal for a fair catch, however. As the ball falls toward are applying pressure to the
the field, the two players catch it at the exact same time without otherwise Checkers and look poised to score.
making any contact with each other. They both fall to the ground with their Lightning defenseman Will Carter
hands still on the pigskin. You’re the referee. Which team gets possession? receives a pass and unleashes
a booming slap shot. Checkers
defenseman Harold Morgan sees
the shot coming and pushes the left
goalpost off of its mooring. The shot
goes under the net, which is now
askew. Carter thinks he’s saved a
goal, and he’s ready to accept a
two-minute delay-of-game penalty.
The Checkers, however, think they
should be awarded the score.
You’re the referee. What’s the call?

GROUND BALL

Tex Shrake is playing his nemesis, Jo Chang,
in eight ball. While attempting to hit a ball into a
corner pocket, Shrake badly misses, knocking the
8 ball over the bumper and off the table. Shrake
attempts to put the ball back on the table where
it was, but Chang protests, claiming she should
win the game. What’s the call?

ANSWERS ON PAGE 55

52 / SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS