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LaRue's league is a good thing for Deacs
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Published: July 16, 2008
LEWISVILLE - Rusty LaRue's eyes always light up when word comes that Chris Paul is in town and wants to drive out to Forsyth Country Day School and play basketball.
LaRue's Triad Pro-Am Summer League, in its fourth year, is the best summer-basketball league in the area. And when CP3 makes a guest appearance, it's doubly good.
That was the case Monday night when Paul showed up and played with FCD players against a team that included Wake Forest's L.D. Williams and Al-Farouq Aminu. That could be the case again Thursday night if Paul wants to get in one more summer-league game before heading off to train with the U.S. Olympics team in preparation for its trip to Beijing.
Twelve teams play in the Pro-Am, with games on Mondays and Thursdays.
When Paul shows up, the word gets out, and the crowds normally double to about 800. On Monday night, one side of the gym was nearly full, and many more fans watched from the concourse above.
LaRue said he's just happy for the youngsters who got a chance to play with Paul, and happy for the local fans who have been following Paul's career from West Forsyth to Wake Forest to the New Orleans Hornets.
"It's not every night you get to play with an Olympic team player and someone who was second in the (NBA) MVP voting," LaRue said. "So it's a thrill for our kids. To have a guy like Chris being willing to play with them is obviously something they'll never forget. So it's great for my Forsyth kids to be able to do that.
"And it's great for the fans, too. Chris is obviously a great player and a big part of this community and has always been great for the Winston-Salem area. Every year he comes out to play when he can, so it's great for my league, and for the community, and for my kids to get a chance to see him play."
The league will continue through Aug. 1.
It has grown significantly in the past four years, starting with eight teams the first year, then growing to 10 the second year and to 12 this year. The FCDS Fury is the only team of high-school players, and that's why LaRue puts Paul and others with them, knowing it won't upset the competitive balance of the league.
Among the regulars are Aminu, Williams, Ish Smith, Jeff Teague and the rest of the Wake Forest players who are attending summer school, and other area stars such as Kyle Hines, who played at UNC Greensboro, and Chris Gaynor, who played at Winthrop. Then there are some names from the past -- Craig Dawson, Mike Drum and Danny Gathings. And, of course, LaRue -- who played professionally for eight years and won an NBA championship ring with the Chicago Bulls in 1998.
"I'll quit playing eventually," LaRue said. "I'm getting old, 34 now. But I can still get around pretty well, and I enjoy it. It's a fun league, and I enjoy the chance to get out and play. To be honest, I don't get a chance to play with those kinds of players much any more, so that's fun. And to get to meet the new Wake players, that's good, too."
Wake Forest players -- particularly the heralded incoming freshman class of Aminu, Tony Woods and Ty Walker -- are usually the star attractions when Paul isn't in town.
Woods broke the basket support with a thunderous dunk last week, and the buzz continues to reverberate.
"It's been interesting," LaRue said. "We started this thing four years ago, and we didn't have many people attend. But it's getting bigger and bigger. Now we're getting 400-500 a night and more than that when Chris plays. Obviously a lot of the draw is the Wake Forest players and the expectations of the new players and the chance for fans to see them. And it's really a great way for the Wake players to fit into the community and get a feel for it and be part of the Wake basketball family and all those sorts of things.
Coach Dino Gaudio of Wake Forest has given the Pro-Am League the thumbs-up, to the point that he wants his players playing in it regularly.
"I think it gives our guys a chance to play other guys in the summer, where they're not just constantly banging heads with each other," Gaudio said. "When we were at Xavier, you'd have Xavier kids playing against the Cincinnati kids and the Northern Kentucky kids, and the pros would come home, and you'd just see great players there. So this provides our kids a chance to be in that kind of environment."
LaRue, a Wake Forest graduate, understands that he's doing something good for Wake Forest in addition to the benefits his basketball camps and Forsyth Country Day receive.
"I think Dino understands that we run the league well," LaRue said. "One of the reasons they like to do it, we have three officials every game, we have security out here, and we try to make an environment where they know it's a controlled atmosphere for those guys. The reason we only let pro and college guys, outside of my Forsyth kids, is they know everyone's going to play hard and everyone understands the game and you're not out to hurt anybody. Dino knows it's going to be an environment where those guys can compete, and the guys will be taken care of and looked out for, and hopefully we'll limit the injuries.
"I think it's great for Wake basketball. It's not every day you can promote the basketball program throughout the summer, and fans get a chance to watch your players play and start getting excited about the season coming up. And I think it really provides, especially for the die-hard Wake fans to see our guys and be around them. It's not every college that has that opportunity."
■ John Delong can be reached at jdelong@wsjournal.com.
Triad Pro-Am Summer League
• Site: Forsyth Country Day School, Lewisville
• Games: Mondays and Thursdays
• Schedule: Two games each at 6:30, 7:45, 9 p.m. (times subject to change)
• Admission: No charge
• Regular season ends: July 28
• Playoffs: July 30-Aug. 1 (Time schedule will change)
• On the Web: www.rustylarue.com
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