LeBron James and his high school team were a show-worthy basketball squad. Though the way his team had assembled had its own unique story, one without which the James we know today wouldn’t have existed.
The Shooting Stars’ Fab 5 were assembled after the team had already won a Division III state basketball championship. Coached by Dru Joyce II, the team included his son as well, Dru Joyce III. The story behind Dru’s high school team is pretty interesting as it all started around the year when James was born.
Coach Dru had a sales job in Pittsburgh. Dru was later promoted to a senior role, for which he had to relocate to Cleveland, Ohio. A district manager at his company advised him to rather settle in Akron, as living would be cheaper. This decision of his would directly impact a kid’s career in the future. After moving to Akron in 1984, Dru and his wife had a third child, Dru Joyce III. At that point, the family seemed to have settled in the town.
Coach Dru met LeBron James when he was just 10
Had Dru not decided to settle in Akron, he would’ve never met James, and so did LeBron believe. “Had he done so, I never would have met him, and without meeting him, who knows what would have happened to me”, said James in his book. Coach Dru was already into coaching his son, little Dru, as he would continue to hunt for local talent.
In 1995, Dru met LeBron James when he was just 10. He insisted his mother, Gloria let James play for the Shooting Stars, an AAU basketball team. James would meet little Dru and both would team up with two other players, Willie McGee and Sian Cotton. Coach Dru had his own promotion as he would become an assistant coach of the St. Vincent-St. Mary boys basketball team.
The four players had entered their freshman year and later won a state championship. In 2001, Romeo Travis, a sophomore transfer would join the team as well, as the squad would be known as the Fab 5. The following year, Coach Dru became the head coach of the high school team, and the group came back better than ever. In 2003, the Fab 5 clinched Division II and was later declared the national champions.
It is interesting to see how Dru Joyce II, who was originally a salesman, turned into a basketball coach, generating an all-time talent. James would later declare for the NBA draft coming out of high school. Not only that, Coach Dru’s player was the most anticipated player to enter the draft the same year. His simple decision of moving to Akron is why we know James as he is today, or else his career would’ve been a lot different.