High School? I guess I knew from the time he was eight. He just projected as one of the top kids in his age group. I never really doubted it. I've told this story before, but one of his youth coaches when he was 10 actually made a bet with one of the dads who was bragging on my son as they sat around the pool drinking beer that my son would never play high school ball. Once my wife got wind of that bet, it was the last we ever played on that team. Fast forward five years and I made sure that that guy collected on his bet the day after my son threw a no-no in his first varsity appearance as a freshman. My wife had held that grudge for years.
College? I think that day came last week as I sat with my son watching the Arkansas-Virginia game in Omaha. Out of the blue, he just said, "I want this. I really want this." One look in his eyes told me he meant it.