Youth
Falls Church native Amaker's selection of W.T. Woodson High School in Fairfax, Virginia, was controversial. Amaker's mother was a Fairfax County teacher, which at the time gave her the freedom to choose where her son went to high school. She felt Amaker would be able to play on the varsity team at Woodson as a freshman, because coach Red Jenkins had been impressed with Amaker's youth summer league game performances since the time Amaker was ten years old. Amaker's dominance at Woodson has been cited as the reason why teachers do not have the same freedom to choose that they formerly did. Amaker did earn the starting job by December of his freshman year.
His mother, a high school English teacher, was his first coach. His mother attended his practices and graded papers in the coaches' office. His coach, Jenkins, referred to him as "T-bird".
Amaker, who grew up in Fairfax, was the first freshman to make varsity in W.T. Woodson history. He played on the 1983 McDonald's All-American Team and was also named to the Parade All-American team. Krzyzewski had been in town to evaluate Johnny Dawkins and got a chance to see Amaker play. Amaker had wanted to play for the Maryland Terrapins because his sister Tami went there and he idolized Maryland star guard John Lucas. He was recruited to Duke by assistant coach Chuck Swenson, who would later serve as an Amaker assistant.
Read more about this topic: Tommy Amaker
Famous quotes containing the word youth:
“The youth gets together his materials to build a bridge to the moon, or perchance, a palace or temple on the earth, and, at length, the middle-aged man concludes to build a woodshed with them.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Hail, bounteous May, that does inspire
Mirth and youth and warm desire!
Woods and groves are of thy dressing,
Hill and dale doth boast thy blessing.
Thus we salute thee with our early song,
And welcome thee, and wish thee long.”
—John Milton (1608–1674)
“And, oh God, in my misspent youth as a housewife, I, too, used to bake bread, in those hectic and desolating days just prior to the woman’s movement, when middle-class women were supposed to be wonderful wives and mothers, gracious hostesses.... I used to feel so womanly when I was baking my filthy bread.”
—Angela Carter (1940–1992)