From Freshman Basketball to Starting Varsity Point Guard
photo by Rebecca Holt
He may be one of the shortest players on the basketball court, but he makes some of the biggest plays. Deontae Fair has worked extremely hard to become the boys’ basketball starting point guard.
Fair, unlike most varsity hoopers, didn’t start playing basketball at a young age. Instead, he began during his 7th grade year at Hamilton Middle School. “A couple of kids asked me to play on a team, so I decided to play because it was something new that I wanted to try,” said Fair, who has also competed in football. Though Fair is a great asset to the varsity team today, he wasn’t always the star player. As a 9th grader he played for the freshman basketball team, and varsity was only a dream to him. Over the years, Fair has worked hard on every phase of his game to earn his starting position as a point guard for TJ. “I just kept playing basketball over the summer for AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) teams to get the experience I needed to play varsity basketball,” said Fair.
In middle school, Fair met one of his closest friends, Billy Sprague, who is now his teammate on the TJ varsity boys’ basketball team. Sprague and Fair have been close friends since the 6th grade and have accomplished much together, including a city championship in basketball during their 8th grade year at Hamilton. “I can remember the time I met Deontae. He was one of the shortest kids in the class but he was extremely funny and was friends with just about everybody. Deontae has always worked hard, even when we won city. He wasn’t a big scorer, but he contributed by controlling the offense and playing hard. Deontae is constantly pushing himself and others whether it’s in school or athletics. Deontae has been a great friend over the past years, along with being an awesome teammate. He is a great person who really cares for people, and I expect him to do great in college and whatever he does after that,” said Sprague.
As Fair continues to compete this year for the varsity basketball team, he believes that his team has the potential to do great things in this upcoming post season. “We have a great team and a lot of talent. If we play hard every game, and everybody contributes something good, I know we will go far in the playoffs this year,” said Fair. Before every game, most players have their own rituals that they go through. Not Fair, though. “I don’t do anything but show up and play hard for every game. I don’t do anything special, because I would get too anxious and that would mess up my game,” he said.
Aside from basketball, Fair loves to buy new shoes, and hang out with his friends. He also enjoys watching his favorite basketball player in the NBA, Lebron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers. “Lebron is my favorite player because he is the best player in the NBA. He can do anything you ask of him, whether it be scoring, rebounding, assisting, or blocking shots,” said Fair.
At TJ, Fair is challenged everyday with his AP classes, which are US History with Mark Smith, and Calculus with Aimee Witulski. “They are challenging classes and I like them for that reason. I like challenges because they push you and force you to work hard if you want to succeed,” said Fair who added that these classes are beneficial for him because they are preparing him for college.
According to his math teacher, Aimee Witulski, Fair is a positive, inquisitive, diligent student who works well with others. “When I have my students working in groups, Deontae is the type of student who will keep everybody on task and challenge his group by asking questions, along with answering others’ questions. One thing that makes Deontae stand out from other students is his ability to balance his academics and athletics while maintaining a daily positive attitude. Deontae is a great student that utilizes his class time wisely. I believe that when Deontae finds something in his life that he is passionate about, he will put in the necessary work to make that thing happen,” said Witulski.
Fair has developed a great player coach relationship with Head Coach Grant Laman of the boys’ varsity basketball team. “Coach Laman is a great coach. He is always trying to push us to our full potential and he cares about us outside of basketball. He cares about winning as much as our team does, and will do anything to get wins. Coach Laman is one of the best coaches that I’ve had, and he knows offense and defense very well. With his coaching experience we are going to have a great postseason and possibly win a state title,” said Fair.
With all the things happening in Fair’s life, his biggest inspiration is his mother. “My mom has overcome so many things in her life, and she always does her best to make sure that my sister and I are happy. She’s great to me and I am grateful for her. I love my mom with all my heart and I would do anything for her,” said Fair.
After high school, Fair is attending Colorado State University, and plans to major in business. “I really like the campus and CSU is not that far away from home. I’m not sure of what I want to do after college, but with my business degree, I will possibly open my own shoe store,” said Fair, who does not plan on playing basketball in college. “I just want to focus on getting my degree. However, if I ever changed my mind I would try out,” said Fair.
Deontae Fair and the Spartan Hoop Squad take on Greeley West in Glenwood Springs today, Friday February 26th, in the first game of the 2010 Basketball State Playoffs.
