The Return of the Beast...

It took startling transformations-from biggest joke to the best kept secret, from follower to leader, from coping to surviving, from conflicted son to grown ass man-for the one you all know as ThumperdaChamp to see the big picture, and he's still searching for answers...

If you are from the 413, 508, 203, 860, 617 area and have a serious thing for basketball, you have probobly been to the Hall of Fame here in Springfield. You have been to the Hoop It Up on Main Street, you were there at center court watching him discuss different dunks with his childhood friend who coached him in his own backyard. You saw the look on his mothers face while he sat in the midst of competitors silent. You hear his name called, and see him adjust his glasses while half the city who knew him and slept on him at the same time booed him as he fumbled the ball in his hands. You knew that he didn't look the part-5ft. 10, muscular but slim, big feet, wire frame glasses??? He looked more ready for an office barbeque wiffle ball game. You joined in on those boos for fun. It was when he looked at everyone and just smiled that you knew that you made a mistake....no you didn't leave the iron on at home, or forgot to bring an extra bottle for the baby, you fell asleep too, and when you woke up, it was the same man who walked away with that smile and his first out of 6 titles....he just woke the whole city up doing something that they didn't expect out of him...he won.

When asked by the local news station if it was the crowd that affected him, he responds by saying "It was the other way around, I didn't come here expecting anything from them, they had their guy, and even though we are friends, his popularity drew him the winning ballot, all I had to do was take the crowd." Then they had the nerve to ask if he felt bad for his 'friend' whom he beat with all perfect scores in the final round. "No, you don't cheat anyone out of their experience whatever it is. It's all apart of what makes you who you are down the road. If it was going one way or another, you've got to learn from it and understand it for what it is. I've been on the other side of that. I wouldn't want to cheat anyone out of that experience."

The following year you sat there, this time wide awake, you been to the parks he called his 'stomping' grounds and asked about him, you still hear the sleepers, the ones who say that that was all he could do, he had no jumper, he out dribbles himself. When pointed out that the contest had nothing to do with all that, they come back and say - "...when he's throwing that ball down, you think he just slammed his life through that hoop". One person recalls when he was in Hartford and after a contest his forearm was shaking for no reason. "After every dunk it seemed like his arm was becoming more and more painful to look at, he didn't ask for ice, or anything. He was so focused that when he spoke to the news his arm was still going, and all he could think about was winning it again."

You watched him grow while he was on the playground, moves that should've went at 10 miles an hour he did at 100, he let loose and became more dangerous as he slowed down his game. He told his high school coach while they both worked in a hospital together that sitting him on the bench was the best move he could've made. He allowed those same people who slept on him to help wake himself up. He knew he was good, not Kobe good, but good enough to make a mark. That mark to this day has people calling him asking him to play on teams he didn't even know existed. Whether or not he still has it in him...

at 28 ThumperdaChamp is known on the playground as "The Special Victims Unit" his legs not so fresh since his last title was won in 2001. The Marines conditioned his legs for heavy weight and long 10 mile hikes, his job conditioned his legs for picking up weight and moving at a pace that doesn't involve plyometrics and running. He's different. His ability to shut down people and being a floor general at the same time earned the name. His ballhandling has improved and with a pass first offense, he awards more dimes than change for a quarter. You ask him about the Hall of Fame tournament and questioned if he was invited....

"Yeah I was, but my team is either locked up or MIA, but I want to play...wait, I almost forgot, I have some guys who want to play that live right by me, good chance I will be there." When questioned about the dunk contest, he looks down first, as if questioning the things in his life that led him to those 6 titles he let loose all his emotions on. "I have things on my mind that push me, things that sit me down and think, I would enter it just to release those emotions but at the same time I have other outlets in which I can do that, still yet though a 7th title I wouldn't mind, I would go out as the best farewell story, cause my time in the 413 is short."

and you saw his smile, you saw that focus return, you knew that the nap was over....and you been up ever since.

See yall it's going down in August.