Jazz’s Stevenson chose the road less traveled
Robert Frost wrote:
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
And sorry I could not travel both and be one traveler
Long I stood and looked down one as far as I could to where it beat in the undergrowth.”
Did “The Road Not Taken” cross the mind of the 6-foot-5, 210-pound Utah Jazz guard DeShawn Stevenson when deciding what to do upon graduation from Washington Union High School in Fresno, Calif.?
For the 19-year-old basketball star, there were two options: continue on in his education at the University of Kansas, where he signed a letter of intent, or be drafted in the NBA.
While many players would opt for college to hone their skills, Stevenson opted for “the road less traveled.”
Although he enjoys playing basketball and being part of the NBA, Stevenson often has to find things to do with his free time.
“I really like playing video games,” Stevenson said in a recent issue of Homecourt Magazine.
He sounds like a typical 19-year-old guy. He even said he eats candy before games because it gives him energy, and like most basketball fans he admires Michael Jordan.
Stevenson isn’t doing typical 19-year-old guy things, though.
Averaging 7.1 minutes per game, Stevenson, who has a tattoo representing God on one arm and another tattoo on the other arm representing his “killer instincts on the floor,” has high expectations as he prepares to participate in Saturday’s All-Star weekend activities.
“I’m going to go to Washington, D.C., win the Slam Dunk contest, and bring it home,” Stevenson said.
Besides rubbing shoulders with present-day NBA greats this weekend, Stevenson has the opportunity to mingle with John Stockton and Karl Malone on a daily basis.
“I got awestruck the first day with John and Karl, but I told myself I wouldn’t let it happen anymore so it doesn’t,” Stevenson said.
“He is a very good player, so it’s a lot of fun to play with him,” Stockton said. “I think [playing in the NBA at a young age is] going to be hard for him, but it’s also very exciting.”
Years from now, Stevenson may be able to look back on the poem by Robert Frost and reflect:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –
I took the one less traveled by
And that has made all the difference.