Post by Captain Fantasy on Nov 12, 2008 23:14:34 GMT -5
Josiah Attempts To Become First Amish Pro Baller
By: Murf Berger - Prohoops.com collumnist
Jebediah "Jebe" Josiah- 20-SG- 6-9- 210 lbs
projected grade set C+ A+ B C C A
First discovered by BBS scouts on Youtube.com, Jebediah "Jebe" Josiah will attempt to become the first Amish BBSplayer. Acclaimed as "The World's Greatest Donkey Basketball Player", Josiah became an instant internet star when a video surfaced of the 6'9'' 20 year old amish man sinking 30 of 30 3 point attempts and two consecutive full court shots while on the back of his donkey, Annabelle. The video of the talented amish shooter became extremely popular getting 3 million hits in a matter of days. . . BBS scouts took notice and had to see the donkey basketball phenom for themselves.
"I saw the video on the internet and couldn't believe my eyes." said New Orleans Hornets scout Micheal Torres. "I was already checking out prospects in the area so decided to see it with my own eyes."
When Torres arrived on the Danita Delimont Amish Commune in Calias, Maine he had no idea what he was in for.
"It was the first donkey basketball game I had ever been to so i didnt know what to expect." Torres said. "But Jebe looked like Micheal Jordan on a donkey! He was driving to the basket, busting 3's, hitting midrange fade away jumpers, I dont know how he got a donkey to jump let alone jump backwards on cue. He even dunked it a few times on donkeyback. i was amazed."
Josiah is the MVP of the ADBL, The Amish Donkey Basketball League. He avgs 32 pts 12rbs and shoots a astonishing 90% from the field. He's the Captain of the Delimont Barn Raisers.
"I thought to myself if this guy can do this on a donkey what can he do on his own?"
So Torres called in basketball guru Chip Dingland to work with Jebe Josiah personally to help develop the young amish phenom. Dingland has previously worked with players like Tony Parker and Grant Hill.
"When Mike called me and told me he wanted me to coach this amish kid i said you gotta be kidding me." Dingland said. "But he was serious. When i first saw him ball my jaw was on the ground."
With Torres and Dingland now working exclusively with Josiah they first began seeing what the amish youngster could do. What they found was a young man who could shoot lights out from the perimeter and also displayed a great mid range touch but his inside post scoring was "child like".
"This guy looked like Larry Bird on the outside but he looks like a WNBA player on the low block." Dingland said
He had surprisingly good handles for someone who's previous idea of ball handling was carrying the ball in his lap while riding a donkey. In all ball handling drills he was graded at good and at some times great.
"In the winter harvest festival I always juggle pumpkins to entertain the children." Josiah said. "I guess this gave me quick hands."
His strength was also surprising for someone who had never stepped foot in a weight room. But Josiah's daily chores include pulling a plow, digging irrigation ditches, raising a barn, harvesting crops, and the rest of the time he churns butter. He is known around his commune as the best butter churner. He has been known to churn out 10 gallons of butter a day. All this strenous daily activity has made Jebe Josiah "sneaky strong".
Not all things were positive about Josiah's game though. His basketball IQ was very low. He had limited knowledge of offesnive plays and his defense was weak.
"When i first saw Jebe play i told him he could be the amish MJ. He said, "Who's that?"" Torres said, "Then I told him his jump shot reminded me of Dirk Nowitzki. He said, "Who's that?" He's got a scorer's mentality. that helped him dominate in the ADBL but if he wants to dominate the BBS he's gonna have to go through a crash course on basketball tatics and strategies."
Torres and Dingland first begin by working with Josiah one on one. Teaching him the fundamentals of the game he was not familar with. He had never even watched television let alone watch an actual BBS game.
"When Coach Dingland first showed me a moving picture I was scared" said the child like Josiah. "I thought a scorcerer had trapped people's souls and imprissoned them inside a little box. But once coach assured me they were just moving pictures and the men still had their souls I felt fine. I like watching the basketball games. The players were great. I wish I could do some of the things they could do on a donkey."
After the "crash course" was over Torres and Dingland felt confident Josiah could play against competition. They begin taking Josiah to the streetball court. This is where they discovered a new weakness in his game . . . niceness.
"I noticed Jebe would never try to block anybody's shot." Dingland said. "I asked hin why and he said he thought blocking people's shots was rude. If God wanted them to miss they would miss. That was good enough for him."
He also had a problem when it came to stealing the ball. At one point Calias street ball legend Tim Fly was taunting Josiah with the ball daring him to steal it. He was dribbling it unprotected right in Josiah's face but Jebe refused to steal the ball.
"Stealing is a sin" said Josiah. "If i stole the ball God would be angry with me and I'd be punished."
Once again the coaches had to assure that God was ok with Josiah playing defense properly. In a month or so Josiah was dominating the local streetball court the way he had once dominated the world of donkey basketball. With his basic basketball skills polished and his dynamic outside shot perfected Torres and Dingland thought it was time to unveal the project they had been working so hard to develop. The perfect place??? The Nike Basketball Camp, where all the best pro prospects go to play against each other with scouts and BBS big wigs watching in the wings. Only one problem . . . Jebe refused to take a plane or ride in a car. Desperate to show their pride and joy off both Torres and Dingland agreed to ride all the way to Nike headquarters in a horse drawn buggy.
Then the misadventure continued as the bunch ran into another road block. Josiah's dissapproving parents.
"My mom thought Mr. Dingland and Mr. Torres were the devil. She kicked them out of the house and hit them with her broom." Josiah said with a grin. "It was only after Mr. Torres and Mr. Dingland proved to my mom that they didnt have tails were they allowed back into the house."
Once in the pair easily convenced Josiah's parents to allow Josiah to go to the camp. What convenced them? The ammount of money Josiah would make if he signed a rookie contract. Immidiately Jebe's father , Silas Josiah, decided to act as Jebe's agent. When he heard he might make 3,000,000 plus a year Silas fainted. With all bases covered the Jebe, Torres, DIngland, and Jebe's dad set out in the buggy to the Nike Headquarters to get Jebe his first real basketball competition minus a donkey.
When Jebe arrived at camp as a virtual unknown there was a lot of laughter and long stares as he entered a room. People couldnt believe he was an actual prospect . . . this must have been some pratical joke. Ashton Kutcher was gonna come running out to tell everyone they were punked. But he quickly dismissed those ideas by draining 3 after 3 in shoot arounds. Now everyone was huddled around the court he was on to watch in amazement at the shooting dynamo.
When the prospects were broken into teams Josiah was matched up at shooting guard against super prospect Rakeem Christmas. He erased any doubts he belonged there by torching Christmas for 35 points in the first game. The second game Christmas played angry and returned the favor lighting Josiah up for 55 pts. It was obvious Josiah's defense still needed work but his offense was on par with the best of the best.
Overall Josiah had a great camp. As the week went on his defense improved. Nike appoited coaches praised him for his coachability.
"This is the most coachable kid I've ever been around. I tell him to do something and he does it without question." said Don Rondo, nike coach. "It's like he's been brainwashed . . . it's awesome. I liken him to a sheep. He goes where you lead him."
Coaches and scouts there decided that Josiah was best fit to play SG or SF in the BBS.
"Due to his height some coaches might be tempted to move him to PF but he's best suit to be a big sg." said Rondo. "He's like Turoglu. He's good at guard cuz he;s taller than everyone. If he tries to go inside the BBS bigs are gonna eat his lunch. What he needs is to land on a team with established bigs and a pg so he can roam free on the wings and kill it from mid range and outside"
It's is vital that Josiah does end up in the right situation though because his pious lifestyle might not mesh well in every lockerroom. At one point in camp a player yelled out, "God Damn It!" when they missed a shot and Jebe immidiately dropped to his knees and began praying for his soul. He wouldnt stop praying until the other player agreed to pray with him and Josiah had felt that God had forgiven him.
After camp scouts, gms, and sports writers alike were buzzingover the potential Jebe Josiah had displayed. Though strangely it is impossible to gauge his position in the draft.
"Right now he's still a project." said Tom Kilgore, Houston scout. "If he were drafted right now you'd get possibly the best shooter in the league but you could also be getting the worst defender in the league as well. But he's got a ton of potential. His ceiling is through the roof. and that crazy beard and hair cut could sell tickets. I'm interested in seeing where he goes myself."
Micheal Torres had a similar feel for the situation.
"If the BBS would allow Jebe to play on a donkey he'd be the no 1 pick overall. But since thats not allowed we'll have to see. I'm projecting him anywhere from lotto pick to mid 2nd."
When Josiah arrived home from camp the church asked him in for a private meeting. Josiah was afraid he was going to be kicked out of the commune. Instead they praised him for being an example to amish kids to become great . . . they also said it'd be ok for him to fly on a plane or ride a bus.
"The pastor at my church said God would forgive me for flying in an aeroplane or riding in a motor buggy because i was bringing attention to the faith. . . that makes me feel good. God is awesome."
Josiah will take his first plane ride ever when he flies to the BBS draft were he hopes to become the first ever amish player drafted. And accompanying him on his trip . . . his beloved donkey Annebelle.
By: Murf Berger - Prohoops.com collumnist
Jebediah "Jebe" Josiah- 20-SG- 6-9- 210 lbs
projected grade set C+ A+ B C C A
- Jebediah "Jebe" Josiah at home on the commune
First discovered by BBS scouts on Youtube.com, Jebediah "Jebe" Josiah will attempt to become the first Amish BBSplayer. Acclaimed as "The World's Greatest Donkey Basketball Player", Josiah became an instant internet star when a video surfaced of the 6'9'' 20 year old amish man sinking 30 of 30 3 point attempts and two consecutive full court shots while on the back of his donkey, Annabelle. The video of the talented amish shooter became extremely popular getting 3 million hits in a matter of days. . . BBS scouts took notice and had to see the donkey basketball phenom for themselves.
"I saw the video on the internet and couldn't believe my eyes." said New Orleans Hornets scout Micheal Torres. "I was already checking out prospects in the area so decided to see it with my own eyes."
When Torres arrived on the Danita Delimont Amish Commune in Calias, Maine he had no idea what he was in for.
"It was the first donkey basketball game I had ever been to so i didnt know what to expect." Torres said. "But Jebe looked like Micheal Jordan on a donkey! He was driving to the basket, busting 3's, hitting midrange fade away jumpers, I dont know how he got a donkey to jump let alone jump backwards on cue. He even dunked it a few times on donkeyback. i was amazed."
Josiah is the MVP of the ADBL, The Amish Donkey Basketball League. He avgs 32 pts 12rbs and shoots a astonishing 90% from the field. He's the Captain of the Delimont Barn Raisers.
"I thought to myself if this guy can do this on a donkey what can he do on his own?"
So Torres called in basketball guru Chip Dingland to work with Jebe Josiah personally to help develop the young amish phenom. Dingland has previously worked with players like Tony Parker and Grant Hill.
"When Mike called me and told me he wanted me to coach this amish kid i said you gotta be kidding me." Dingland said. "But he was serious. When i first saw him ball my jaw was on the ground."
With Torres and Dingland now working exclusively with Josiah they first began seeing what the amish youngster could do. What they found was a young man who could shoot lights out from the perimeter and also displayed a great mid range touch but his inside post scoring was "child like".
"This guy looked like Larry Bird on the outside but he looks like a WNBA player on the low block." Dingland said
He had surprisingly good handles for someone who's previous idea of ball handling was carrying the ball in his lap while riding a donkey. In all ball handling drills he was graded at good and at some times great.
"In the winter harvest festival I always juggle pumpkins to entertain the children." Josiah said. "I guess this gave me quick hands."
His strength was also surprising for someone who had never stepped foot in a weight room. But Josiah's daily chores include pulling a plow, digging irrigation ditches, raising a barn, harvesting crops, and the rest of the time he churns butter. He is known around his commune as the best butter churner. He has been known to churn out 10 gallons of butter a day. All this strenous daily activity has made Jebe Josiah "sneaky strong".
Not all things were positive about Josiah's game though. His basketball IQ was very low. He had limited knowledge of offesnive plays and his defense was weak.
"When i first saw Jebe play i told him he could be the amish MJ. He said, "Who's that?"" Torres said, "Then I told him his jump shot reminded me of Dirk Nowitzki. He said, "Who's that?" He's got a scorer's mentality. that helped him dominate in the ADBL but if he wants to dominate the BBS he's gonna have to go through a crash course on basketball tatics and strategies."
Torres and Dingland first begin by working with Josiah one on one. Teaching him the fundamentals of the game he was not familar with. He had never even watched television let alone watch an actual BBS game.
"When Coach Dingland first showed me a moving picture I was scared" said the child like Josiah. "I thought a scorcerer had trapped people's souls and imprissoned them inside a little box. But once coach assured me they were just moving pictures and the men still had their souls I felt fine. I like watching the basketball games. The players were great. I wish I could do some of the things they could do on a donkey."
After the "crash course" was over Torres and Dingland felt confident Josiah could play against competition. They begin taking Josiah to the streetball court. This is where they discovered a new weakness in his game . . . niceness.
"I noticed Jebe would never try to block anybody's shot." Dingland said. "I asked hin why and he said he thought blocking people's shots was rude. If God wanted them to miss they would miss. That was good enough for him."
He also had a problem when it came to stealing the ball. At one point Calias street ball legend Tim Fly was taunting Josiah with the ball daring him to steal it. He was dribbling it unprotected right in Josiah's face but Jebe refused to steal the ball.
"Stealing is a sin" said Josiah. "If i stole the ball God would be angry with me and I'd be punished."
Once again the coaches had to assure that God was ok with Josiah playing defense properly. In a month or so Josiah was dominating the local streetball court the way he had once dominated the world of donkey basketball. With his basic basketball skills polished and his dynamic outside shot perfected Torres and Dingland thought it was time to unveal the project they had been working so hard to develop. The perfect place??? The Nike Basketball Camp, where all the best pro prospects go to play against each other with scouts and BBS big wigs watching in the wings. Only one problem . . . Jebe refused to take a plane or ride in a car. Desperate to show their pride and joy off both Torres and Dingland agreed to ride all the way to Nike headquarters in a horse drawn buggy.
Then the misadventure continued as the bunch ran into another road block. Josiah's dissapproving parents.
"My mom thought Mr. Dingland and Mr. Torres were the devil. She kicked them out of the house and hit them with her broom." Josiah said with a grin. "It was only after Mr. Torres and Mr. Dingland proved to my mom that they didnt have tails were they allowed back into the house."
Once in the pair easily convenced Josiah's parents to allow Josiah to go to the camp. What convenced them? The ammount of money Josiah would make if he signed a rookie contract. Immidiately Jebe's father , Silas Josiah, decided to act as Jebe's agent. When he heard he might make 3,000,000 plus a year Silas fainted. With all bases covered the Jebe, Torres, DIngland, and Jebe's dad set out in the buggy to the Nike Headquarters to get Jebe his first real basketball competition minus a donkey.
When Jebe arrived at camp as a virtual unknown there was a lot of laughter and long stares as he entered a room. People couldnt believe he was an actual prospect . . . this must have been some pratical joke. Ashton Kutcher was gonna come running out to tell everyone they were punked. But he quickly dismissed those ideas by draining 3 after 3 in shoot arounds. Now everyone was huddled around the court he was on to watch in amazement at the shooting dynamo.
When the prospects were broken into teams Josiah was matched up at shooting guard against super prospect Rakeem Christmas. He erased any doubts he belonged there by torching Christmas for 35 points in the first game. The second game Christmas played angry and returned the favor lighting Josiah up for 55 pts. It was obvious Josiah's defense still needed work but his offense was on par with the best of the best.
Overall Josiah had a great camp. As the week went on his defense improved. Nike appoited coaches praised him for his coachability.
"This is the most coachable kid I've ever been around. I tell him to do something and he does it without question." said Don Rondo, nike coach. "It's like he's been brainwashed . . . it's awesome. I liken him to a sheep. He goes where you lead him."
Coaches and scouts there decided that Josiah was best fit to play SG or SF in the BBS.
"Due to his height some coaches might be tempted to move him to PF but he's best suit to be a big sg." said Rondo. "He's like Turoglu. He's good at guard cuz he;s taller than everyone. If he tries to go inside the BBS bigs are gonna eat his lunch. What he needs is to land on a team with established bigs and a pg so he can roam free on the wings and kill it from mid range and outside"
It's is vital that Josiah does end up in the right situation though because his pious lifestyle might not mesh well in every lockerroom. At one point in camp a player yelled out, "God Damn It!" when they missed a shot and Jebe immidiately dropped to his knees and began praying for his soul. He wouldnt stop praying until the other player agreed to pray with him and Josiah had felt that God had forgiven him.
After camp scouts, gms, and sports writers alike were buzzingover the potential Jebe Josiah had displayed. Though strangely it is impossible to gauge his position in the draft.
"Right now he's still a project." said Tom Kilgore, Houston scout. "If he were drafted right now you'd get possibly the best shooter in the league but you could also be getting the worst defender in the league as well. But he's got a ton of potential. His ceiling is through the roof. and that crazy beard and hair cut could sell tickets. I'm interested in seeing where he goes myself."
Micheal Torres had a similar feel for the situation.
"If the BBS would allow Jebe to play on a donkey he'd be the no 1 pick overall. But since thats not allowed we'll have to see. I'm projecting him anywhere from lotto pick to mid 2nd."
When Josiah arrived home from camp the church asked him in for a private meeting. Josiah was afraid he was going to be kicked out of the commune. Instead they praised him for being an example to amish kids to become great . . . they also said it'd be ok for him to fly on a plane or ride a bus.
"The pastor at my church said God would forgive me for flying in an aeroplane or riding in a motor buggy because i was bringing attention to the faith. . . that makes me feel good. God is awesome."
Josiah will take his first plane ride ever when he flies to the BBS draft were he hopes to become the first ever amish player drafted. And accompanying him on his trip . . . his beloved donkey Annebelle.
sweet
