New Magazine and Article Posted on Page 1
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Dan Bickley
The Arizona Republic
Dec. 6, 2004
Like the NBA, manhood came early for Amaré Stoudemire. Look at him now, kissing the net with his shots, wrecking the rims with his dunks, saying his prayers before bed. "That's every night," Stoudemire said. "It's mandatory." A mother would be proud.
Stoudemire, like the Suns, is off to a brilliant start in 2004-05. He is averaging a career best 20.8ppg and 10.4rpg on a team that has four players averaging 20+ points. Suddenly, Larry Brown owes the country an explanation as to why Stoudemire wasn't good enough to play during the Olympics. But Stoudemire's time on the bench is exactly the point. In the Association, players who receive such snubs are taught to mock the system and make funny faces at the coach. No one noticed Stoudemire's Olympic ordeal because he never said a word. He practiced, listened and learned. He paid attention, made the most of it. He decided he would make his own little statement when the NBA resumed its competition, and now there are tire tracks across the league.
That's proof that Stoudemire has a chance to be one of the greatest power forwards to play the game. "Any kind of life experience enriches him, whether it's learning from Tim Duncan, being humiliated a little bit, not playing, having to bite your tongue, follow rules and do everything they say," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "But (Team USA officials) all said Amaré was great, and I think that proved his character." Stoudemire, 22, is already an anomaly. He is the rare athlete whose words, or lack of them, actually speak louder than his actions. He says he wants to "master the game." He calls himself "the franchise" with no fear, no inflection and zero showmanship, as if his own domination were simply mandatory. "Right now, he's playing well, as good as anybody in the league," D'Antoni said. "Offensively, teams haven't found an answer for him yet."
Frequently, Stoudemire's upbringing is painted in negative terms. Stoudemire's dad died when he was 12. His mom was in and out of prison, and to this day, those heavily invested in Stoudemire's future fear his mother's proximity, view her as a potential career saboteur. But somewhere along the way, the ragged upbringing gave Stoudemire his ticket to greatness. For all the scar tissue, some positive force helped carry him down this path. "The things that I have been through have helped me stay motivated, stay focused," Stoudemire said. "You can't ask for anything more." Yes, it will be something if this man-child keeps growing, eluding all the traps, keeping his grip and focus. He will fly high. The comparison D'Antoni drew Thursday was to the legendary Connie Hawkins. Stoudemire took it as a compliment, but he has a problem with that sort of thing. "I'm Amaré Stoudemire and I'm the future," he said. "There's not really a comparison to me."
COPYRIGHT 2004, AZCENTRAL.COM. Used with permission.