Branches Book

BRANCHES

Adam Stanton

I LOVE CHRISTIAN LAETTNER

How can one person be the most hated player in college basketball history? Christian Laettner born and raised in New York and was a product of his environment. Laettner was born to a blue-collar family where he would develop an understanding of work ethic. Christopher Laettner, Christian’s oldest brother, was a strong influence on him. He would often bully Christian as a child and helped instill a competitive mentality that would later lead to his success on the court. Growing up in a lower middle-class family, Christian was not always given or had everything at his disposal. When Christian was in eighth grade, he was competing in a high school practice that was lead by his father. At that moment his parent knew he would be able to play collegiate basketball for free. In the same year, he was considered the best player, and the athletic director at the time wanted Christian to be on the high school’s boy’s basketball team. While the Laettner family didn't have the financial stability to attend a private high school without a substantial financial aid; Nichols High School was able to give him and his family a significant but not an entire scholarship. To complete Christian’s tuition, he had to work as a janitorial worker during the summer. His job at the high school was to rip out old carpet, wash windows, clean the restrooms, and since he was a part of the basketball team, he would have to remove the old wax on the floor and refurbish the floor with brand new wax. He was working for his education, and he was simultaneously learning and appreciating what work ethic meant. In 1985, he was 6’7 and a freshman and earned a starting position on his high school varsity team. On the first play of his first game, he got elbowed in the nose, but he wasn't fazed. He came back with more physicality and was unwilling to back down. In the middle of his freshman season, he received his first recruiting letter from St. Bonaventure University. He was excited but understood it was going to be the first of many recruitment letters. After attending Howard Garfinkel's Five-Star basketball camp, Christian found his name on the mailing list of several Division I programs, and it was during his sophomore season that Christian was beginning to establish himself as a national recruit. He stood six feet nine inches and weighed about two hundred and ten pounds. Anybody who thought of him as just a white prep kid in Buffalo knew better after they saw him play. He was obviously the best

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