Kansas' Ben McLemore fights through poverty to NCAA's center stage

Iowa State Cyclones player Percy Gibson (24) and Kansas Jayhawks player Ben McLemore (23) battle for the rebound in the first half at Hilton Coliseum. (Photo: Reese Strickland, USA TODAY Sports)

Story Highlights
  • Ben McLemore remembers his mother working nights to put food on the table
  • McLemore says the only meals he sometimes had were the free ones at school
  • McLemore leads Kansas in scoring this season and has an NBA future

    LAWRENCE, Kan. — With the discerning eye of a jeweler, Larry Brown made the same observation every time he watched Kansas practice last season: Of all the talented Jayhawks that led them to the national title game, the brightest gem was a freshman academically ineligible to play in games.

    "Bill," Brown would ask Kansas coach Bill Self, "you realize what you have here?"

    One year later, Self knows exactly what he has in Ben McLemore: the most talented young player, by far, that he says he has ever coached. Though the foundation of Kansas' team is four senior starters, the difference maker is a 6-5 redshirt freshman, McLemore.

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    No Kansas freshman has averaged more points than the St. Louis native who figures to be one of the most prominent faces of next month's NCAA tournament. And no player in the tournament will have as good a chance as McLemore to follow in the footsteps of former Kentucky All-American Anthony Davis, who won a national championship last season and was selected first in the NBA draft.

    But McLemore, 20, is not a natural fit for the large stage. He is a reluctant star who continues to hear that he defers far too much and lacks killer instinct. Even his role model, 26-year-old brother Keith Scott, calls him from a maximum-security prison in Mineral Point, Mo., to implore McLemore to be more assertive, to carry his team like everyone knows he can.

    Kansas vs. Kansas State (Monday): The Jayhwaks' Ben McLemore (23) rebounds against the Wildcats' Martavious Irving (3) during the first half of the team's game in Lawrence, Kan., on Monday. (Photo: Orlin Wagner, AP)

    Unlike many of today's top players, McLemore was not showered with adulation or anointed a future star from the time he was an adolescent. Rather than obsess over national player rankings, phenom camp invitations or third-party handlers, McLemore focused on more fundamental concerns amid one of the poorest urban communities in Missouri: finding food.

    Says McLemore: "It's hard to play basketball when nothing is inside of you."

    ***

    The smallest home on Wellston Avenue is where McLemore, the second youngest of Sonya Reid's six children, calls home. On a mid-February afternoon, children step off a yellow school bus in front of an abandoned building. So many stray dogs roam the neighborhood that a teenager asks a visitor if he is from the animal control department.

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    McLemore says on any given night as many as 10 relatives, including siblings, nieces and a nephew, would sleep inside his home, which is smaller than 600 square feet. The home's only bed had three legs, with the other corner supported by a pile of books.

    His home, McLemore says, was filled with love but little else. He remembers his mother working nights for a cleaning staff near downtown Busch Stadium. He remembers older brother Keith cycling through odd jobs fixing bikes, trying to make money to support the family.

    But it wasn't enough. He won't forget the feeling of waking up knowing there was no food or beverage in the refrigerator, with none on the way those days. He says at times he would go one or two days with no food.

    "It's a hard feeling — just starve," McLemore says. "Dang, what are we going to do? Dang, how are we going to eat? How are we going to put food on the table?"

    McLemore and younger brother Kevin would disperse throughout the neighborhood to cut grass, move trash, clean cars, fix motor scooters and bikes, anything that would yield a few dollars for hot dogs or Hot Pockets.

    "You get those hunger pains," McLemore said. "I am so hungry. We don't have any food. What are we going to eat? Your stomach hurts. Then you get so upset and mad, like, no food. You start having tantrums and don't want to do anything. You get mad at everybody because you don't have any food. That's what happens when you don't eat. You are so sluggish. It's just bad, man."

    Kansas Jayhawks guard Ben McLemore (23) reacts in a game against the TCU Horned Frogs earlier this season. (Photo: Kevin Jairaj, USA TODAY Sports)

    McLemore says the only meals he sometimes had were the free ones at school. His mother, he recalled, sometimes made the difficult decision to sell food stamps in order to pay bills.

    "Sometimes we would not have food so we could keep our lights on and have hot water," he says. "She had to sacrifice for that."

    When the family did not have hot water, McLemore remembers one nightly routine: Fill the bathtub with cold water. Heat up bowls of water in the microwave, then run them to the bathtub to make the tub water lukewarm for baths. The warmth never lasted, he says.

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    McLemore says the family relied on candles when the electricity was turned off. They turned on the stove and hauled a kerosene heater to the middle of the room to stay warm. McLemore says family members would huddle in the room, covered in layers of clothing and blankets, sometimes able to see their own breath in the chilled winter air. Only when their bodies warmed, and their noses no longer felt icy, could they fall asleep.

    All the while, McLemore vowed that he one day would give family members all the meals, heat and housing they wanted, and one day he would return to his impoverished community to rebuild playgrounds and help erect community centers.

    He worked on his game at a famed local court, "The Spectrum," the same venue where his father once starred. He tirelessly worked on his outside shooting with Wellston High coach Jeff McCaw. And he learned how good he needed to be from another St. Louis high school player, Bradley Beal, now a rookie with the Washington Wizards.

    RANKINGS: THE TOP 10 PLAYERS IN THE COUNTRY

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    Every week, USA TODAY Sports ranks the top 10 players in the country. The rankings are based on the entirety of the season but change week-to-week and reflect the opinions of college basketball writers Nicole Auerbach, Eric Prisbell, Scott Gleeson and Dan Uthman. Player season statistics and team value are considered. Team record and strength of schedule are also considered. NBA draft stock is not considered. Players who are currently injured are also not considered. Here's the top 10 for Feb. 22:  Sue Ogrocki, AP
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    1. Trey Burke, Michigan: Sophomore guard averages 18.6 points and 6.9 assists a game for the No. 7 Wolverines (22-4). Last week: 1.  Rick Osentoski, USA TODAY Sports
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    2. Victor Oladipo, Indiana: Junior forward averages 14 points and 6 rebounds, 2.4 steals a game for the No. 1 Hoosiers (24-3). Last week: 6.  Brian Spurlock, USA TODAY Sports
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    3. Kelly Olynyk, Gonzaga: Junior forward averages 17.9 points and 6.9 rebounds a game for the No. 3 Bulldogs (26-2). Last week: 7.  Jed Conklin, AP
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    4. Shane Larkin, Miami: Sophomore guard averages 13.1 points and 4.3 assists per game for the No. 2 Hurricanes (22-3).  Steve Mitchell, USA TODAY Sports
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    5. Doug McDermott, Creighton: Junior forward averages 22.5 points, 7.8 rebounds a game for the Bluejays (22-6). Last week: 2.  Nati Harnik, AP
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    6. Ben McLemore, Kansas: Freshman guard averages 16.3 points and 5.5 rebounds a game for the No. 9 Jayhawks (22-4). Last week: No. 4.  Orlin Wagner, AP
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    7. Jeff Withey, Kansas: Senior center averages 13.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 4 blocks a game for the No. 9 Jayhawks (22-4). Last week: No. 5.  Charlie Riedel, AP
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    8. Mason Plumlee, Duke: Senior center averages 17.5 points and 10.5 rebounds a game for the No. 6 Blue Devils (23-3). Last week: No. 3.  Jeremy Brevard, USA TODAY Sports
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    9. Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State: Freshman guard averages 15 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists a game for the No. 14 Cowboys. Last week: not ranked.  Sue Ogrocki, AP
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    10. Deshaun Thomas, Ohio State: Junior forward averages 20.1 points and 6 rebounds a game for the No. 18 Buckeyes (19-7). Last week: No. 8.  Jamie Sabau, Getty Images
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    Honorable mentions: Cody Zeller (Indiana), Isaiah Canaan (Murray State), Nate Wolters (South Dakota State), Shabazz Muhammad (UCLA), Anthony Bennett (UNLV), Jammal Franklin (San Diego State), Michael Carter-Williams (Syracuse).  Mike Carter, USA TODAY Sports
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