Ray McCallum Jr.: High School Hoop’s Fortunate Son
Words. Jason Jordan
McCallum is very much a creature of habit. Every day when the last bell has rang and the steady screech of sneakers in the hallway at Country Day has subsided, McCallum heads home and downs a bowl of “Wendy Mac’s famous soup.”
“Oh man it’s sooo good,” McCullam says of his mother Wendy’s soup. “It’s legendary. My teammates come over and beg for it and everything.”
After the snack, he piles into Wendy’s charcoal black Chevy Suburban and makes the 15-minute drive to Detroit Mercy to workout with Ray Sr.
“We go hard,” says Ray Sr. “Everything. Shots, drills, weights… It’s important to get into that routine.”
Ray Sr. would know. He ended his career at Ball State in 1983 as the Mid-American Conference’s all-time leading scorer (2,109 points), and won the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award as the nation’s best senior under 6-feet.
But as relentless as he was a player, Ray Sr. is borderline passive when it comes to recruiting his son. “I haven’t even formally offered him,” says Ray Sr. “He knows he can play for me, but I don’t push that on him at all.”
Still, with a conceding chuckle, Ray Sr. will admit this much: When he’s fielding calls from Billy Donovan and Mike Krzyzewski, it’s hard not to feel a little awkward.
“What can you say about the other schools recruiting him?” asks Ray Sr. “You just have to give them respect. Every coach has great credibility. He’s been around this stuff his whole life, and it’s a tough process.”
But it doesn’t have to be. Ray Sr. can lighten the load for his son, ease his stress and put him back in the, ahem, driver’s seat as he navigates through the twists and turns of the recruiting process.
“Well, now see it’s like this… I don’t have a car yet,” jokes Ray Jr. “So I’m telling my dad now that, ya know, if he really wants me to play there, he’s got to come with the car. If he does that, they may really be in business.”
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[...] knows he can play for me, but I don’t push that on him at all,” said the elder McCallum in an article by HighSchoolHoop.Com. McCallum Sr. attends most of his son’s games, especially during the summer. He is with his [...]
Whoa whoa whoa. That last sentence could lead to serious trouble from the NCAA.
He said if his dad gets him a car he would really consider going there.
That would be totally against NCAA rules. No matter if he is his dad, but if the situation plays out like that, do not be surprised to see the NCAA come sniffing around.
Re-Up.. you’re talking a whole lot of nonsense! You must be a puke fan! So his dad takes him out for dinner or getting him a cheeseburger is going to get the NCAA on him? Get a clue, he’s the kid’s father!
@Re-Up
LOL You’re a real bone head for that remark.
So you’re telling me his FATHER can’t take care of him because he’s an NCAA coach by profession?
There is no conflict of interest in this type of situation, he was simply making a harmless statement regardng his FATHER getting him a new car.