Former Jayhawk standout Sean Pearson learned many life lessons growing up

Sean Pearson was a high school star at Nazareth Academy in LaGrange, Ill. The  6-5 swingman was rated the No. 58 best prospect nationally by Bob Gibbons his senior year, while considered one of the top five players in the Chicagoland area. He averaged 24.1 points and 9.0 rebounds per game his senior season while shooting 57 percent from the field, leading Nazareth to a 28-1 record, including 27 straight wins. As a junior, Pearson was MVP of the Lemont (Ill.) Holiday Tournament after scoring 104 points in four games. Pearson, who appeared in the acclaimed movie documentary “Hoop Dreams,” chose KU over Michigan and Marquette.

Pearson took his lethal perimeter jump shot to KU and finished his career as the No. 7 all-time leader in three-point field goals with 117. He had his best year his junior season in 1994-95, averaging a career-high 9.6 points and 3.0 rebounds in 23.5 minutes per game, starting 28 of 31 contests. Pearson, who also made a career-best 41 threes that season, posted career averages of 6.2 points and 2.1 rebounds in 14.2 minutes per game, while shooting 41.6 percent from the field, 31.5 percent from beyond the arc, and 57.6 percent at the charity stripe.

In the 1995-96 Media Guide, it was reported that Pearson was “an underrated small forward who at times can shoot from the perimeter as well as anyone in the Big Eight Conference...Has made great strides in his overall game since his sophomore season, especially on the defensive end...Arguably KU’s most solid performer last January...” Pearson scored a career-high 26 points against Colorado on Jan. 21, 1995, connecting on 6 of 8 three-point field goal attempts.

From the 1995-96  Media Guide:

Favorite Food: Chicken

Least Favorite Food: Fish

Favorite Movie: Crimson Tide

Person I admire the Most: My father

Person in history I would like to converse with: Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X

Favorite Sports Hero: George Gervin

Team I would like to see added to the schedule: Illinois

Best athlete I have played against:  Eddie Jones

Ten years from now, I hope to be: Playing basketball

If I were president of the NCAA for a day, I would: Pay the student athletes

When I have time to relax, I: Listen to music

The toughest thing about being an athlete is: The practices

If I have one million dollars, I would: Invest it

My advice to kids is: Study hard

To get psyched up for a game, I: Listen to music

My biggest thrill in sports was: Going to the Final Four

Not many people know this about me, but: I’m shy

I can’t imagine going a week without: Chocolate 

Last summer I: Played in the Kansas City Bell League

I chose my jersey number because: I like it

Here is my Where Are They Now? interview with Pearson in 2000. I met with him at the Boys & Girls Club in Lawrence, where he was working at the time as program director and providing a true role model and great example for youth.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for kids,” Pearson said of the Boys & Girls Club.

We had a wonderful talk. I could tell Sean had a great perspective on life and realized there were far more important things than basketball like studying and getting a great education.

“I tell my nephew, ‘You go into the gym and you play basketball for two hours, you got to study for two hours.’ They go hand in hand. A lot of players are starting to realize that just because you can dunk the basketball doesn’t mean a college is going to take you. You got to be able to go to school and make the grades. You got to be able to do both.”

By David Garfield

Sean Pearson calls the experience a defining moment in his life.

Pearson, the former KU basketball player, was just 13 years old and attending the prestigious Five-Star basketball camp. He and approximately 1,700 other campers sat mesmerized while listening to a speech by Rick Pitino (Providence head coach and current coach of the Boston Celtics).

“He had us all stand up, and then made everyone sit down except for one kid,” Pearson said.  “He told us out of all of us here, only one person is going to make it to the NBA. ... At that moment, I realized that basketball wasn’t meant for everyone to play professionally. Everyone can play the game, but only a select few can play professionally.”

While Pearson continued attending camps as a youngster, he “just didn’t go to try and play basketball and show the talents I could do. I tried to learn some things.”

Now, at 28, Pearson is putting his basketball dreams aside and using the gifts and lessons he learned from people like Pitino and KU coach Roy Williams and passing them down to impressionable youngsters at the Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence. Pearson has been the club’s program director for the past six months. 

“Kids tell me, ‘I’m going to be an NBA or NFL superstar,’” Pearson said. “It’s not that easy. You got to be willing to put forth the effort. And putting forth the effort still doesn’t mean you’re going to get there. There might be somebody better than you at the time, or something else could happen. ... It’s a great goal to have, but you have to be ready to set other goals in between because that goal may not happen.” 

Pearson, who previously worked for the Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department, was naturally drawn to the Boys & Girls Club. He said he feels a personal mission to make life better for young people.

“I try to set up after-school programs and give them some rules and boundaries of what they can and cannot do, and kind of just head them in the right direction as they get older,” he said. 

The team comedian during his Jayhawk career, Pearson revels in working with children and helping shape the next generation.

“Probably most of my staff tell me I’m the biggest kid that we have here,” Pearson said, smiling.  “As long as it makes the kids happy and makes them comfortable about being around me, it’s worth it. I love kids. I think they’re the greatest thing in the world. No matter what kind of day I’m having, if you put me around kids, it just makes it a better day. They’re the future of everything that’s going to happen in this world, and we just have to try and teach them the best way to do things and have fun doing it.”

Pearson certainly had a fun time during his KU career. A high school standout from LaGrange, Ill, he said Kansas was a perfect match for him. Pearson talked about the speculation that he wouldn’t have come to Kansas if Williams had signed Jimmy King, a McDonald’s All-American who chose Michigan and became a part of the famed Fab Five. King and Pearson were both recruited by KU and Michigan.

“It really didn’t matter if Jimmy went to Michigan or he went to Kansas, and I went to the same place,” Pearson said, noting the two played different positions (King was a big guard, while Pearson played primarily small forward). “It seemed like everything was meant for me to come here to KU. I just wanted to be someplace where I felt comfortable with the people. I think if coach Williams could have got both of us, he would have loved it. It just didn’t work out that way.”

A prolific three-point shooter, Pearson wound up his KU career playing in a Final Four, two Sweet 16’s, and an appearance in the Elite Eight. He said going to the Final Four in New Orleans as a freshman in 1993 was his crowning moment as a Jayhawk.

 

“March Madness is something you really can’t describe,” Pearson said.

And then there was his memorable senior year in 1996, where KU advanced to the Elite Eight.  Despite being replaced in the starting lineup that season by frosh sensation Paul Pierce, Pearson enjoyed every minute of his senior campaign.

“It was the (team) closeness we had,” Pearson said. “Everybody thought that could be a problem (losing his starting position), but it wasn’t. Regardless of how much time I was playing, I was still a leader on that team because I was a senior and I had been through things that those players hadn’t been through yet.”

After finishing his KU career, Pearson went back to his old high school in Illinois (Nazareth Academy) and became an assistant coach. He then hooked up with former KU teammate Calvin Rayford and played with the IBA’s North Dakota franchise. Pearson returned to Lawrence in 1998 and worked for the city’s Parks and Recreation department before embarking on another venture with professional basketball last summer with the USBL’s Kansas Cagerz.

Pearson, whose ultimate dream is to be a college basketball coach, is now focusing all his energies on the Boys & Girls Club.

“I feel the Lord had something else for me to do than be an NBA basketball player, and I’m here to do that.”

A Closer Look at Sean Pearson:

Years at KU: 1991-1996 (Pearson sat out the 1991-92 season as a non-qualifier, but eventually had his year reinstated by the NCAA)

Career Notables:  Member of 1993 Final Four squad...1994-95 Big Eight All-Improved team..1993-94 Big Eight All-Bench Team...Tied for No. 7 all time with Mike Maddox in NCAA Tournament games played (14)...No. 9 in career three-point field goals (117).

Family: Pearson is engaged to Martha Caldwell and will be married in November.

Education: B.G.S. Psychology, 1997

Since Leaving KU: Pearson served as an assistant varsity basketball coach at his former high school in LaGrange, Ill. (Nazareth Academy) before playing for the IBA’s North Dakota minor league club. He returned to Lawrence in 1998 and worked for the Parks and Recreation department, until playing professionally again last summer with the USBL’s Kansas Cagerz in Salina.

Currently: Pearson is the program director for the Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence.

Hobbies: Watching television and talking and giving encouragement to his nephew David. 

Favorite KU Memories: Going to the Final Four his freshman season in 1993...Touring Paris during an exhibition game series his senior year... Final home game. “I miss the fans more than anything.”

On the Jayhawks Today: “They can’t look at what everyone else expects out of them. They’re going to have to go for what they expect out of themselves and what coach Williams expects. Believe in the things he wants them to do, because they’re going to work. We used to say you got to pull the nails out of the floor for coach if you want to win a game, and I think they have to take that into mind.”

Jayhawk Hoops Players Childhood Heroes Part 2

After first looking at four former KU standouts' childhood hoop heroes, we now examine five more ex-Jayhawks and who they idolized growing up.

GREG GURLEY (1991-95)

A tremendous athlete at Shawnee Mission South who once scored 49 points in a game, Gurley was a top-100 recruit by analyst Bob Gibbons. Gurley, who chose KU over Notre Dame, USC, Syracuse and six Big Eight Conference schools, persevered at Kansas through severe back pain, which limited his athletic skills. Still, the 6-5 guard was a consummate team player and impressive three-point shooter who competed on the 1993 Final Four squad.

“I was a huge Magic Johnson fan,” said Gurley in a 2003 interview, who admitted he also loved the North Carolina Tar Heels growing up and attended a UNC camp in Chapel Hill in sixth or seventh grade when Roy Williams was an unknown assistant.

“I was a huge Laker fan — most of my friends were big Larry Bird fans, I kind of went the other way. Growing up, I was always bigger than everyone else and I was a guard. That’s the way Magic was, and I just liked to watch him play and tried to emulate him. My dad was a coach. I scored a lot of points, but I also passed the ball a lot. I tried to keep everyone involved, just like Magic did. He scored a lot, but yet he kept everyone involved. He was just the ultimate floor leader. I obviously didn’t have the flair that he did. That’s the guy I really tried to copy.”

PAT RICHEY (1990-94)

A versatile 6-8 forward and tireless worker from Lee’s Summit, Mo., who could pass, dribble and shoot, Richey chose the Jayhawks over Missouri and Kentucky. Richey, who was rated the 62nd best senior prospect nationally by Gibbons, played on two Final Four teams in 1991 and 1993.

Like Gurley, back problems hindered Richey at KU.

“Danny (Manning) was probably my favorite player when I was in high school,” Richey said in a 2003 interview. “In high school, I played point guard. I was the starting point guard; I was able to dribble down and pass it off, go post up type of deal. Depending on who was guarding me determined what position I was playing. I always felt I had the versatility say of a Danny Manning, who could step out and shoot and play down low as well. My career never turned out as good as his did, but I always tried to kind of mimic my game after his.” 

SEAN PEARSON (1992-96)

A former high school star from LaGrange, Ill., Pearson chose the Jayhawks over Michigan. Pearson, who appeared in the acclaimed documentary, “Hoop Dreams,” was rated the 58th best prospect nationally as a senior by Gibbons while considered one of the top-five prospects in the Chicagoland area.

The 6-5 small forward averaged 24.1 points and 9.0 rebounds per game his senior year while shooting 57 percent from the field for Nazareth Academy. He led Nazareth to a 28-1 record, including 27 straight wins.

Pearson, who was a member of the Big Eight All-Improved Team in 1994-95 and a member of the Big 8 All-Bench Team in 1993-94, was a long-distance bomber who made 117-of-371 three-point attempts during his career. A member of the 1993 Final Four team, Pearson’s best season came as a junior in 1994-95 when he averaged 9.6 points and 3.0 rebounds per game.

Pearson ranks with some of the best in KU history when he made six three-point field goals in a conference game against Colorado on Jan. 21, 1995, and when he went 5-of-5 from downtown against Oklahoma State on Jan. 26, 1994. Only Ben McLemore and Rex Walters made more threes (six) in a game without a miss.

A defining moment in Pearson’s life happened when he was age 13 and attending the prestigious Five-Star Camp. He will never forget what guest speaker Rick Pitino told the campers.

“There were probably 1,700 kids in there, and he had us all stand up, and then made everyone sit down except for one kid,” Pearson said in a 2000 interview. “He told us out of all us in here, only one person is going to make it to the NBA. ... At that moment, I realized that basketball wasn’t meant for everyone to play professionally. Everyone can play the game, only a select few can play professionally.”

This well-rounded person idolized George Gervin and later Magic Johnson growing up.

“He was my favorite,” Pearson said of Gervin, the former scoring machine known as ‘Ice Man.’ “I tell people Michael Jordan did a lot of things, but George Gervin did the same things without dunking the basketball.”

BRIAN MARTIN (1981-84)

A Wichita native, Martin played for Northwest High School and was Honorable Mention All-State who averaged 13.6 points and 9.5 rebounds his senior year. Recruited heavily out of high school, Martin next played at Hutchinson Community College.

The 6-9 center and late bloomer transferred to KU and had a solid three-year career who posted career averages of 4.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. A great shot blocker, Martin swatted 83 shots in 84 games. Martin was drafted in the ninth round of the 1984 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers before starring in the CBA.

He played three games for the Seattle SuperSonics and five games for the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1985-86 season, recording six points, four rebounds, and one block for his career.

“I used to always pretend to be Jack Sikma in high school,” Martin said in a 2000 interview. “A teammate of mine in high school loved Seattle, so we’d always be Seattle. It was kind of neat. When I was on Seattle’s team (in the NBA), my high school teammate called. He wanted me to get Jack Sikma’s autograph for him.”

And playing with the Sonics got Martin a fleeting taste of being an NBA celebrity.

“We were at an exhibition game,” Martin recalled. “We were playing Portland somewhere in Oregon. I don’t remember where. It was a high school gym or small college gym. I always put my warm-up pants and my jersey on to go out and shoot an hour before the game or half hour before the game. As I was walking out, all these little kids were coming around wanting my autograph. There were about 30 kids around me and I was signing autographs.

“All of a sudden, I was in a middle of an autograph, this kid just ripped it out of my hand and the whole crowd just left. I turned around and Jack Sikma had walked into the gym. They all wanted his autograph. They didn’t know who I was. He just ripped it (autograph) right out of my hand. I think I got like the first three letters of my first name in. Here I was felling pretty special, like I was a stud, and here (Sikma) walks in and puts me in my place.”

RODGER BOHNENSTIEHL (1965-68)

This 6-6 scoring machine from Collinsville, Ill., had a superlative high school career, leading his team to a 75-14 record. Bohnenstiehl had his heart set on attending Missouri and staying close to home when new KU assistant and fellow Collinsville native Sam Miranda called him after resigning from his assistant job at New Mexico.

Miranda, who recruited Bohnenstiehl when he was at New Mexico, knew he couldn’t let his big prize slip away.

“He said, ‘I’m leaving New Mexico and going to Kansas,” Bohnenstiehl said in a 2001 interview. “I said, ‘Well, that's great Sam, because I’m not going to New Mexico either because my dad is very, very ill, and my mother wants me to stay close. I’m going to call Bob Vanatta (head coach at Missouri) and see if he’s still got a scholarship.’ 

“He said, ‘No you’re not. You come out to Kansas. I want you to see that before you do anything,’ so I flew out and fell in love with the place. This was like early June when I went out there, and there were a bunch of guys around there-- Riney Lochmann, Wesley Unseld (he never played at KU) and guys like that. I hung around with them. They were great guys, people I wanted to be with and a part of.”

So Bohnenstiehl signed with KU and became a star. After playing behind Walt Wesley at center his sophomore year in 1965-66, he started at forward the rest of his career. Bohnenstiehl was All-Big Eight as a junior (16.4 ppg), a captain his senior year in 1968, and finished his career as the No. 9 leading scorer in school annals with 1,006 points. He set a Big Eight field goal percentage record at 56.6 percent that stood for many years.

Possessing an uncanny quick turnaround jump shot, Bohnenstiehl was nicknamed “The Machine” by Voice of the Jayhawks Tom Hedrick. Hedrick said he was “quick as a hiccup.”

“That (turnaround jumper) was the only way I could score because I played against people that were a lot bigger than I was,” Bohnenstiehl said. “You had to do something to get your shot off. ... I just tried to be as quick as I could. I wasn’t fast, but I was quick.”

Above all, this former KU standout was a winner who played for the love of the game.

“I wasn’t much for stats or watching how many points I scored,” he said. “I just loved the game and tried to play it my hardest.”

Bohnenstiehl, who developed that turnaround jump shot in high school after endless hours of practice, talked about his idol growing up.

“We had a guy when I was in high school named Bogey Redmond,” Bohnenstiehl said. “My freshman year in high school, they won the state. They were 32-0. I kind of idolized him as a player. He was 6-6 and 220, and I was about 6-6 and 180. He was kind of my idol. I always wanted to be like him, but better. I think in order to be a player, I think you got to have somebody that you kind of idolize. You got to kind of mimic after him. I didn’t like the pros. At that time, there wasn’t any college basketball on TV, but it was on the radio. I used to listen to the Cincinnati Bearcats.”