You've heard about young protégés before -- gifted children with hyper-developed brains enrolling into university before they even become teenagers. However, can a scrappy young child that has yet to receive a growth spurt from puberty climb through the ranks of a competitive sport?
The 11-year-old Julian Newman stands 4 feet 5 inches tall and is one of the most talented young basketball players today. A game that favors taller athletes, Julian "Handles" Newman possesses extraordinary ball control that not only levels the playing field, but actually tips the game to his advantage.
Julian lives and breathes the game of basketball and spends his days either at the gym or at home practicing his 100 free throws, 200 floaters, and 200 jump shots everyday. Exhibiting extraordinary dedication, Julian practices into 1 in the morning. Practice and hard work pays off -- playing against older kids nearly two feet taller than him, Julian lets his talent shine as he cuts through the opposing team and makes them look silly.
Supporting Julian's passion is his father, Jamie, the coach of Downey Christian School. Picking up a basketball at three years old, Julian soon mastered the game and began to play against older boys. Initially, Julian made it into the Downey middle school team, finishing with astronomical scores including 63, 69, and 91 in three consecutive games. Julian's performance caught the eyes of the coach and Julian was soon promoted into his father's varsity team.
"You see more of him dribbling the ball than you'll see watching an NBA game," said Jamie. "He can do stuff that Chris Paul and Derrick Rose can't."
Julian's mother, Vivian, on the other hand, was initially against the idea of her little boy playing against high school kids.
"At first, I felt no, as a mother," she said. "I was scared he would get squished."
But there was nothing to worry about. Julian "Handles" Newman continued to dominate. Thanks to Julian, Downey basketball is now 18-5 after a long streak of losses. In fact, some high schools even forfeited their game just so that they don't have to face Julian's humiliation.
ScoutFocus national recruiting coordinator Joe Davis already has his eyes on Julian.
"He's a very talented kid and comes from a great family," says Davis. "He's smaller, so that's going to be his main obstacle, but he has a great future once he hits a growth spurt or two."
See Julian "Handles" Newman yourself. Be sure to check out Julian's incredible talent below:
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