He attracts attention because he does what others can’t…as did Jordan and Bird at that same age. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
The Delphos St. John ‘shootist’ and his latest exhibition of accuracy and efficiency as a high school shooter knocked Marion Local from the ranks of the unbeaten Friday. But what are we missing beyond the wins and statistical horizons?
If you read Saturday’s game story of the Delphos St. John-Marion Local game story from Friday night, and the remarkable shooting performance of Furman University-bound Delphos guard Cameron Elwer, you might have been tempted to read it twice.
You know. Just to make sure you read it right!
Unofficially, he took fourteen shots Friday night, and hit twelve of them in a game of monumental conference consequence – sole possession of first place in the Midwest Athletic Conference.
He took seven shots from beyond the three-point line, and hit them all!
He was perfect from the foul line…4 for 4.
And the final box score will show that Marion Local, as a team, only outscored him by a single point…36-35.
He put on a show…something you aren’t accustomed to seeing in contemporary high school competition. And in some circles, it’s even discouraged because everyone can’t do it!
And if you can, you might be labeled as a poor sport – less than a team player. Neither can be said of Elwer, who knew exactly what his team needed Friday, and its dependency on him to deliver the kind of leadership necessary to deliver at a key moment of their season. Subtract Elwer’s 35 points and the Blue Jays don’t win that game.
And once again, there’s that term…win. But regardless of how many games St. John wins this winter, Cam Elwer, when he’s finished, will be remembered as a winner.
“There was emotion tonight,” he said, post-game. “I just wanted to win. I tried to make the right play and put the team in the best situation to come out on top.”
And in the real world of sports and competition, that passion and confidence is still what attracts the next level of opportunity. It’s not arrogance. It has nothing to do with sportsmanship. It is what it is. Elwer is that good – the example of what the great baseball hall of famer Dizzy Dean once said to a reporter that questioned his humility.
“It’s what they come to see.” Dean answered.
In this day of cookie-cutter culture, Cam Elwer is the model of what hundreds of little boys who watch should aspire to be. That being, work as hard as he does and good things happen, on the court and in the classroom. He’s a 4.0 student…a leader in his school. He’s the once-in-a-great-while you hear about – a comet burning brightly. See it while you can, because quickly it’s gone.
His daily routine includes going to the gymnasium an hour before sunup to practice. Work on making good even better, while others turn over in bed and hit the snooze button.
He doesn’t play basketball humbly. And neither did Jordan, Bird, and Magic at the same age. Rather, they attracted attention because they did what others couldn’t.
That doesn’t mean he’ll be Jordan or Bird. But what we’re seeing in Cam Elwer is unique. And yes, special. But we don’t declare it aloud, because it would offend those who choose the snooze button. But maybe we should, for appreciation’s sake.
“People obviously enjoy watching him play,” his father and coach, Aaron Elwer, admitted following Friday’s win. “He’s different, and a good different…his work ethic, and his confidence. He’s doing something you just don’t see every day.”
Someone texted Saturday to remind us that Elwer is only averaging 27 points a game. And that someone else is averaging 30.
And that’s true, but Elwer is different. He doesn’t need to average 30, but he could. He only took fourteen shots Friday night – all that his team needed.
And yes, he did it with flair. He entertained, in a day when culture delights in being entertained.
Our congratulations and respect to Delphos St. John’s Cameron Elwer, for the fourth time in as many years and the second time this year…this week’s ‘Who’s Hot’ honoree on Press Pros.
Peace of mind is as easy as the relationship you have with your local bank, and the St. Henry bank is small enough to know you, and big enough to serve you. The St. Henry Bank joins Press Pros Magazine in recognizing this week’s “Who’s Hot” honoree…Cameron Elwer ,from Delphos St. John High School.