Former Jayhawk Chalmers likely learned a lesson
Tonight the child heroes who delivered a basketball national championship to the University of Kansas will gather in Lawrence to receive their rings in a private ceremony.
The next day, when the Kansas football team is devouring a cupcake, the hoops stars will take the field and wave to an adoring crowd.
It’s my guess the biggest ovation will be received by Mr. Big Shot, Mario Chalmers, the guard who drained the top-of-the-key three-pointer that led to Memphis’ unraveling.
There’s no reason for Kansas fans to hold back their admiration and appreciation.
Yeah, I know that Chalmers and Darrell Arthur were recently involved in an embarrassing incident at the NBA’s rookie transition program. They were booted from the symposium and fined by the league for breaking rules at a seminar that is set up to show NBA rookies how to avoid embarrassing situations.
They were allegedly caught in their hotel rooms with two girls and the strong aroma of marijuana. It was an immature and stupid mistake. It’s not our job to help Mario mature. That’s the job of Mario and his family. They’re the only people who can make it happen.
I think Mario will be all right. I talked with him earlier this week when he was in Miami training with the Heat, the team that selected him in the second round of the draft. I asked him what he had learned from the incident.
“It was just a lesson about being in the wrong situation at the wrong time,” Chalmers said. “It reinforced that if the situation isn’t right, you have to get out before the situation gets any worse.”
I didn’t ask Chalmers a bunch of specifics about what happened at the symposium. I’m not all that interested. I didn’t even ask him about the persistent rumors that Michael Beasley was hiding in the closet or bathroom when NBA security entered the hotel room. Those rumors gained an air of legitimacy Thursday when the league announced that Beasley has been fined $50,000 for his involvement and failure to cooperate with the investigation.
I believe Mario will navigate his way to a mature place primarily because he has two supportive, heavily involved parents. His dad, former KU assistant coach Ronnie Chalmers, has a military background.
Young people stray, but as long as they have caring parents willing to hold them accountable, they more than likely find the proper path.
“I told him what happened,” Mario Chalmers said of his conversation with his dad. “It wasn’t a terrible conversation. I just had to explain to him what happened. The situation wasn’t as bad as it’s been portrayed in the media.”
I mentioned in a previous column that I’ve addressed the NBA rookies the last two years at the symposium. Billy Hunter, the director of the players association, likes to bring me in to speak to the league’s young players about their image and what they can do to avoid the kind of mistake Chalmers, Arthur and Beasley made.
My advice is simple: 1. Develop a friendship/bond with a retired NBA player and listen to his advice; 2. Avoid taking on/acquiring lifetime responsibilities such as children/marriage/baby mama until age 30.
Unlike Chalmers, many young professional athletes do not come from stable family structures, and the athletes lack a mentor they can trust, a mentor who understands the world they’re about to enter.
Significant wealth does not mean you’re prepared to manage significant responsibility. Wealth at a young age often means just the opposite. Wealth in your 20s increases your immaturity.
To reach Jason Whitlock, call 816-234-4869 or send e-mail to jwhitlock@kcstar.com. For previous columns, go to KansasCity.com
