Growing Up ... Lamar Stevens
Cavaliers Sophomore Swingman Looks Back on His Formative Years In Philly
by Joe Gabriele (@CavsJoeG)
10/28/21 | Cavs.com
On Wednesday night in L.A., the surprising young Cavaliers ran their win streak to three – shutting down the Clippers as their early-season roadie rolls on.
With Isaac Okoro on the shelf with a hamstring strain, second-year man Lamar Stevens saw his first significant action of the year – and despite struggling from the floor, was one of the dogged Cavalier defenders who made things just as tough for Clippers All-Star, Paul George. In 21 minutes off the bench, Stevens finished with two points, six boards a steal in the gutsy 92-79 victory.
An undrafted, four-year man from Penn State, Stevens signed with the Cavs last year and impressed on both ends of the floor. As a rookie, he posed three double-digit scoring games, including a historic 15-point, 11-rebound effort against San Antonio – becoming the only Cavalier in team history to post a double-double in less than 18 minutes of work. His game-deciding dunk last February against Atlanta snapped the squad’s 10-game skid.
As impressive as Stevens is on the floor, he’s just as solid off it. During his time at Penn State, he authored a 16-page children’s book titled “Lamar’s Climb — A Journey to Happy Valley” which documented Lamar’s journey from Philadelphia to State College and which was colored by six special needs kids connected to the Nittany Lions program.
”Penn State was a place that was so good to me,” recalled Stevens. “And through Coach (Pat) Chambers, we always participated in Special Olympics and a thing called ‘The Buddy Walk’ with kids with Downs Syndrome. We did that every year. So, I was able to develop a great relationship with those kids. And we had a game where we played Minnesota which we released the book. It was awesome.
”The thing I loved most about was the kids being able to go on the court at halftime in a sold-out arena and have everyone cheer for them and see the smiles on their faces.”
As J.B. Bickerstaff’s young guns take a day to enjoy the California sunshine and get ready for the second half of their West Coast trip, Cavs.com talks to Lamar Stevens about his athletic family, getting game night texts from grandma and, of course, his first dunk as a kid in today’s version of Growing Up …
Stevens was a two-time All-Big Ten selection during his decorated career at Penn State.
Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
I come from … an athletic family. My dad played basketball at Widener University – a D-III school in Chester, PA. He’s actually the all-time leading scorer there. And my mom, she didn’t play any sports, but growing up she was a big runner. She used to do the Broad Street Run and stuff like that. So, that’s where I get it from.
My brother played … football at a D-III college called Wesleyan University in Connecticut and my sister plays volleyball now.
And ranking us athletically … I’m definitely first.
As a kid … I played baseball and football. I played football right up until before I went to high school, 8th grade. I just wanted to lock in on one sport. Plus, I kept getting hurt in football – so I figured that wasn’t for me.
My big growth spurt … came from 7th grade to 8th grade – I went from 5-8 to 6-3, because I remember being 6-3 in 8th grade. And then every year I just got a little taller.
One of my best mentors … was my coach at the Haverford School, Harry Fairfax, who really introduced me to working hard, getting up early, buying into your craft. And that was also around the time I was getting recruited. So, we were able to share that experience together. That was huge.
My parents … were also great guides for me along the way.
I first thought I could … possibly reach the next level of basketball in my 9th grade year. It was always my dream to play in the NBA, so there was always a chance I thought I could. But I remember in my freshman year, receiving a letter from Xavier. And I thought: ‘I need more of these.’ That was the start.
It feels … really good to get recruited by a bunch of schools. It lets you know that your hard work is being noticed.
I actually never thought … about Penn State in terms of basketball. I didn’t think I was gonna go there until I went up and saw the campus and saw everything they stood for, their vision. And Coach Chambers is another mentor of mine that I’m super-close with to this day.
To be honest, I was looking … at Villanova and Temple as a kid. And I never, ever thought about Penn State. But, hey, you can’t script this stuff.
Yes, my grandma still … texts me after every game. Actually, she texts me every day. But she especially makes sure to hit me after every game. She watches every game.
I can do no wrong … in her eyes. There’s never any criticism. If I didn’t play my best, she’s like: ‘You’re gonna kill ‘em next time!’ It’s really cool.
I remember my first dunk … in my driveway AND a game.
In the driveway … was the actual first time. I was just practicing with my dad. We were just going over and over it again and again, just trying to figure it out. Because I could get up there, I just couldn’t figure out how to do it. But then I did.
And my first game dunk … was in 9th grade and I actually dunked on somebody for my first dunk. I just went for it. It was at a small gym. It was in transition, and I just remember going up and dunking – and it was a great feeling. Everybody went crazy.