Sun time capsule: Feb. 3, 2005

Sun sports section

Feb. 3, 2005

In a feature story titled, “Initial success,” Sun sports editor Mark Dewar profiles Shawnee Mission East High School basketball 6-6 junior swingman J.D. Christie.

Fresh from his team’s 56-53 win at Rockhurst High, where Christie led all scorers with 19 points, the junior is averaging a team-leading 20.5 points per game for the Lancers, who are 9-4 overall and 3-1 in Sunflower League play.

Christie also is leading SM East in rebounding (8.3 per game) and steals (2.1). He is second in assists at 1.6 per outing.

The junior comes equipped with a signature move. He can float from right to left across the lane and consistently bury eight-footers over the heads of opponents.

“I watch a lot of ESPN Classic, and I see a lot of the pros do it,” Christie said. “It’s really all about your body movement. You have to stay still because it’s a really hard shot. You really have to focus on the rim once you shoot up there, there is so little margin for error.”

Meanwhile, “On the court, some people don’t realize what a good left hand he has,” junior teammate Scott McElvain said. “He has an amazing left hand. Some fans will come up to me and say, ‘How’s that lefty doing?’ I say, ‘He’s not a lefty. He’s a righty with a good left hand.”

Easier to spot is the fact that respect for Christie extends well beyond the Lancers camp.

“The ball seems to go through his hands every time down the floor,” Rockhurst coach Mark Nusbaum marveled of the Lancers’ go-to guy following the loss to SM East. “He is good.”

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