Nebraska freshman Jaron Boone always has been ahead of his peers on the basketball court.
As his father, Ron Boone, tells the story: "Jaron always had a basketball in his hands. He was a natural. He could dribble the ball well when he was 2. And when he was 4 I had him in a league with third-graders. He was able to hold his own with the older kids."Ron Boone said it wasn't long before his son was dominating the youth league.
Having a father who played professional basketball helped Jaron's quick development. Ron Boone played from 1968-81 in the American Basketball Association and the NBA. The highlight of his career was 1971 when the Utah Stars won the ABA title.
"I was fortunate enough to enjoy a long career in the sport and it was very rewarding to me to be able to play and be a part of a championship team," Boone said. "I try to relate some of my life experiences to my son now. At an early age I taught him the fundamentals of basketball - how to shoot, dribble and play defense. But really, the greatest teaching tool for him was just being around the gym when I was still playing.
"He grew up surrounded by basketball so he picked up that court sense that a lot of kids aren't exposed to. He knew the players on the team and just felt at home on the court."
Jaron Boone recalls the stories his father told about life in the pros, about red-white-and-blue basketballs, players with wild hairdos and wide-open, high-scoring offenses that had three-point goals long before the rest of the basketball world picked up the idea.
Basketball was a way of bonding between father and son. Jaron said he always has admired his father, and the two have maintained a close relationship.
Jaron was a standout player in Salt Lake City, player of the year in Utah in 1992. He chose Nebraska because he had gone to school in Omaha before the family moved - and because a former schoolmate, Andy Woolridge, picked Nebraska.
" . . . I wanted to be out on my own and learn to be a little more independent. It was a tough choice."
Boone, a 6-6 guard, is one of four Nebraska freshmen who get considerable playing time. He'll get a chance against New Mexico State in the opening round of the NCAA East Regional in Syracuse on Friday.
Ron Boone won't be there - he's an announcer for Utah Jazz games - but his influence will be felt.
"Wherever he was at, I was at," Jaron Boone said of his childhood. "And whenever he was out of town for a game, he called and I would get on the phone to see how he did. `How many points did you have, Dad?' Things like that. We've always been real tight.
"He's been a great dad, but he's more like a big brother to me. I can talk to him about anything. We're two very different people, and yet we're similar. You know what I mean?"
Sometimes during the summer the two Boone's will play a friendly game of one-on-one. Ron is still in good shape but Jaron says "I can beat him now."