Story by P.J. Morales
Photos courtesy of DJ Whitner
It was the second quarter of the Garner Trojans’ preseason game against Raleigh’s Athens Drive Jaguars, and after a timeout, freshman Darius Whitner checked into the game for the Trojans at point guard.
His older brother, 17-year-old Tayshaun, had already been playing for some minutes on the wing, demonstrating a clean jumper and high vertical leap. But when Darius checked in and shot a glance to his brother, their father DJ, sitting at half-court, couldn’t help but smile.
This year, not only would the two brothers play high-level hoops together for the first time, but Darius would finally get to show off his highly-touted talent on a varsity stage.
“Just that is exciting, because I know how hard he worked to get to where he’s at,” DJ Whitner said.
To hear Whitner talk about Darius is to hear an NBA commentator describe every aspect of a rookie’s debut. Every play is broken down into Darius’ individual movements, each dribble move, drive and rebound dissected and analyzed. His father is a critical eye that’s been crucial in Darius’ development, but also in supporting him in his playing dreams.
And that league dream is something that’s always on Darius’ mind. It’s something he’s been grinding toward, through youth basketball camps, all-star AAU watchlists and online articles describing his talent. It’s the push that helped earn him this year’s Wake County Athletics Preseason Freshman of the Year award.
That dream is about the future — Darius Whitner is only 15 years old.
“I grew up watching my pops play, and then in second grade it really took off playing AAU,” Whitner said. “Ever since then, I’ve loved the game.”
Granted, though the NBA is a distant dream, it isn’t entirely unrealistic for Whitner. If you’re “taking off” in second grade and getting prep schools’ attention before you’re even in middle-schooler, you’re doing the right things. Watching Whitner play, the evidence is obvious.
While his youth and inexperience at the high school level placed him on the bench early on, the team caught fire from his spark. His first play, Whitner surveyed the floor at half court before dribbling right and dishing a beautiful pass to his brother, who drove into mid-range and scored.
A minute later, Whitner stole the ball from an opponent and drove down court himself, taking it coast-to-coast for the score. The very next play, Whitner missed a shot, but rather than give up on the play, he stole the ball off the defensive rebound and layed it back in.
Not two plays after, Whitner rebounded yet another of his misses, but instead artfully took it out to the corner, where he hit a perfect 3-point shot. The onlookers, watching on from the sideline, had seen enough.
“I hate playing against Darius,” a player sighed. “He’s a grown man.”
The Jaguars couldn’t stop Whitner from crashing into passing lanes for steals and fast break points, and as one of the taller players on the court at 6-foot-1, he was scooping up offensive rebounds for putback buckets.
“I’ve always been taught, defense generates offense,” Whitner said. “So it’s always going to be like that. If you’re not scoring, you have to play defense, hustle. Do something to contribute to your team.”
It’s that hustle and drive that has put him on the radar for some of the best AAU teams and prep schools on the East Coast. For DJ, it’s bittersweet — up to now, he has coached Darius for nearly his entire life.
With teams luring him away and high school calling, his son is truly entering the dog-eat-dog recruiting world.
“Coaches will tell you just about anything to get you in the door,” DJ said. “They make promises. So again, that’s where I leave it up to the boys, but I also give them my effort.”
DJ Whitner was once a college basketball hopeful himself, with opportunities to play at schools like Louisburg College and UNC-Pembroke. When those didn’t pan out, a rec league game at a local YMCA got him noticed by a UNC-Chapel Hill assistant athletic director, and he practiced with the team for a summer.
And though he had a chance to join the team, a failed summer school class doomed those prospects. Now, as his coach and dad, DJ has ensured that his sons don’t make the same mistakes.
In a world where every young player is trying their hardest to stand out among the vast sea of young talent, you need an “it-factor,” a characteristic that pulls a scout’s eyes to you before you even hit the court, and something that keeps their eyes there on the court.
For Darius, his hair is part of his lure, and his intensity is the hook.
His eye-catching domination at AAU games and youth showcases is accented by his thick head of hair, with coaches later remarking about the performances of “the kid with the hair” that reminded them of another young firecracker, UNC’s Coby White. It’s hard to not notice it when that same kid is dropping 20 points on your team.
“It’s been a good technique,” Darius said. “Fourth and fifth grade, that’s when I really started growing it out.”
“The kid with the hair” brings intensity to the court.
“It was just kind of turn him loose and let him go,” said Garner assistant coach Lee Thompson. “(He can) get the ball, create and do that defensive stuff, just bring the intensity. He has a fever pitch at which he plays that causes everybody else to sort of rise, it’s almost like he’s contagious.”
Intensity is a skill Darius had his whole life to cultivate. Whether it was competing with his brother Tayshaun or being pushed by DJ in practice, it’s yet another bonus of being from a family where basketball is the bond.
“He was always in my ear. There was always someone who’s always kept me pushing,” Darius said of his dad, the coach. “(Growing up), there was a lot of trash talk, but there’s so many people in the whole family helping each other out, watching games together. It pushes you and makes you better as a man and as a basketball player.”
Though his brother may not have the same hype surrounding him, Darius and Tayshaun have been a critical part in each other’s success. Pickup one-on-one games in the backyard are filled with rough play and even rougher words, and even when cooking food or waiting out commercial breaks on TV shows, they push each other — “gimme 100 pushups, gimme a couple baskets outside.”
But DJ knows that as much as they trash each other and keep each other humble, they’re also each other’s biggest fans.
“I’d say that he’s the best shooter in the gym nine times out of ten,” Darius said of Tayshaun. “His IQ’s really high too, just a great player overall.”
Darius Whitner has a bright journey ahead of him, hopefully one that leads him to the bright lights of an arena. Though Tayshaun’s route may not be as clear, there they’ll be together, on the court as brothers.
“Having your brother there, doing what you love to do the most, both of you had that same interest, same goals, same drive — I’m just excited for them to be able to lean on each other,” DJ Whitner said.
LOVE this article!!!! Love the two boys with the hair!!!!