The year was 2001, and they were freshmen ““ but the hair
was 1970s disco.
Go back two years in Pacific 10 Conference basketball history
and there they were: Josh Childress at Stanford; Cedric Bozeman at
UCLA; Jamal Sampson at California. They all had afros, putting them
closer in time to Julius Erving than their fellow college
freshmen.
For those who know them, growing their hair to immense
proportions was more a joke than a serious pact. But even in jest,
it was a sign of solidarity as the three parted ways for
college.
“It was a thing we kept until freshman year, but after
that I cut if off,” said Bozeman, who has known Childress
since the fifth grade. “It’s been a long road to senior
year from after my freshman year of college. I just had to get rid
of it.”
But he hasn’t gotten rid of his friendship with Childress,
an All-American candidate at Stanford. The pair will reunite when
they face off Thursday night in Palo Alto when UCLA takes on
Stanford.
On the court, Childress and Bozeman spent their early basketball
years playing together on the same Amateur Athletic Union team in
the fifth grade. In high school, however, Childress and Bozeman
went from playing together to playing against each other, for
Mayfair and Mater Dei, respectively. Sampson also played for Mater
Dei.
Childress recounts one memory of high school play when the two
rival schools faced each other. He trash-talked his good
friend’s team even though he knew Mater Dei’s squad was
bigger and tougher. Not surprisingly to Childress, Mayfair lost.
After the game, Bozeman laughed at him for being so confident that
they would win, and Childress just laughed with him.
“It was all in fun,” Childress said.
“It’s been a wild ride, but it’s all been in
fun.”
The wild ride continued through their pick-up games ““
where the trio was nicknamed the “machine gun crew” for
their dribbling and passing skills.
When it came time to go to college, the three considered
attending a school together. Bozeman committed to UCLA much earlier
than Childress was ready to, and the Cardinal wooed him to Palo
Alto, while Sampson chose to play for the Golden Bears.
“The idea that we were going to go together was fine for
awhile, but we had to do what was best for us,” Childress
said. “I wanted to make sure I was making a quality decision
that was a good fit for me, where I could thrive.”
To say he’s thrived at Stanford would be a gross
understatement. After experiencing what he describes as a
“tough transition” into college basketball, Childress
has come into his own in Stanford’s limelight. Last season,
he led Stanford in rebounding and averaged 14 points per game.
After sitting out Stanford’s first nine games this season
due to a severe stress fracture in his foot, he has returned to the
game with fervor, averaging 11.4 points and seven rebounds per game
in 20 minutes of play.
“A player like Josh, you can’t really stop him, you
can just contain him,” said UCLA forward Dijon Thompson, who
played against Childress in the CIF championship in high school.
“He’s going to score points, he’s going to get
rebounds, so basically you just have to try to contain
him.”
His recent injury, Childress said, has made him a smarter
player. Sitting on the bench, though, wasn’t as painful as it
could have been because Stanford was ““ and still is ““
winning.
The success Childress has found with the Cardinal has compounded
his thoughts of the NBA, initially planted by Sampson, who left Cal
after only one year and now plays for the Lakers.
“I’ve thought about it,” Childress said.
“But me making that transition will be based on my feelings
if I’m ready to go and if I’m ready to make that
jump.”
When he does, Bozeman thinks he’ll go as a No. 1 draft
pick.
To that claim, Childress just laughed.
“For me to do that, I would have to get a whole lot
better. For him to say that … that dude is joking.”
Joking is not a rarity between Childress and Bozeman; it’s
more the norm. And, although the afro joke is finished, for these
two the good times are far from done.