http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/highschool/stories/0203shadow.html

By CURTIS BUNN
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/03/06
It has been one thing for Antron Pippen to be known as the son of one of the NBA's 50 greatest players. But it was quite another for him to play for Collins Hill with Dad sitting four rows from the floor.

Scottie Pippen — Michael Jordan's sidekick with the six-time NBA champion Chicago Bulls — blew into town last week to see his oldest child in action, which, at once, made the kid proud and queasy.

In front of his father's critical eye, the pressure was magnified for the recently turned 18-year-old. Not only did he have to display his talent, he also had to uphold the family name.

"I was nervous," Antron Pippen said. "When my dad's there, I want to do my best, which sometimes makes me press. But I calmed down and played my game."

Pippen is one of several offspring of professional athletes who play high school basketball in metro Atlanta. Former North Carolina star Charlie Scott's son, Shaun, plays at Lovett; ex-NBA all-star Ralph Sampson has a sophomore 6-foot-10 son, Ralph Jr., at Mt. Pisgah; former NFL back Craig (Ironhead) Heyward's son, Cameron, plays at Peachtree Ridge; Super Bowl MVP Doug Williams' son, Adrian, is a starter at No. 1 Wheeler. The list goes on.

Perhaps no one's dad in these parts has been more successful athletically than Antron Pippen's. In addition to the half-dozen NBA title rings, he was a perennial All-NBA and an All-Star game MVP.

And the volume of Dad's successes weighs heavily on the 6-foot-2 son.

"The fact that I played ball, I'm pretty happy Antron's playing and playing well," Scottie Pippen said. "I have three other boys [from his second marriage], but Antron's the oldest and I expect him to do well because I sort of pushed him in that area."

Even though Antron suffered a bit of anxiety, it was a special night for both.

"There's satisfaction as a father seeing him play and seeing the love he has for the game," Scottie Pippen said. "I love watching him play. But he's his own person and he has to go through his own life. All great players' kids don't turn out to be great players. I understand the pressures he has because I'm his father. People expect a lot out of him. But he has to expect more out of himself."

Which, Antron said, he does.

"I'm used to the expectations," he said. "When I was younger, it bothered me. I was trying to prove to people I could play. I'm very proud of my father. But I can only be myself."

That is not as easy as it sounds. Williams' son, Adrian, has flourished as a basketball player at Westminster and Wheeler. He insists that strong support from his mother, Lisa Robinson, has helped him create a comfort zone.

"People are going to harp on the fact that your father is famous and was a great athlete," Adrian Williams said, "but once you understand you can only be who you are, then it's not a problem. You know people might expect more out of you, but even if you wanted to please them, you can only do what you can do."

Antron Pippen agrees, saying he has gotten beyond the hype. His mother is not so sure.

"I went through it with Scottie when we were married, people heckling you and screaming things," Karen Pippen said. "We talk a lot about putting up with people. It's sad because most of the mean-spirited comments to Antron come from adults.

"I think Antron's handling it well, but he still has a ways to go. It's a lot to deal with. Every away game, I hear fans saying, 'You need Michael Jordan' or something about his father. That's a lot. But he's a good kid and good player. I just encourage him to keep his head."

He seems to be doing just that.

"One game," Mom recalled, "he got fouled by a kid on a 3-point shot. The kid was doing a lot of talking. Antron didn't say anything. He just got up and made the three foul shots. So who really got hurt there?"

Antron's game is reminiscent of his father's in that he performs with patience and determination and plays a solid floor game. He scored 13 points in front of Dad and generally conducted himself as if he had quality genes.

The demands of Scottie's career have prevented him from seeing Antron play in many games — last week was just the second time — but he works a lot with his son in the summers and sees similarities.

"He's a late bloomer like me," said Pippen, who grew 6 inches when he got to college. "He's probably better than I was as a high school player. He's polished, with good skills. He's laid back, not very aggressive. I push him to have an urgency all the time and attack more."

The former star stays clear of the coaches, preferring to grant them space to do their job. On the other side, the coach of an ex-player's son cannot help but notice the last name of the kid he's coaching.

"You get a pro player's son, and you anticipate that he's going to know more and be better. But the reality is to let them be their own person," said Mt. Pisgah's Joe Marelle, who coaches Ralph Sampson Jr., son of the former college and NBA star by the same name. "With Ralph, sometimes I see a glimpse of his dad, other times I see an emerging power forward. Ultimately, you have to let him develop in his own time and own way."

Added Lawanza Crutcher, coach of Sprayberry ninth-grader Shawn Kemp Jr.: "The burden on the coach is to take an individual and help him develop, no matter who his dad is. [Shawn] is not his dad, and it's enough pressure on him to follow in his father's footsteps. People are well aware of who his father is; he's reminded constantly of it. But he's close to his mom and she's helping guide him to find his own way.

"And that's probably the challenge of all kids with fathers as former athletes: Finding their way."