Hard work stokes teen’s red-hot handles
RIGHT MOVES: Even nasty weather can’t stop 13-year-old Richmond Instagram sensation from practising
Like a good mailman, Lance Fuentes never lets snow, rain or heat keep him from working on his basketball moves.
It has paid off, not least by making him the highlight of the night on TSN a couple of weeks ago — a video clip of the 13-yearold dribbling two balls between his legs at the same time. While blindfolded.
“I started playing basketball when I was six, outside,” Lance said by phone from his family’s home in Richmond. “I’d practise rain or shine or even snow.”
Today, he’s a point guard for Vancouver College’s Grade 8 team and the AthElite Academy under-14 squad.
At just shy of 5-foot-6, he will never be mistaken for, say, Karl Malone (The Mailman), a retired NBA all-star who stood 6-foot-9. But Lance does seem to share the famous power forward’s renowned work ethic.
“He’s worked so hard, that guy, every day,” said Lance’s father Ronald Fuentes. “He started practising all the time outdoors.
“I felt so bad my kid was outside wearing gloves and a tuque, saying, ‘I’m freezing, dad,’ but still taking hundreds of shots a day.”
When Lance was eight, he started trying out a different dribble.
“He just said, ‘Dad, I think I can dribble two balls at once, between my legs,’” Ronald said.
“It was unique. I’d never seen anything like it. I just said, ‘Wow!’”
Lance’s TSN video is up for Advil highlight of the month (you can vote at advil. tsn.ca). He is also followed by 23,000 people on Instagram (l.a_handles), including by the Harlem Globetrotters and the Holiday brothers, two of whom (Jrue and Justin) are in the NBA with a third (Austin) playing NCAA basketball.
Lance hadn’t practised indoors until his mom had an aneurysm in 2010. Her convalescence centre had a gym with hoops and one day he brought a couple of balls with him.
“All of a sudden I picked up two basketballs and tried some dribbling moves,” he said. “My dad was amazed. Now I try to make up new dribbling moves every day and practise them.”
Some involve three balls in between-thelegs and behind-the-back moves.
When Lance isn’t at a gym with his Vancouver College or AthElite teammates, he can be found practising at the Richmond Oval, taking his daily 450 shots and working on new moves.
He is not, let us say, just mailing it in.