Jeannette grad dreams big
Tri-State Sports & News Service
Julian Batts perfected the move in grade school. He would dribble several times, come to a halt, then toss a basketball high into the air. It was his way of celebrating an imaginary berthin the NCAA tournament.
“I’d practice that move out in the snow,” Batts said, laughing. “I was 6 or 7 years old. I dreamed about getting achance to do it for real.”
On March 6, the dream became reality when Batts’ LIU Brooklyn team puncheda ticket to the Big Dance with a 71-61 upset victory against topseeded Wagner in the Northeast Conferencetournament title game.
And similar to those days in his Jeannette backyard, Batts tossed the ball skyward as the final seconds tickedaway.
“I threw it straight up in the air,” said Batts, a Jeannette High grad and starting sophomore shooting guard for the Blackbirds. “But there were beams in the ceiling. So, instead of the ball going high, it hit one of the beams and came flying back down. It wasn’t quite the way I had practiced it, but it wasa great feeling.”
The euphoria did not end there for Batts and his LIU teammates. They made their first appearance in the NCAA tournament since 2013 Tuesday, matching up against Radford in a play-ingame in Dayton, Ohio.
The outcome was not what the 16th-seeded Blackbirds had sought — they dropped a 71-61 decision —- but it in no way tarnished a season that saw themovercome a 6-11 start, reel off five consecutive victories to close out the NEC season and finish 18-17 under first-yearcoach Derek Kellogg.
“It’s cool that we punched a ticket to the NCAA tournament,” Batts said. “That’swhat you play for.”
In the regular season, Batts led LIU in 3-point field-goal percentage (.409) and 3-pointers made (63). He also ranked fourth in scoring average (10.0 points),assists (4.3) and rebounds (4.2).
He scored in double digits 18 times, with highs of 27 against Bryant and 21 atWagner.
A smooth left-hander who plays like the son of a coach (because he is), Batts made an immediate impression on Kellogg, who coached the previous nineseasons at Massachusetts.
“The first thing that stood out to me was his character; you can see he comes from a great family,” Kellogg said of Batts, whose father just completed his 10th season as the coach of Jeannette.“He has leadership qualities on the court and in the locker room, thingsthatyouappreciateasacoach.”
That was evident in a 69-67 regularseason win against Wagner. With less than 10 seconds remaining, Batts retrieveda loose ball and hit a left-handed hookshotforthewinningpoints.
“Great composure,” Kellogg said. “The play defined who he is as a player.”
Batts cultivated his on-court demeanor while playing for dad, Julian, at Jeannette. His career point total of 1,769 ranks second only to prep legend TerrellePryor in school annals.
After graduation, he spent a year at national powerhouse St. Thomas MoreSchool in Oakdale, Conn.
That team featured 10 Division I players, including Villanova forward and Batts’ best friend, Omari Spellman.
Stunning dunks and great feats of athleticism highlighted the daily workouts,per Batts.
“You had a bunch of Alpha Male personalities there, and everybody wanted to win,” Batts said. “That was the name of the game there. It helped me to develop a supreme confidence when I came to college. I put the time and the work in there, which is why I’vebeen successful at the next level.”
Given he has lived in Brooklyn the past two years, Batts is adopting the New York City lifestyle. He said he has become a fan of the eclectic cuisine and knows his way around the subway, particularly the Q train, which takes him from Brooklyn to Manhattan.
“I like it here,” said Batts, who aspired to play close to home, but did not receive an offer from Pitt, Duquesne orRobert Morris. “The campus at LIU isn’t big, but that’s not a bad thing. Because when you walk outside the gates, there are a million people there. I can’t complain. I’m staying in New Yorkfor free.”
And playing in the NCAA tournament.