Washington quiets critics
by Jerry Brewer
March 14, 2004

LAKELAND -- No more doubts, please. Leave Darius Washington alone. Alone at the top. His prolific high school basketball career is over now, and make no mistake about his legacy.

He will not go down as a brash, me-oriented gunner who exported style and failed to import substance.He will go down as a famously talented teenager who, despite unfair scrutiny, exited as a winner and, more importantly, a teammate.

Disregard every negative concept that people were bold enough to whisper but too afraid to yell. Washington trumped everyone. He learned. He grew. And Saturday night, he was rewarded with a state championship after Edgewater beat South Miami 72-51.

Closing scene: Washington, who had ripped off his jersey, stood around the 3-point line and hugged his coach, Travis Jones.

Defiant yet embracing. Perfect. Get over the garnish surrounding Washington's game. He's showy. He has a way of needlessly embarrassing an opponent. He struggles to fit his game neatly into a team concept.

But then, what would you do with those kinds of skills? At 18? With nothing but brilliance in front of you?  You'd figure out how to use all of it, I'd hope. You'd dump it all on the floor and then determine what stays and goes. This is the process Washington has chosen.

His coach remembers that kid who had to prove how great he was. His coach remembers that kid who needed to score every point. His coach remembers that kid who would get so excited by a jumper that you'd figure a guard hitting a trey was a novel feat.

"Unfortunately, he felt the main objective was to score as many points as possible," Jones said, referring to Washington's sophomore and junior seasons.

Now Jones looks at Washington and sees a senior. "Everything that coach said was exactly right," Washington said. "My first three years, I was like, 'Darius, Darius, Darius.' "

So he changed. He changed as much as he can right now. He passed more this season, trimmed about five points off his scoring average and excelled more on the defensive end.

He has earned a second Mr. Basketball award. I know he didn't get the first one, but I also know Chris Richard didn't average 76 points and 43 rebounds last season, either.

Washington is not perfect, but he is improving. And shame on you for passing judgment on a person's actions as he moved from 16 to 17 to 18.

It's the worst part of this age of hype. Washington has the game, gets the attention, welcomes the attention. The downside is that the more you watch, the more you find things you don't like.

That's where the haters come in. Washington has had too many. Now, though, his detractors are irrelevant. He has left a positive impression on Edgewater and Orange County basketball. It had been 21 years since a Metro Conference team won a state hoops title. Furthermore, the county hadn't celebrated one since Wymore Tech took a Class A crown 14 years ago.

These Eagles have reintroduced the area to big-time hoops. They did it with their quickness, with their athleticism and with defensive pressure that makes opposing fans cover their eyes. They also did it with a smoother Washington.

"I can't win by myself," said Washington, who scored 29 points and finished his prolific career with 2,991. "Somebody whispered in my ear before this year. I'm not going to say who, but they said, 'Michael Jordan had Scottie Pippen.' I'm not saying I'm Michael Jordan, but you know what I mean.

"Batman needs Robin." Nevertheless, some will look at Washington's eight turnovers and still question him. "They give him calls," South Miami guard Xavier Dawson said of the referees. "They don't let him play like they let everybody else play."

It was a ridiculous assessment, but forgive Dawson. Washington will. By now, he's heard just about everything. By now, it probably doesn't matter.

By now, he's at a place too high to be touched.

Jerry Brewer can be reached at jbrewer2@orlandosentinel.com.