Wiedmer: Army veteran plays special part in Globetrotters' visit to Chattanooga

Jason Smith, right, and his wife Lauren, left, hold their daughter Lyla Jean during a dedication ceremony Saturday, May 9, 2015, at the Smith family's new home in Ringgold, Ga. The Steps 2 Hope organization worked with hundreds of volunteers and tens of thousands of dollars in donations to construct a new home for Smith, a veteran who lost his legs in Afganistan, and his family in just under two weeks time.
Jason Smith, right, and his wife Lauren, left, hold their daughter Lyla Jean during a dedication ceremony Saturday, May 9, 2015, at the Smith family's new home in Ringgold, Ga. The Steps 2 Hope organization worked with hundreds of volunteers and tens of thousands of dollars in donations to construct a new home for Smith, a veteran who lost his legs in Afganistan, and his family in just under two weeks time.

Long before both his legs were blown off above the knee while he was serving his country in Afghanistan, and he later became the father of 3-year-old Lyla and 1-year-old Barrett, and later than that somehow found the energy and compassion to coach kids arguably less fortunate than him in YMCA's Miracle League, Jason Smith loved to watch the Harlem Globetrotters any time they visited the Scenic City during his youth.

"It was magical for me," said Smith, recalling the exploits of former Globetrotter Michael "Wild Thing" Wilson, who once dunked on a 12-foot goal, and others. "Just crazy stuff."

Come 7 tonight inside McKenzie Arena, "Sweet Georgia Brown" no doubt blaring from the loudspeakers, Smith will help generate that crazy magic rather than watch it. The Globetrotters will have the U.S. Army veteran toss up the red-white-and-blue basketball for the opening tip when the sport's winningest team faces the World All-Stars.

(Side note: Yes, sadly, the Washington Generals were jettisoned as the Globetrotters' nightly doormat a couple of years ago after more than 16,000 losses.)

photo Jason Smith holds his 5-month old daughter Lyla Jean with his wife, Lauren, before a motorcycle parade of veterans and supporters Friday, April 24, 2015, at Camp Jordan in East Ridge, Tenn. Smith lost both of his legs in an IED explosion while serving in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan in 2012.

But Smith, who grew up in Ringgold and is now taking classes at Chattanooga State to become a physical therapist, is keeping his focus on the Globetrotters.

"It will certainly generate some nostalgia from when I was young," Smith said. "It should be a lot of fun."

The Globetrotters picked the double-amputee to join them tonight after hearing of his story through the YMCA.

"All he's been through and he's still doing something so positive with his life, working with these kids, giving back to his community," said Globetrotter veteran Orlando "El Gato" Melendez, who played on North Carolina's 1998 Final Four team. "Jason will be the real hero out there. We need more heroes like him."

Melendez is surely a hero in his native Puerto Rico, where he earned his nickname in his youth for chasing stray cats across a sugar cane field as he attempted to find a short cut to his favorite basketball court. El Gato is Spanish for "The Cat."

But Melendez didn't stay in Puerto Rico after his junior year of high school. He spent his senior year in North Carolina as an exchange student, where he caught the eye of Dean Smith, the late, great Tar Heels coach who signed him in spring 1997, just after Smith became the all-time winningest coach in college basketball (at that time).

Smith retired before the 1997-98 season, but Melendez reached two Final Fours as a Tar Heels player in 1998 and 2000 thanks in part to more famous teammates such as Vince Carter, Antawn Jamison, Ed Cota and Julius Peppers.

He then spent several pro seasons abroad in Luxembourg, Ireland and France. He joined the Globetrotters five years ago.

"The first time I saw them as a child was on 'Scooby Doo,'" Melendez said. "I thought they were just a cartoon for a long time. I actually never saw them live until I was a part of the team."

And that was exactly 10 days after he was first signed.

"They told me we'd be playing at an elementary school in Harlem," Melendez recalled. "I had to learn a routine to get in the Magic Circle. Learning the arm rolls (the ball rolls up from one wrist to the other, traveling along the back and shoulders) was the hardest."

But he learned them well enough that on Tuesday he taught a number of youngsters at the Y - including 9-year-old Miracle League participant Jack Russell - the secret to arm rolls, behind-the-back passes and dribbling between their legs.

Young Russell has dwarfism, the same as his mother, Dana, who laughed when asked about her son's name.

"He actually asked me if he'd been named for the dog (breed)," Dana said. "But it's just a coincidence."

The Taylor Elementary School (Cleveland, Tenn.) fourth-grader was placed on Smith's Miracle League baseball team last spring, and Smith said, "Jack can do everything. He's a really good hitter."

The Miracle League, which begins its 2018 season on March 17 at its Warner Park facility, is a really good program that allows both children and adults with physical and cognitive challenges to, in the YMCA's words, "enjoy the game of baseball, the thrill of competition and the excitement of teamwork."

But Tuesday at the Downtown Y was mostly about promoting the Globetrotters and having Melendez spend quality time with Smith and Russell.

"Jack loves basketball," Dana Russell said. "He plays at his school."

Asked his favorite player, Jack Russell quickly named Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball, then hit five straight shots on a regulation goal with the Globetrotter watching.

Melendez - who has two daughters, 14-year-old Mara and 8-year-old Gabi - typically splits his time between Durham, N.C., and Puerto Rico when he isn't playing 60 or more games a year with the Globetrotters, though last fall's hurricanes have drawn him to his homeland whenever possible.

"I was there," Melendez said. "Slowly, we're coming out of it. There's still so much to be done, but it will make us stronger."

Seeing Sgt. Smith toss up the opening tip tonight on two artificial limbs will remind us vividly of how strong the human spirit can be.

It will also remind Melendez of why he does what he does.

"We're about a lot more than basketball," he said. "We're about creating memories for others."

Generals or no Generals, that's one thing that will never change about the Globetrotters.

Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com.

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