Latwan Anderson knows his reputation better than anyone, and he knows how he got it. He never had a problem telling people how good he was, even as he was being bad. Being a high school football and track star with a national profile only magnified that dichotomy.
Glenville track star Latwan Anderson always has had confidence in his athletic ability, but he's trying to inject some humility as well.
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(Chuck Crow / PD)
Latwan Anderson knows his reputation better than anyone, and he knows how he got it. He never had a problem telling people how good he was, even as he was being bad.
Being a high school football and track star with a national profile only magnified that dichotomy.
"People saw a kid who talked too much and everyone thought he had a big head and was cocky. If you told him to be quiet, he'd go off," said Anderson's teammate and close friend, Shane Wynn.
But as he prepares to graduate from Glenville and compete in this weekend's state track meet, Anderson and those close to him say he has come full circle, or close to it. Anderson now is unafraid to tell people how bad he's been, while showing humility toward others.
He is, his family and friends say, a work in progress and the progress has been commendable.
"Before I learned to show I was a humble person, I was the type of person that I wasn't afraid to let you know that I was better than you. Not because I felt I was better than anyone as a person, but because I feel like I work harder than you, I train harder, and you can't beat me because I prepare myself better.
"I have a strong confidence and people don't know how to deal with it. Usually, people who are confident don't say too much, but I'm kind of blunt about it. I don't mean to rub people the wrong way. I'm still working on letting people know I'm good at what I do without making them feel like they aren't good at what they do."
Anderson always has had plenty to feel good about himself because he is an extraordinary athlete. He is among the top football recruits in the nation as a safety and punt/kick returner. Rivals.com ranks him 15th nationally regardless of position for the Class of 2010.
Anderson also has been, until suffering a hamstring injury last week, one of the nation's fastest sprinters. He'll compete in state meet prelims today in the 400 meters and, depending on his health, one or more of the three relays Glenville qualified for the state meet in Columbus.
After changing his mind about an early, nonbinding oral commitment to West Virginia, Anderson signed a track letter of intent with the University of Miami (Fla.), where he also will play football. Anderson's reputation for confrontation had made some recruiters wary and his backing out on WVU didn't help.
"When Miami was recruiting him they said, 'We heard some things,' and I said, 'You've just got to spend some time with him. He's really a wonderful kid,'" Glenville track coach Tony Overton said.
At a high school that has produced numerous college and NFL stars, Anderson's athletic accomplishments don't impress those who are trying to prepare him for a promising future.
"I won't applaud him for his sports. I applaud him for his life," football coach Ted Ginn Sr. said. "It takes a lot to be different, to be focused in school and have a life. He stayed focused. He stayed on course. He did something different."
Anderson arrived at Glenville, his third high school, after an ugly exit from St. Edward in April 2009.
"I got into an argument with one of my teachers," Anderson said. "I had a necklace with a cross on it. It had a candy bag or something tied to it, coming from Spanish class. He grabbed hold of it and ripped it and that's the most upset I've ever been in my life.
"I started yelling and screaming. I've heard a lot of people say I got kicked out because I hit him, but I never hit him. I just yelled and screamed at him so bad I think it scared him. I was so mad, I said a lot of things I shouldn't have said, and me and this guy were pretty cool. He was one of my favorite teachers.
"I went right down to the office and called my stepdad and said, 'I need you to come pick me up.' I haven't been back since."
Anderson recently wrote a letter to the teacher.
"I said that I didn't mean to act that way toward him. The necklace was something special to me. I apologized for attacking him like that because I really wouldn't want anybody to do that to me at all. I hate being yelled at," Anderson said.
Citing privacy policies, St. Edward principal Eugene Boyer declined to comment on Anderson's exit or to allow the teacher to comment. Boyer did not confirm the name of the teacher.
"Anderson also credits his mother, Anita, a daycare teacher, for helping him deal with anger issues. To show his appreciation, he bought a bracelet with the inscription, "What would mom do?"
"There was time there was some concern about Latwan," said his father, Louis Stephens. "I've always felt at the end of the day, he would find a way. . . . He's got a lot of good people around him."
Anderson has been influenced so heavily by Ginn and Overton that he now wants to be a teacher and a coach. Anderson is preparing, though, for a second career option.
"Pro football," Anderson said. "I think about it all the time. One day, that's where I'm supposed to be. It's not so much that I know I'm going to be there 'just because.' I know I'm going to be there because I do what I'm supposed to: I work hard, I keep my grades right, I treat my mom and dad good, and take care of the younger people around me. I feel as long as I do those things, I will be there."
Anderson can be downright soft-spoken at times. On the field, however, he is fiercely competitive and takes on a much older persona. He even looks older. When Anderson scrunches his eyebrows and fixes his gaze on an opponent or the finish line, he wrinkles his face and appears to age 20 years.
Anderson said he sometimes feels like an old soul.
"For 18 years, I think I've been through more than the average athlete. I've been through so many situations that I put myself in because I didn't think about what I was doing," he said. "Now, I'm very excited for the future. Not because of sports, but because I feel I've grown up a lot."
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: twarsinskey@plaind.com, 216-999-4661