Lehman coach makes a healthy choice

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It’s not unusual, in the world of big-time college basketball, for head coaches to jump on private planes, stay in first-class hotels and wine and dine prospective recruits at five-star restaurants. Recruiting, after all, is the life blood of any program and the high-profile schools in the sport – think Duke, Kentucky, Villanova, Louisville, etc. - spare no expense to bring in the top-shelf talent year in and year out.

Then you have the other end of the spectrum – Division III programs to be exact – and that recruiting world bears no similarities to the elite high-rolling Division I programs. First-class is more often replaced with E-Z Pass, and coaches in search of talent sometimes find it in the most unusual of places.

That was the case with Lehman College head coach Steve Schulman and where he found his senior stud Damian Bellamy. There were no planes, hotels or restaurants involved in wooing Bellamy to Lehman. Just a gym membership.

“L.A. Fitness. That’s where I found him,” Schulman said, laughing.

Bellamy says it was just a normal day last summer when his usual workout turned into an opportunity of a lifetime.

“I had just graduated from the College of Westchester with my associate’s in accounting and I was just going to L.A. Fitness to work out,” said Bellamy, a senior for the Lightning this season. “I definitely was not expecting to get an offer to play college ball, but then coach walked in. I was just playing a regular game there with some gym members, and he comes up to me and said he was interested and would I like to come and tryout for his team. I said yeah, so he tried me out, he pushed me and he grinded me and now I’m here and I’m happy to be here.”

There were no promises made to the 23-year old Bellamy about playing time or his role with the team. The tryout was exactly that, a “show-me-what-you-have” type of deal from Schulman. But that little crack in the door was all the opportunity Bellamy needed to show his wares on the court.     

“Coach didn’t guarantee me anything. He said, ‘I won’t guarantee you a playing spot on the court,’” Bellamy said. “He said, ‘You have to earn that. But I guarantee you can try out for my team.’ So I took that opportunity, and here I am playing basketball all for Lehman.”

So far, Bellamy is making the most of his unexpected foray into college basketball. In his first four games with the Lightning, he is averaging 13.3 points a game along with five rebounds. He is also coming off his best game of the season, when he poured in a team-best 21 points and grabbed five rebounds in Lehman’s 76-70 victory over Farmingdale last week.

That one-day visit to L.A. Fitness is proving quite fortunate for Schulman.

“He is basically an older rookie. He can win Rookie of the Year, even though he is 23 years old,” Schulman said. “He’s never even played structured basketball before. He is from South Carolina, via the College of Westchester, via L.A. Fitness. He was just playing ball at L.A. Fitness, and when I found him there, I was like, ‘What are you doing here? Let’s go.’ His athleticism is beyond Division III. He’s undersized because he’s only six feet, but he’s the quickest leaper and his energy level and his motor are unreal.”

Even though his entire college career so far consists of just four games, he is already making an impression on his new teammates.

“He brings a lot of energy,” said senior guard Edwin Pascual. “He’s like a beast out there. He’s about 5-10 or 5-11 but he plays like he’s a 6-9 guy.”

Even Schulman, who is now in his 17th season at Lehman, admits his new find is a little more advanced than he thought he would be at this juncture.

“He’s actually doing a little better than I thought he would be at this point,” Schulman said. “We knew when we recruited him that he is the quickest jumper I’ve seen in a long time. You can’t coach that. But he’s just got a nose for offensive rebounds. I was concerned he wouldn’t be able to score against bigger players but [vs. Farmingdale] he was able to do it.”

If Schulman is looking to thank someone for his new recruit (other than his friend, Concordia College head coach Brian Sondey who tipped Schulman off about Bellamy), it might be Bellamy’s grandmother, Laura Whitney, who refused to leave her Yonkers home and move to South Carolina to join Bellamy and his family there.

“My grandmother didn’t want to move down south, so I came up here to live with her,” Bellamy said. “New York just opened my eyes to the opportunities that are here and I took full advantage of it. I guess everything happens for a reason. Now my grandma will be coming to all the games. She’s one of a kind.”

At this point in his life Bellamy never dreamed he’d be lacing up his sneakers and pulling on a uniform to play college basketball. He fully expected to be commuting to his accounting job with his college basketball experience being relegated to what he watched on television. But it’s funny the twists and turns life presents. 

Lehman College, men's basketball, Steve Schulman, Damian Bellamy, Sean Brennan

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