They might be the most unlikely group of players to ever appear at an NBA All-Star Game.
The three boys on the team are better known for their football prowess than basketball - their Sanderson High junior varsity coach says they are still learning how to play basketball - and the fourth member of the team is a girl. Theirs is the only coed team they have seen in local or regional competition.
But the Untouchables, the Eastern United States three-on-three junior varsity champions, will play for a national title Feb. 11 in Dallas during the NBA's All-Star weekend.
The team was assembled 12 hours before its first game, never has practiced and probably never will until it arrives in Dallas, where it will be joined by the NBA All-Stars.
"It still doesn't seem real," said J.R. Soto, the tallest player at 6-foot-1.
Glenn Frazier, the Sanderson junior varsity coach, had a hard time grasping the situation, too.
The players won the Eastern title in November and knew they were headed to the All-Star Game, but they hesitated to tell their coach because they would have to miss the Spartans' final game, a showdown with rival Broughton that might determine which team finishes atop the league standings.
"They said, 'Coach, we're going to miss the last game," Frazier recalled. "I was, "Yeah. Right.'
" 'No, Coach, really.' 'Sure, you're going to miss the Broughton game.' 'We've got to. We're playing at the NBA All-Star Game.' 'What?' 'Yeah, really.' Then the whole story came out."
The story began when Dashawna Smith decided to enter a team in a tournament at Catawba Springs Christian Church. The tournament was sponsored by National Hoops Ministries, a group that travels the country putting on three-on-three basketball tournaments for teenagers.
The group conducted 32 tournaments throughout the country last year and currently is conducting tournaments in the Philippines.
The teams play games in the morning of the event, eat lunch, hear a Christian evangelical message and complete the tournament in the afternoon.
James Harley had worked with National Hoops before becoming the youth pastor at Catawba Springs. He knew Smith and encouraged her to play in last March's regional event.
She got Sha'Qua Davis, J.R. Soto and Tyler Wilson, all sophomores, to join her. The club won the 13-team event to qualify for the eastern regional in Spartanburg, S.C.
"We had no idea what to expect before the first game," Soto said. "But we have known each other for years. We had played together a lot, and Dashawana is our secret weapon. She's a girl and teams slack off of her sometimes, and she can really shoot. And she is an incredible ballhandler."
The team planned to leave at 3 a.m. for the regional but learned at 8 p.m. that Wilson couldn't go. After several telephone calls they finally reached Stradford Barnett, a sophomore who had been a middle linebacker on the Sanderson varsity football team.
Barnett's family quickly made arrangements for him to go to the tournament.
"They are all really good athletes, but Stradford and J.R. are just learning how to play basketball," Frazier said. "Stradford was with the varsity football season all year, and J.R. got called up to play defense. Sha'Qua came up at the end of the season and played running back."
All three say that football has been their No. 1 sport, but their cohesiveness and flexibility in basketball made them tough to handle in the three-on-three games.
They have played much bigger teams but have always figured out a way to neutralize their lack of size. Davis, Barnett and Smith shoot a lot of 3-point shots (which count two points in 3-on-3), while Soto is adept at hitting short jumpers over taller defenders.
In Spartanburg, the team lost one game, but in the rematch they put the taller Soto on the other team's best 3-point shooter. Soto's defense slowed down the outside barrage, and the Untouchables won the eight-minute game by 12.
"It doesn't seem real," Davis said. "I see these commercials for the NBA All-Star Game, and I'm thinking, 'I'm going to be there.' "
The team is invited to all of the All-Star Game activities. They will attend a Jam Session with the stars, go to the dunk and 3-point shooting contests, attend the rookie game and be there for the All-Star Game itself on Feb. 14. They think that they may practice with the All-Stars, too.
"Everyone wants LeBron's autograph," Barnett said.
The players have to cover their own expenses, including flights and accommodations. Rooms are expensive and hard to find.
"We're working on that," Davis said. "We might have to stay in the next town over and drive in. We're going to work it out."
So far, that's exactly what they've done.
