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June 2, 2014 On the record

Maine Red Claws' Dajuan Eubanks on the importance of hard work and academics

PHOTo / Tim greenway Dajuan Eubanks visits with students at Riverton Elementary School in Portland.
By James McCarthy

Dajuan Eubanks, executive vice president of the Maine Red Claws and a former Harlem Globetrotter, can add 'grade school principal' to his resume — albeit with an asterisk. He had a one-day stint in that role in early May as one of 17 business leaders participating in the second annual Principal for a Day program organized by the Portland school district in partnership with the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Standing 6'9", Eubanks in some ways might fit the stereotype of the professional basketball player he once was. For three years, from 1994–1997, he traveled around the globe as a member of the Globetrotter team, blocking shots with the same tenacity that had earned him the nickname “Piece” in high school for how often he got a piece of an opponent's shot, deflecting it from its intended trajectory. He's equally quick to deflect stereotypes others might try to apply to him. That's one of the messages he delivered to the students of Riverton Elementary School during his day as a visiting principal.

The following is an edited transcript of his conversation with Mainebiz about the experience.

Mainebiz: What was it like being in elementary school again?

Dajuan Eubanks: It was a great experience. I had fun with the kids. I was able to share my story with them and how I was able to get to the position I'm in right now. The emphasis from me was really reinforcing the fact that the only reason I'm at where I am today was because of academics.

MB: Not sports?

DE: The way I always start my story off is that I didn't start playing basketball until I was a sophomore in high school. My freshman year in high school, I was 5'8¾". And when I reached my sophomore year, I was 6'3½". So for me, finding a way to go to college, I knew first and foremost that I needed to have strong grades. In my freshman year of high school, I focused on the academics. Then, I became very fortunate to have a little height bestowed upon me and I started playing basketball. I used it as a tool to open up additional doors for me, which led to a scholarship to Rice University. Then, all of a sudden I grew to be 6'9" and it eventually led me to play professional basketball.

So, basketball was a tool for me — more than an end-all and be-all. It helped get me into college. But it was always along with strong academics, which were first and foremost.

MB: Was that part of your message at Riverton Elementary School?

DE: That's always my message. One of the things I like kids to really understand is that anything is attainable. People say to me, 'Oh, you're a former Harlem Globetrotter …' Well, that's always going to be part of my history and background, but I never wear the uniform. That's because I want kids to understand that the uniform does not define me; I define the uniform. And it's no different for whatever they want to be when they want to grow up.

MB: What other lessons did you share with the students?

DE: Hard work plays a lot into it. One of the things I like to do for kids to help them remember my message is that I basically break the word 'kids' down: 'K' stands for 'knowledge.' Go to school, educate yourself. 'I' is for 'independence.' You have your own brain, utilize it. 'D' is for 'determination': You need to develop a strong work ethic. And 'S' is for 'success.' You define success for yourself, no one else does it for you.

I mean, let's not complicate things. If there's something you really want to become in life, educate yourself about it, make good decisions and choices, develop a good work ethic and work hard to achieve success. It can be unlimited. You define what it is.

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