5 year-old Dealo Bellaphant-Brown, Boo, is an amazing kid and an equally talented referee. Boo’s most recent gig was manning the sidelines for the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League in Minneapolis.
Boo’s barely old enough to attend kindergarten but he commands the sidelines like a veteran. Here are a few excerpts from his Vice Sports feature:
At the recent Nike Elite Youth Basketball League event in Maple Grove, the miniature referee they call Boo was on the sidelines with his grandmother, his four-year-old sister A’Niyah and his 18-year-old uncle Zach Taylor, a rising senior at South Saint Paul High School who looks like a stretched out Boo right down to the shock of wild hair. Teams like Chris Paul’s CP3 All-Stars were there from North Carolina with future NBA players like 6-foot-10 inch Harry Giles on board, while local team Howard Pulley featured high former NBA player Gary Trent’s son, a high school star. There was a lot to watch, none of it more fascinating than Boo’s focused work on the hardwood.
Some slightly older boys in the front row watched him with restrained wonder. Grown-ups exchanged head shakes and bemused smiles. And through it all, Boo maintained his serious demeanor. During a long stoppage in play, one adult in the stands called out to Boo, “Hey ref! What’s the call?” and laughed. Boo regarded him with the well-honed iciness of a seasoned official, because that’s what he is.
It’s great to see a young man strive to become something in life and think outside of the box. I’d like to see Boo continue to hone his skills and turn refereeing into a real career.
You can read the full story on Vice Sports.