Jaylin Fleming is a 10-year-old basketball prodigy hailing from Chicago, Illinois. He currently is a fifth-grader playing for Beasley Academic Center in Chicago, but has already drawn significant interest and rave accolades from the likes of the New York Knicks and the hometown Chicago Bulls, including starting point guard and reigning 2009 Rookie of the Year Derrick Rose. Most notably, he was invited to work out and practice with both the Knicks and the Bulls.¹

Coached by his father John Fleming, as well as school team coaches, Fleming is a down-to-earth athlete who places a great deal of emphasis on off-court activities, namely school, video games, and Bible studies. A devoutly religious family, the Flemings strive to make sure that Jaylin is a humble and composed adolescent who will grow and develop in character throughout high school and collegiate play.²

Whether or not he will become a future NBA star remains to be seen, since it is difficult to judge the basketball potentials of a player his age. However, Fleming's potential is undeniable, as well as his work ethic and perseverance. Jaylin himself states that "I never feel pressure to play…I want to play basketball. I just stay humble and keep working hard." Regarding his burgeoning basketball career, he states only that "I'm a humble kid who's trying to achieve a goal."³

Fleming has garnered positive reviews from many coaches outside his own school. "You can tell by his passion for the game, how much he loves the game of basketball," says Morgan Park coach Nick Irving. "You can see that he has the desire for it. Jaylin has a look in his eyes that he won't be denied."⁴

"I've never actually seen a kid like this," says Knicks head athletic trainer Roger Hinds. "As far as his age, he's the best that I've seen," says Refiloe Lethunya, a former Division I player, coach and NBA scout.⁵

Perhaps the most significant accolade comes from Derrick Rose, himself a relatively young basketball star with the hometown Bulls. "He's better than me — that's what's crazy about it," Rose says. "His talent is one of a kind. Kids his age rarely do the stuff he does….He does moves that a grown-up does."⁶

@jason's 20 iPad Giveway! 

As a thank you to my loyal friends and followers and retweeters I'm going to give away an iPad every time my Twitter accounts (@contests or @jason) or Google Buzz follower counts adds 5,000. In order to win you have to be one of my followers and you have to have retweeted me in the last 30 days. The more you've retweeted me the greater your chances to win. Yes, this is a shameless way to increase my social media footprint. 5,000 followers / $500 for an ipad = .10 a follower by my math–that seems like a no-brainer! 

Let's get this party started everyone!

Right now I have 92,500 followers on @jason, 9,000 on @contests on Twitter and 6,000 follower on Google Buzz… let the retweets and follows begin. 

http://www.twitter.com/contests