Robert Whaley sat in room 315 of the Berrien County (Mich.) Court House and watched two lawyers debate his actions, pick apart his mental health and argue over his future. He watched 12 jurors take it all in and hold his life in their hands. He listened to doctors and cops analyze every facet of his life. Whaley坐在 密西根州，Berrien 郡的法院 315 室里面，看着两个律师在讨论 他的行为，提到了他的心理健康，还有争论着他的未来。他看着十二个陪审团团 员，把他的人生和未来握在他们的手上。他看着医生和警察分析着他生命的每个 面向。 It was June of 2001 and Whaley was facing 15 years in prison for criminal sexual conduct with a 13-year-old girl; a friend of his youngest sister claimed Whaley raped her on Thanksgiving eve 2000 in the small Benton Harbor, Mich., trailer home his family lived in. 时年 2001 年六月，他面对着一项指控，指他对一个十三岁小女孩性侵害，并 求处十五年的徒刑。他最小的妹妹的一个朋友，指控他在 2000 年感恩节前夕， 在密西根的 Benton Harbor，他们家的拖车式房屋中强暴了她。 The one-time No. 1 high school player in the country did what he could -- testified on his own behalf ("I just didn't rape that little girl," he proclaimed), thanked supporters, followed his attorney's advice. 这位曾经是全国高中评价第一名的球员，对他的行为做了所有他能够的证明。 （他重申，他没有强暴那个小女孩）并且依照着他律师的建议，谢谢所有支持他 的人们。 But when the jury room closed and his fate hung in the balance -- hoop stardom or prison -- it hit harder than a cannon ball to the stomach. 当陪审室的门关上，他的命运也随之摇摆 ---- 篮球明星或者去监狱 ---- 这比被加农炮打到肚子还痛彻心肺。 "That feeling is a feeling I can't really explain," Whaley said. "I sat there and watched two (lawyers) bounce with my life, play with my life like it was some kind of joke." 「那种感觉是一种我很难形容的感觉。」 Whaley 说。「我坐在那边，然後看 着两个律师把我的生命丢来丢去，玩着他，把他当作某种笑话似的。 After three long days of deliberation the jury was deadlocked. Six people thought Whaley did it, six didn't. The case was declared a mistrial. The prosecutor's office decided not to retry. 经过三天冗长的讨论，陪审团自己也卡住了。六个人认为他没干，另外六个觉 得有。这件案子最後不起诉，检察官放弃上诉。 Whaley was free ... free to again pursue a basketball career with so much potential. Whether that potential would ever be reached -- whether he was destined to return to court someday -- remained in doubt as long as Robert Whaley kept acting like Robert Whaley (substance abuse, attitude problems, academic trouble). Whaley自由了。终於可以继续追求他很有潜力的篮球生涯。不论那样的潜力是 否有被开发到极限 ---- 不论他的命运，是否某天还是要回到法庭上来 ---- 他 还是被质疑着就像是 Robert Whaley一样（物质滥用，态度不佳，学业成绩） That was 16 months ago and the story of Robert Whaley picks up far from Benton Harbor and its chronic unemployment and rampant poverty. 那是十六个月之前的故事，故事说着 Whaley 是怎样从长期失业，并且经常性 贫穷的 Benton Harbor中挖出来的。 Whaley calls little Great Bend, Kan., and Barton County Community College home now, a place he fled to after the trial to put his life and game back together. Whaley现在在 Barton CC 巴顿社区学院，Great Ben，这是他逃离审判，并且 把篮球和人生继续兜在一起的地方。 After Missouri rescinded its scholarship offer and his senior season was wiped out, he needed this -- a place with few distractions but plenty of time to reassess priorities. 在密苏里决定取消他的奖学金，并且他从高中毕业之後，他需要这样一个地方 ，只有一些些能让他分心的原因，而有很多时间可以回来。 As best as it can be judged, he has succeeded on both accounts. Last season, the 6-foot-9 forward was named first team NJCAA All-American, averaging 19 points and seven rebounds a game for his 22-10 team. He was recently named NJCAA preseason player of the year. Maybe most important, he hasn't gotten in any trouble since he enrolled at Barton. 他做到了两者的最好。 这个六尺九寸的球员，他去年被选作 NJCAA全美第一队，平均十九分，七篮板 ，他的队伍也打了个 22-10。他最近被 NJCAA评为季前最佳年度球员。也许最重 要的是，他目前在 Barton 以来，没有惹上什麽麻烦。 "This was the best thing for me," Whaley said. "I needed time like this to work on my game, work on my character. The best thing for me was to get away from Benton Harbor. I needed to get a new life, start new." 「这是对我最好的事了吧。」Whaley说。「我需要这样的时间来使球技进步， 努力使个性更好。最好的事就是离开 Benton Harbor。我需要一个新的生命，重 新开始。」 Last week, Whaley orally committed to Cincinnati, choosing the Bearcats over Oklahoma, Iowa State and Florida State. It was a decision that was both a statement about the future and a realization of the past. Whaley still has new levels to reach, but he is a long way from that Western Michigan courthouse. 上个礼拜，他口头答应了要加入辛辛那提，选择了 熊猫队，而非奥克拉何马、 爱欧瓦州大或佛州大。这是个一个关於他的未来，还有过去领悟的决定。Whaley 还是有新的等级要突破，不过他已经离西密西根的法庭很远了。 New attitude "He's really a fun kid to be around," said Ryan Wolf, the fourth-year coach at Barton and a former player at Minnesota. "He's done really well here. You heard the stories, but that isn't his reality here. He really is a hell of a kid to be around." 新态度 「他真的是个，在他身边会很有趣的孩子」迈入第四年的巴顿教练，过去打过明 尼苏达的 Ryan Wolf说。「他目前在这里做得很好。你听过那些故事了，不过那些 事情在这里并不是真的。他真的是个不错的孩子。」 This isn't to say coach and player haven't butted heads. But Wolf is a hard-headed disciplinarian who specializes in being tougher than the toughest kid that shows up on his patch of Kansas Plains. 这不是说这个教练和球员没有争执过。不过 Wolf 是个硬汉，很有原则，并且 比那些很难管的球员更强悍的教练。（shows up on his patch of Kansas Plains 翻不出来） With each test of wills, however, Whaley grew, the coach said. With each challenge laid before him, he has learned to focus. 在这些意志的淬炼後，教练说， Whaley 长大了。在每个对他的挑战之後，他 已经学会了要专注。 You never really know if someone has changed, just as you never really know what a person is truly about in the first place. But Wolf swears by his player and his player swears everything is different. 你永远不会知道某个人是否真正改变了，就像你永远不知道谁把谁摆在第一位 一样。不过 Wolf 说他的球员向他发誓，他每件事都改变了。 "The trial taught me so much," Whaley said. "It's strange to say, but I'm glad I went through something like that. I learned a lot from it. People who've got problems need to go through episodes like that. It's what it takes to wake up." 「那个审判让我成长不少。」 Whaley 说。「这样说很怪，不过我很庆幸我可 以从那样的事情中过来。我从那件事学到不少。那些还没有问题的人必须要经过 这样的插曲。那就是觉醒的代价。」 There is no debate Whaley needed to wake up. He lived in a world without discipline, where he was the biggest star of a tiny town, where there were no rules, no expectations, no accountability for his actions. 当然， Whaley 必须要觉醒。他成长在一个没有原则的地方，他是那个城镇的 大明星，在那里没又规则，没有未来，对他的行为也没有什麽责任可言。 Even before the trial, he had a lengthy juvenile record, a history of truancy from school and a series of run-ins with police. 甚至在他判决之前，他有不少的案底，一些逃学跷课和一些跑给警察追的纪录。 Whaley admitted in court that on the night in question, he had spent the previous hours partying with three girls in his small bedroom, drinking and smoking marijuana. He later drove them home despite being drunk, then stopped by another girlfriend's house before coming home, where his sister and friend were up late watching television. His mother was in the trailer the entire time. Whaley法庭上承认，那个被质疑的晚上，他和三个女孩在他的小房间里面开 Party，喝酒并且吸大麻。他後来在酒醉的情况下送她们回家，之後在回家之前 ，到了另外一个女性友人的家中。而他自己的家中，他妈妈一直都在，他的妹妹 和朋友看电视看到很晚。 Whaley said it was just your average night in his out-of-control life. Whaley说这只是他混乱生活中的很平常的一天罢了。 And in many ways it was just your average story in Benton Harbor, a downtrodden 36,000-person city on Lake Michigan. At the time the city's unemployment rate was 20 percent, 51 percent of its children lived below the poverty line, and Whaley attended a high school with a 36.5 percent dropout rate and 13.2 percent teen pregnancy rate. 而这其实只是 Benton Harbor的一个希松平常的故事罢了。那是一个只有三万 六千多人的密西根湖边的小城镇。这座城市的失业率一直都在百分之二十以上， 51%以上的孩童生活在贫穷线以下，而 Whaley 的高中，辍学率高达 36.5%，而 怀孕的比率更高达 13.2%。 And Whaley lived in a broken home in the poor section. Which is why he now avoids Benton Harbor even though he remains close to his mother, and his girlfriend, Tequela Blackwell, still lives there. Last year, instead of returning home for Christmas, he stayed in Great Bend and celebrated with the Wolfs. He didn't go back this summer and has no immediate plans to return. Whaley 住在一个贫穷的地区，一个破碎的家。 这就是为什麽他极力的想要避免回到 Benton Harbor，即便他和他妈妈，还有 他的女朋友， Tequela Blackwell，感情还是很好，而她们都还住在那里。去年 ，他待在 Great Bend ，并且和教练 Wolf 一起度过圣诞节，而非回到家中。他 今年暑假都没回去，而短期内也没有这个计画。 "I mean, I've changed a bunch since then, a whole bunch," he said. Said Wolf, "He thinks he has the maturity now to go back, but he knows the best thing is to stay out of that place. His mom doesn't want him back there either." 「我说的是，我从那时以来已经改变很多了，整个很多。」他说。 Whaley says he doesn't drink any more. He says he doesn't stay out late any more. He says he spends his time working out, studying and talking to his girlfriend on the phone. Whaley说他不在喝酒了。他说他不再在外面逗留到很晚了。他说他花很多时间 重训，念书，还有用电话和他女朋友聊天。 His best friend at Barton has turned out to be Nouha Diakite a 6-10 Frenchman headed to Louisville, who doesn't speak much English and considers shooting free throws a good way to pass a Saturday night. That's not the type of guy Whaley used to hang with. 他在巴顿最好的朋友是 Nouha Diakite，六尺十的法国人，正要转去路易斯威 尔大学念大一，他不太说英文，而把时间用在礼拜六晚上努力练罚球。这样的人 并不是 Whaley 过去喜欢做夥的人。 "We talk about not putting yourself in bad positions," Wolf said. "Nothing good happens after midnight, that type of stuff. He's listened." 「我们聊到了不要把自己丢进坏的地方」 Wolf 说。「深夜问题多，那些事情 。他有听进去。」 Whaley said the trial made him realize all of those things. "I know nothing can hurt me but me and the decisions I make," he said. "Every decision I make now is a good one." Whaley 说，审判让他了解了整件事。 「我知道除了我自己和我的决定之外，没有任何事情可以伤害我。」他说。 「现在每个我的决定都是好的。」 Being a Bearcat 当一只熊猫 That would include, presumably, his choice for college. Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins is known for his hard-driving coaching style, his demanding personality and his program's ability to maximize individual talent. 那还包括了，应该是，他选择哪一个大学。辛辛那提的教练 Bob Huggins是一 个被认为很猛烈的教导风格，他要求好的个性，还有要求他的整个队伍必须要发 挥自己个人才能的最大值。 Playing at Cincinnati is about being up to the challenge, being man enough to handle the rigorous weight training that is designed to lower body fat, increase strength and improve quickness. It is about being mentally tough enough to deal with Huggins day in, day out in practice. 在辛辛那提打球会是个挑战，必须要努力的承受严苛的，专门设计给下半身肥 胖的重量训练，增强肌力，并且变快。那是关於心理的素质，这样的素质必须要 忍受 Huggins每天每晚，每次练习的要求。 It isn't for the lazy, the uncommitted, the faint of heart ... three things that used to describe Whaley. 这不是给懒惰的人的，也不是给那些没力、心理素质不好的人的。而上述三点 正式过去人们如何形容 Whaley 的。 "When I visited, the players there told me how hard they work," Whaley said. "They work really, really hard. Real hard. But that's what I need. I kind of like that. Coach Huggins will work the hell out of me and that's good." 「当我去拜访的时候，那些球员告诉我他们如何练球的。」 Whaley 说。「那 样的练习真的，真的很辛苦。不过那正是我要的。我某种程度上喜欢这样。 Huggins会练的跟地狱一样，而那样对我来说是件好事。」 Wolf thinks it is telling not just that Whaley picked Cincinnati, but his other finalists all include no nonsense, tough coaches such as Kelvin Sampson, Larry Eustachy and Leonard Hamilton. Wolf觉得这不只是 Whaley 选了辛辛那提而已，他其他选择的学校还包括几个 以不苟颜色，硬底子的教练，譬如Kelvin Sampson, Larry Eustachy 以及 Leonard Hamilton. "When he got here, he probably didn't want anything to do with those kinds of guys," Wolf said. "Now he knows he's got to prove himself." 「当他之前来到这里的时候，他可能根本不想要和这些人共事。」 Wolf说。「 现在他知道他必须要证明自己。」 Whaley said it was his half-sister, Quacy Barnes, a WNBA veteran and former Indiana star, who pushed him over the top for UC. Whaley说他同母异父的姊姊， Quacy Barnes，WNBA的老将，过去打过 Indiana的 球员，是希望他能去 UC 的。 "She was a big factor, she's in the pros, so she obviously knows what she is doing," Whaley said. "She said without a doubt Cincinnati is the school I should go to. She said they turn out pros and make you work and that is exactly what you want and need." 「她是很重要的因素，她现在打职业，她显然知道她在干嘛」 Whaley说。 他说 UC 是我一定要去的学校。她说他们是专业的，并且让你做那些你应该而你 也想要做的事。 Huggins is prohibited from speaking about Whaley until he signs a binding national letter of intent in November. But the Bearcats coach and his staff, particularly assistant Andy Kennedy, did a lot of talking during the recruitment. Huggins 不能在十一月，签下 Whaley 前评论他。不过熊猫队的教练，特别是 助理教练 Andy Kennedy，说了很多有关於招生的事。 Wolf said the Oklahoma staff was similar, talking to him and others at Barton about Whaley's character, traveling to Benton Harbor to meet with family and others, pouring through court records. Wolf说傲克拉和码其实也差不多，在巴顿和他和一些其他人讨论了 Whaley 的 个性。并且到了 Benton Harbor 去见他的家人还有一些人，然後去看法庭的纪 录。 Whaley is aware these programs were gambling on him, betting he isn't a felon who got away with it, but a 20-year-old fit for campus life. He says he won't let Huggins down. Whaley知道这些学校都在赌他，赌他不是个离开案件很久的罪犯。不过二十岁 的他是很适合学校生活的。他说他不会让 Huggins 失望。 "Coach Huggins got to know me," Whaley said. "I think he understands me. People that get to know me -- and don't just make assumptions about me, but who get to know me a bit better -- they know I'm not what people think. They know that is in the past." 「 Huggins 教练必须要认识我。」 Whaley说。「我相信他了解我。那些认识 我的人 --- 不要只是假设我是什麽样的人，而是要多了解我一点点 --- 他们知 道我不是人们想的那样。他们知道那些事情都已经过去了。 What is in Whaley's future is intriguing. Wolf says his game has made significant strides since the end of his high school career, when he was often criticized for being lazy and out of shape. As a high school sophomore, he was a spectacular talent and was rated above current NBA players such as Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry. But scouts soured on him as a senior. Whaley的未来正在规划中。 Wolf 说，他的球技比起高中已经有了长足的进步， 他当时通常被批评懒而且 身材走样。高中二年级的时候，他非常有天分，甚至比现在的 NBA球员 Curry和 Chandler评价还高。不过高四的时候，球探把他的分数打低了。 "The best thing for him was to get out of Benton Harbor where everyone was telling him how great he was while he sat on the couch and got fatter every day," Wolf said. "His potential is unlimited because he's so skilled. Now he has to take it to the next level, control his weight and not just work hard, but really push himself to the next level." 「这一切最棒的事，就是离开 Benton Harbor，那里所有的人都在他坐在沙发 上每天变胖的时候，告诉他有多强有多厉害。」Wolf说。「他的潜力是无限的， 因为他很强。现在他必须要往下一个层级迈进，控制他的体重，并且不只是努力 打球而已，还要努力的把自己推向下一个等级。 Whaley says he is working on that and will continue to. There remains the chance he can play his way into the top 10 of next June's NBA Draft, although that won't be easy. Whaley说他很努力的做到，并且会持续的继续下去。他还有机会，可以让自己 打到明年六月的 NBA选秀中的前十名，虽然那不是很简单倒是。 Junior college prospects haven't panned out in recent drafts, and scouts say they are less likely to grab unproven JC stars. If he is in the top 10, Whaley said Huggins wants him to go pro. If not, he'll enroll at UC. JC的球员最近这几次选秀还没有成功过，而球探说他们不是很喜欢 JC 的球星。 如果他是在前十的话，Whaley说 Huggins希望他去打职业，如果不是，他会进去 UC。 "He said he'd give me a hug and tell me to go," Whaley said. "But right now I really want to go to college, I'm really focused on college." 「他说他会给我一个拥抱，然後让我走。」Whaley说。「不过现在我很想要去 大学，我的目标是大学。」 Sixteen months removed from nearly having control of his future wrested away, Robert Whaley says he is a changed man, realizes what he almost lost and has made the most of his life at a junior college in a small town in Kansas. 在离开了可能会改变他一生的事件之後， Robert Whaley说他已经改变了，知 道他过去曾经几乎迷失过，也已经让他的人生几乎就要在一个堪萨斯的小城市中 的社区学院里度过。 He says he can't stop thinking about the future. "I'm so determined now," he said. "There is no stopping me. Nothing." 他说他不能停止想像他的未来。 「我已经下定了决心」他说。「没有任何事能阻挡我，什麽都不能。」 --

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