The sports world is in a frenzy over reports of a basketball player said to be both scrappy and athletic – traits never before possessed simultaneously by a single athlete. The player, Derek Smith, is sad to get his athleticism and showmanship from his black father, and his hustling, scrappy, never-say-die attitude from white mother.

            “The amazing thing about this kid is that he hustles and gives his all and is extremely athletic,” said Mitch Herzog, a scout who has seen Smith play. “There are plenty of mixed race athletes, but usually one race’s attributes wins out over the other. Like, the white part dominates and leaves the athlete hard-working, but wildly uncoordinated and awkward. Or, the black part wins out, and the player is an amazing athlete, but frustratingly lazy. But this kid has both going for him.”

            Smith’s athleticism and desire is still only spoken about in whispers, as though it couldn’t be true, and few have seen him display his unique “scrapleticism.” Only grainy pictures and videos are available of him.

            One of Smith’s advantages is that he can be easily seen as 100-percent black or 100-percent white, depending on who is looking at him and when.

            “When he has his hair buzzed and has been out in the sun and has a bit of a tan, he looks like a black kid,” says Ray Thomas, who has refereed some of Smith’s games. “And then he really seems athletic. It’s like he jumps higher and is completely effortless on the court – almost to a fault. He comes across as a bit lackadaisical.”

            Whereas when Smith grows out his wavy hair or isn’t tanned, he looks very white – and very scrappy.

            “I did a game of his when he had his hair longer,” says Geoff Martin, a scorekeeper. “It seemed like he was on the floor for every loose ball and took about a million charges. He couldn’t run or jump for crap, but he sure did hustle. I thought he set a good example for a lot of the black kids on his team. Just imagine how good they could be if they played with his heart.”

            Smith is being heavily recruited by Division I powers, but says he hasn’t made up his mind yet.

            “Part of me wants to go to Duke, but I also like Memphis, too,” he said. “Maybe I’ll play half my career one place and half my career at the other.”