Pay It Forward: Julian Beard

Good morning to the JWT Family. Thanks for tuning in. I've got another story that I hope you like today. The theme so far has been several high school coaches from Southeast Missouri, which is "home" for me. Today's story comes from a different place, and that's what JWT is all about. We just look for good stories wherever we can find them.

Julian Beard was a two time all state basketball player at Sikeston High School. After high school, Julian played college basketball and even played a little pro ball overseas. He was a really good player, and his junior year at Sikeston was kind of the beginning of the this era of the "Sikeston Dynasty."

A lot of people don't remember it now, but Sikeston had actually had a couple of really down years prior to that season. That 2006 season Sikeston finished 2nd in the state in Class 4. They lost on a buzzer beat the next season to Cape Notre Dame, who went on to win the Class 4 state championship. Sikeston would go on to win a state title (30 wins, 0 losses) in 2011, and then made two more Final Four appearances.

Over a ten year span, they had arguably the best basketball program in the state of Missouri. That all started with Julian and that team he played on his junior year.

I met Julian through basketball. I got to know him a little better when his little brother, Deantrell Beard, played on an AAU team for one of my former players, Dom Johnson. One Saturday Dom asked me to come watch his team play. After the game, he asked me to give the guys a "pep talk."

After I talked to the group, I sat around and talked with Julian, Dom, and Deantrell. At the time he was just a freshman, and to be totally honest, he wasn't that good. I remember thinking to myself, "if this kid is ever going to be half as good as his brother, he's got a long way to go."

Fast forward to today, and Deantrell is a senior. He's improved about 1000%. That is due to the fact he has worked really hard and also because his older brother has put in a ton of time with him. Julian is one of those guys that just hangs around basketball and is willing to help guys get better. I admire that about him. Anybody that is willing to give their time and help somebody else is cool with me LOL.

So I asked Julian who were the positive influences on him growing up and he said, "My parents, and honestly, Dwyane Wade. Seeing an athlete make it from a rough neighborhood in Chicago and be successful motivated me. I tried to pattern my game after his. Me and my family are from Chicago, so that was big for me."

I asked Julian about any specific advice or motivation he got, and he said, "My parents always tell me to stay positive and that my belief should be stronger than my doubt. There were a few times I got down on myself, but being told that pain is temporary allowed me to think that there wasn't anything I couldn't complete regardless of circumstances. And with D-Wade... I seen him battle adversity like playoff losses or injuries and just seeing how strong he came back each time. Again, being from Chicago like me, I could relate, and that was very inspiring."

I asked him to give some words of encouragement or advice for the online community. He said, "Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars. Work hard and you'll see the results."

I've seen first hand the difference Julian has made in his younger brother's life. That alone is inspiring, and that's something we can all do - help the people closest to us. "Let your belief be stronger than your doubt." That is a great piece of advice for all of us.

In closing, I just want to point out the fact that we get stories like this from all walks of life. You don't have to be a high school coach, like some of our previous guests, to tell one of these stories. I've talked to preachers, elementary teachers, farmers, people that sell cars, etc... That is the point of what we're doing with Just Win Today. Anybody can make a difference if they're willing to spend the time it takes to help somebody else.

So please keep those stories coming. Just go to the TELL YOUR STORY page and send me something interesting. I'll make sure it gets out there.

Everybody have a great day! #JWT #JoinTheRevolution