Attaway rises above

Attaway established himself as an MVP-type talent, but his basketball feats will never measure up to what he's accomplished off the court by just surviving. And that's saying a lot, considering the lightning-quick point guard averaged 20 points per game this season, including nearly a half a dozen games of 30 or more.

In a season to remember, there were plenty of signature moments. The career-best 33-point performance win over Westmoor in late December; the back-to-back 25-point efforts in victories over San Mateo and Aragon in mid-January. But perhaps his best performance came in a 62-49 loss to Cupertino in the quarterfinals of the Central Coast Section Division III playoffs.

With a couple of his teammates having an off day, Attaway single-handedly kept the Knights from getting blown out, finishing with a game-high 27 points against tough competition. One play in the second quarter illustrated Attaway's tremendous athleticism and acrobatics.

Midway through the third quarter, the 5-foot-7, 155-pound Attaway dribbled to the top of the key, a Cupertino defender shadowing his every move. He delivered one of his signature moves -- a wicked crossover -- before darting down the lane. However, the rest of the Cupertino players collapsed the key and had two frontcourt behemoths waiting for him.

Attaway had to improvise once again, and boy did he ever. The high-flying talent got to within a couple of feet of the basket before coming to a jump stop. He then faded away to gain separation over two players who were six inches taller, and converted the bucket. The single play showed everything you needed to know about Attaway's toughness, skill and determination.

"I've never coached a player like Eddie before," former Hillsdale coach Randy Metheany said moments after coaching his final game against Cupertino, tears welling in his eyes. "I might have had a more talented player, but he is a rare combination. He's like a son to me. To be able to concentrate and be focused with all the distractions he's had off the court, I can't say enough about his character."

Faith is what got Attaway through tough times. Not in a higher power, but in himself. With each passing game and grade, Attaway took another remarkable step in his amazing journey. Born in Hayward, Attaway's hard times started in the sixth grade, where he spent almost more time in detention than in regular class time. Attaway was like a rudderless ship, a young boy with no role models and a lack of direction.

"I was hanging out with the wrong crowd and making bad decisions," he said.

Just as Attaway's behavior improved the next two years at Abbott Middle School, his father, Eddie Sr., died of brain cancer. Even though Eddie Sr. was never in his life, Attaway talked about his father with a bit of reverence, cherishing the few times -- two in fact -- they spent together.

"Everything I heard about my father was good," Attaway said. "I always loved my father. I can't help that he wasn't there for me. The first time I met him it was kind of awkward. He was a stranger, but since he was my father, I was going to accept him. When my mom came home crying that day to tell me the news, it hit me hard. I probably cried for three straight days. I think I'm a strong person, and a part of who I am is because of my father."

To say Attaway's time in high school has been a roller coaster wouldn't be doing it justice. He's moved back and forth to five different locations because of family problems. Attaway said he was kicked out of Hillsdale on two separate occasions for residency issues. He actually spent a week attending classes at San Mateo during his sophomore year, but quickly got school sick.

"Nothing against San Mateo, but I just loved Hillsdale," Attaway said. "Going to another school was one of the worst experiences ever. Hillsdale was my home. Once I had that in my head, that was the only place I could go."

The last couple of years might have been Attaway's hardest. He said his stepfather abused alcohol and drugs, and his mom, Stephanie Stinson, had a drug relapse with cocaine after her best friend died four years ago.

"I've been in the car when my mom was doing drugs," Attaway said. "My mom took whole paychecks, would disappear for a whole weekend and come back with no money."

While his parents were battling their demons, Attaway never placed blame. In fact, he professed his love for his mom and stepfather, and keeps in touch with both of them. Despite the hardships, Attaway never felt sorry for himself. All he could do was hope the next day would be better than the last. But he needed an outlet, and this is where basketball helped save his life.

Upon a recommendation from freelance sportswriter Lee Hubbard, Attaway played AAU basketball for the first time ever after his junior year. The San Francisco-based Bay Area Warriors, like any AAU team, traveled and played a lot. For Attaway, it was just what the doctor ordered.

For many years, the basketball court has been Attaway's psychologist, a place where he could go to get away from life's daily grinds. Now, more than ever, the hardwood was his oasis, energizing him from the constant mental anguish he had to endure.

"The only thing that could get my mom off my mind was basketball," Attaway said. "I'm traveling for the first time to Los Angeles and Las Vegas even though my mom is disappearing. I'm lucky because I could be in a worse place. I have family members who do big-time dealing and selling (drugs). For me, it was picking up sports or picking up drugs. Luckily for me, I picked up the ball."

Possessing an indefatigable work ethic -- Attaway woke up Monday at 5:30 a.m. to play basketball for four hours at the Y.M.C.A. -- credits Metheany, new basketball coach Brett Stevenson, aunt Jonnie B. Lewis and Pat Nolan for being incredibly positive influences in his life. Attaway has lived with Lewis and Nolan for all or parts of the last few years.

"There's not one day where I don't think about them," he said. "They've done so much for me. No matter what I say or do, I can't thank them enough for everything they've done for me."

Attaway, who also showed plenty of promise playing receiver for Hillsdale's football team, will play basketball at a junior college in the fall. Along with Metheany and Stevenson, he'll make his decision in June on whether he's going to stay local -- where Canada and De Anza would be the favorites -- or go out of the Bay Area to a place like Sierra in Rocklin. Wherever he ends up, Attaway said his goal is to play basketball for as long as he can.

"Without sports, I'd get in trouble when I was younger," Attaway said. "It takes up so much of your time, and without them, there would be nothing else to do but get in trouble. It would be a different story for me."

Fortunately for Attaway, the final chapter to his high school book has a feel-good ending. He is a powerful story of the human spirit, the quintessential embodiment of a person dealing with severe adversity and shining in the process. Through heartbreak and struggle, Attaway has emerged as a stronger person.

Sometimes the path to glory is filled with obstacles that test the will and torture the soul. With grace and dignity, Attaway has channeled the pain he endured through a father that was never there to push himself to a higher level. Confident but not cocky, Attaway, like all great athletes, uses any perceived slight -- real or not -- to push himself to a higher level. When Attaway found out he wasn't named co-MVP of the Peninsula Athletic League Central Division, his reaction was equal parts shock and disappointment. All he did was close the season with a dominating run.

"I'm the kind of guy if you tell me I can't do something, I'll try it," he said.

Heck, Attaway has displayed such resiliency over the years that if someone told him he couldn't jump off the Golden Gate Bride and live, he would jump and live to tell about it. Attaway built his unwavering confidence through years of defeats against his sister on the court. Rocelle Carter, who graduated from Hillsdale in 2001, routinely beat her younger brother in 1-on-1 games growing up. However, once Eddie beat Rocelle for the first time when he was a seventh-grader, his confidence rose along with his game.

"We played at the Hillsdale Gardens, which had one of the worst and most dangerous courts ever," he said. "There were rocks everywhere, and if you fell, you were guaranteed to get a scar. For the longest time my sister always beat me, and when I won, she said, 'Let's play again.' I'm like 'Nah, I got to go home and some homework.' I was happy the whole week."

In June, Attaway will be walking across a stage to accept his diploma. He'll reflect on some of the lowest moments of his life, days where his life seemed to be in utter shambles. Then he'll think about all the hard work and sacrifices he's made -- one day at a time -- leading to a moment of sweet redemption.