I had to dig deep to find this next candidate for "where are they now" you could say it took me two weeks to find him. I'm sure you are all familiar with the dynasty that was Duke basketball in the early 90's. Back to back championships, heroes like Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley, and Grant Hill dominating on the court. A little known fact is that after the NCAA tourney each year there is an award given for the cheerleader (both male and female) that exhibits the most "cheer" throughout the tournament. In the year 1991 this distinction fell to Jamal Latrell of the Duke Blue Devils Cheer Squad. Below is the transcript of our conversation.
XL: So Jamal, you're not an easy guy to find. What was it like to be on the court with the likes of the 91 Blue Devils?
JL: Well XL, I've really gotta tell you that they should have been in awe of sharing the floor with me. I mean I cheered my ass off for those guys and hoisted those little tarts in the air for all the men folk to gawk at. But I was really the star, no other cheer leader could bend and twist the way I did. I know on several occasions the players said it was my cheering that inspired them to come from behind (and I do like it from behind) in those close games with Kentucky and UConn.
XL: Wow Jamal, you really seem proud of your past. How did you come to be a male cheerleader in the first place?
JL: I never really fit in with the normal crowd I was limp wristed and never good at sports. The boys always picked on me because of this so I spent a lot of time with the girls. I could double dutch like nobodies business and decided to take up gymnastics at a young age. By the time I was 12 I could do no handed back flips through the house plus fit myself in all kinds of tight spots. My older brother Lamar was real supportive of me when I decided to be the first male cheer leader in my high school. He had similar challenges athletically although where he went to school he got in with a boy genius who helped him patent a special javelin that accounted for his limp wristed style. But that's another story...
XL: How did it go being the first male cheer leader at your high school, I bet you faced a lot of adversity.
JL: I did at first, it was hard for people to understand why a guy would want to be a male cheerleader. Some thought I was in it to touch the girls but most knew that I was a gymnast who wanted to show my stuff. I took a lot of crap but in the end it was worth it because I landed at Duke.
XL: What was it like to be so close to teams as great as the ones Duke fielded in the early 90's?
JL: It was amazing, the fans are rabid and they loved to see me flip. I know the game was going on but I had a lot of people talking about me after the game. Plus that Christian Laettner was so gorgeous I mean one look at him and my heart would palpitate. He and I had a thing at the end of his senior year although I know he would never admit it. I helped give him the incentive he needed to hit all those last minute shots. The reason he was such an NBA flop was because he ran out on me and denied our torrid love affair. I was hurt but there's more than enough of Jamal to go around.
XL: After Duke what did you do?
JL: I did a little cheering for the Charlotte Hornets. I always had a thing for Alonzo Mourning and Charlotte was eager to get a MVP cheerleader from one of the best schools in the country. Zo rejected me though and I spent some time on the street. I would entertain passers by doing flips or other acrobatics. On some instances a lonely stranger might pay me to take my dick out and touch my toes or other types of things. Not some of my proudest days. Fortunately Lamar, found me and gave me a job with his company. He was now a millionaire with his partner and they wanted me to help develop a new line of enhanced athletics to help the limp wristed.
XL: It's good to have a big brother to bail you out of trouble although it sounds like you went through a tough spell. It was nice to catch up with you Jamal, I'll be sure to pass along your regards to Christian Laettner if anyone ever sees him again.
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