A Less than Traditional Creative

 Jared McCain, Duke guard, and a social media, specifically Tik Tok star, has made headlines since high school, but especially in the past few weeks due to his tournament performance in the recent NCAA tournament. It can be debated whether or not sports are a form of creativity, but McCain's rise to an elite guard in the nation and a growing social media presence cannot be credited to anything other than his ability to be creative and think outside of the box. 

McCain was first put on the radar of full time trainers at the age of 14 after being moved to a basketball centric high school to be closer to his older brother: the trainer's first impression of McCain is that he was slow and flat footed, and that he hadn't heard of him. This doesn't sound like the stand out basketball player and social media presence that would come to be known. However, this trainer did credit McCain with having a knack at figuring things out and having a normal curiosity. McCain would take this guidance from the people in his life and do what he could: attempt to learn. 

His process for creativity and growth began with asking questions: he asked his coaches so many questions, they almost wished he would just shut up, but this was only McCain's chosen avenue for growth. From this gained experience and knowledge, McCain was able to adapt and improve his play until he was replacing top athletes on his team, as only a freshman. 

Lockdown from COVID-19 was an adaptive time, and McCain used this as part of his process for expanding his expertise, creativity, and growth. McCain found ways to become an explosive athlete, gaining muscle and working on aspects of his game. Throughout this, he also expanded in a more traditional avenue of creativity. McCain began posting on Tik Tok, silly singing and dancing videos, just for fun, as a means of expression during the isolation of lockdown. Despite the criticism he got from other athletes, trainers, and fans, McCain has continued posting these videos, recently setting a Duke record for 3's hit in tournament play by a freshman. Surely, it seems there is a connection between these forms of creativity, and McCain's comfortability in himself and his body, both in sports and social media. 

Sports may seem like a nontraditional route of creativity, that is undeniable. However, when thinking about it, sports are one of the most genuine displays of creativity. Sure, there is a structure, a format already put in place fro these athletes, but the most challenging thing is finding the new way to be the best, the new way to be fit, the new way to breakdown a defense you can't seem to get through, or a new way to break this seemingly set in stone record. Athletes have to be some of the most unique creatives to find new adaptations and new methods for all of these uniform, structured standards. 

What originally made me think of McCain as an option for this post was Ringgold's mention of the Dude series, based around Wild Chamberlain. However, later in the chapter, Ringgold mentions how it is difficult for many people to understand her motivations and origins behind much of her art, as they are not in her head. I think this is how the creative process transpires for many athletes. The process of working and becoming the athlete they seem themselves as can not easily be verbalized or explained, it is innate and in ones one brain and there alone. 

https://andscape.com/features/dukes-jared-mccain-grew-up-and-blew-up-before-his-ncaa-tournament-star-turn/

https://www.bulletsforever.com/2024/3/25/24110889/nba-draft-duke-guard-jared-mccain-brooklyn-ncaa-tournament-games-wizards