Flashback: Jawann Oldham, Cleveland, Class of 1976

Sport: Basketball

High-school rewind: The seven-footer was the star of back-to-back state championship teams in 1975 and '76. The '76 team featured four future Division I college players and was named the team of the century by the Seattle Times.

After high school: Starred at Seattle University with Cleveland teammates Carl Ervin and Eli Carter. Drafted in the second round (41st overall) by Denver in 1980. Played 10 seasons in the NBA with eight teams. Finished his playing career in Europe and Asia.

After athletics: Bitten by the travel bug in his playing days, Oldham has been on the move since he retired. He has lived in Paris, Taiwan and China. Oldham currently works in hotel marketing in Macau, China, helping with the development of several Las Vegas-style hotels on the island.

Personal: Oldham, 46, is single and lives in Macau, an island west of Hong Kong.

Fast forward: With his playing days behind him, Oldham may soon make the transition to coaching. The Chinese government recently approached Oldham about coaching the men's and women's national teams for the 2005 East Asian Games.

"They wanted to bring in somebody with NBA playing experience. This is my first shot as a head coach, but I was basically coaching when I was playing overseas, so I should be OK."

As for the long-debated question of whether his '76 Cleveland team was the best in state high-school history, Oldham simply says, "I'd take my chances with that team against any of the others."

— John Boyle