DeMarcus Cousins has finally found a home. The multi-talented 6-10, 235-pound junior center has enrolled at nationally-ranked LeFlore High of Mobile, Ala. Cousins, the No. 3 center in Class of 2009 according to the Scouts Inc., attended class Friday and practiced three times with his new club.
"I was pleasantly surprised when he showed up at school," LeFlore coach Otis Hughley said. "I knew his family lived down the road, but I never thought he'd be here."
Cousins, who attended Erwin (Birmingham) for two years, played only half the season as a sophomore. He was dismissed from the team for disciplinary reasons. He enrolled this fall at Clay-Chalkville but was declared ineligible by the Alabama High School Athletic Association, the state's governing body for interscholastic athletes.
Cousins was born in Mobile and his mother grew up in the southern Alabama city which sits on Mobile Bay near the Gulf of Mexico. His family leased a home in Mobile.
Last year LeFlore went 32-3 and won Alabama's largest classification (6A). The Rattlers, who likely will open the season in the ESPN HIGH Elite 25 boys' basketball rankings, feature Marquette-bound guard Nick Williams and 6-10 center Kentari Nettles. LeFlore, which commenced practice on Oct. 15, tips off the season Nov. 6 against cross-town rivals Vigor.
"DeMarcus' mother told me (on Friday) she's sick and tired of people treating her son like a piece of meat," Hughley said. "He's found a home here, and the guys on the team are excited."
Christopher Lawlor is the senior writer of high school sports for ESPN.com