by CINDY PETERSON Bismarck Tribune , The Bismarck Tribune

Claymore and a buddy at work always play practical jokes on each other. Claymore thought this might be a gag on him.

To Claymore's surprise, it wasn't a gag. Bagwell was serious about coming to United Tribes.

"He asked me if I would be willing to give him a shot," Claymore said. "He thought he was too old. He's 21 years old. I said 'Well, I have a 29-year-old on my team now.' We kept in contact."

While in high school, Bagwell was named to the all-city team in Detroit, averaging about 20 points a game. He was recruited by some NCAA Division I schools, but ended up at Itasca Community College in Grand Rapids, Minn., for academic reasons. Bagwell, who admitted to not taking his studies seriously, finished high school with a 1.9 GPA and didn't take the ACT test.

Bagwell, who was unhappy at Itasca, didn't even play half the season.

"I was fine academically," he said. "It just wasn't a good fit for me."

Bagwell spent the past two seasons as a manager of the photo department at a Walgreens in Detroit. He was also providing for his two daughters, ages 1 and 2.

Bagwell, who recognizes the tough economic times in Detroit, wanted to help his own cause by pursuing a college degree in early childhood development. He eventually wants to run his own daycare when his basketball days are done.

"This is a great opportunity to live my dream and take care of (my family),"he said. "I want to encourage my children to go for their dreams. I want to go to college and get my education so they can't say I didn't do it."

Bagwell, a shooting guard-small forward, found United Tribes while surfing the Internet.

"I saw they lost some games by 30-some points, and I thought they could use some help,"Bagwell said. "I took a chance."

Claymore believes he can also use Bagwell as a power forward. The coach likes what Bagwell brings to the table.

"James is an avid weightlifter,"Claymore said. "He jumps well. He has a nice mid-range jump shot. He takes it to the hoop really strong, and he's not afraid of any contact. He's a shut-down defender, also."

The Thunderbirds finished last season at 6-24 overall. The season turned into a nightmare for Claymore and the Thunderbirds, who finished with only six players.

In their final game of the season, they finished with just three players.

United Tribes returns two players from last season. Andrew Russell, a 6-5 forward from Lame Deer, Mont., led the Thunderbirds in scoring and rebounding with 14.3 points and 6.4 caroms a game.

Russell did not finish the season last year.

"He was dealing with some family issues,"Claymore said. "I would have liked to have kept him, but he was dealing with life, and that was a little more important than basketball at that time."

Also returning is Javier Bustos, a 6-foot point guard from Browning, Mont. Bustos averaged 5.3 points and 3.9 rebounds a clip.

"His strengths are his defense," Claymore said. "He's not a scorer, but he'll run the point for us this year."

In addition to Bagwell, Claymore will be relying on several other newcomers to improve upon last season Tyler Two Hearts from Mobridge, S.D.; walk-on Jonathan Bear from New Town and Patrick Wolf from New Town. Wolf is a transfer from Dickinson State and won't be eligible until next semester.

"Last year we couldn't run because we didn't have the numbers,"Claymore said. "This year we should be able to press and run the ball at other teams, and we couldn't do that last year because we didn't have the numbers."

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