NBA’s Chris Paul visits Washington’s Trashaun Willis

When flying to Los Angeles for a party, Trashaun Willis knew he was going to get to meet some 'big-name people.” When he was playing basketball in his backyard with his father, having an NBA All-Star show up was a complete surprise.

The two events are interconnected and the genesis of them was an internet video of Willis dunking during an eigth-grade basketball game. Born with amniotic band syndrome, a condition in which amniotic bands entangle the fetus and stunt the growth of parts of the body, Willis' left arm ends where his elbow would be. He calls it his 'little arm.”

Chris Paul of the Houston Rockets visited Willis in September during the week of the Washington Demons game against Iowa City Liberty.

Willis, a 6-foot-5, 190-pound sophomore, starts at middle linebacker for the Demons.

'Bleacher Report bought me a basketball hoop and told me they wanted to get some video of me shooting with my dad,” Willis said. So the cameras were there filming. 'Then Chris Paul pulled up in a couple of Cadillacs. It was pretty shocking. I did not know what to say. I was just shell-shocked.”

Willis had already defeated his dad in a game of HORSE.

Paul and Willis played and Paul won without getting an H, but he played with two hands.

'The second time we played, he just used one hand,” Willis said. 'It was a lot closer but I still lost H-O-R-S to H-O-R-S-E.”

The footage of that encounter was used to make the video that can be seen at bleacherreport.com/articles/2800359-trashaun-willis-arm-dunk-real-story.

The flight to LA was to honor him and four others who had videos made about them by Bleacher Report.

'It was like a party for the release of the five videos,” Willis said. 'They threw a party for all of us in Los Angeles. Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul and Candace Parker were all there. There were a bunch of big-name people.”

However, going to the LA party meant missing the final Demons' football game against rival Mt. Pleasant.

'It was pretty hard, especially since we ended up winning,” Willis said. 'I knew that I was going to go during homecoming week.”

It is hard to turn down an all-expense paid trip.

'I was a little frustrated with Bleacher Report for putting him in that situation,” Washington coach James Harris said. 'At the same time, I was thankful that they did honor him. It was great that they did the piece on him. It was fantastic.”

'Coach said that it is going to be a bum deal if it comes down to it, making the playoffs or not,” Willis said. 'Then it did, so that made it harder for me to go. Knowing that I wouldn't be able to play with my team kind of sucked. On the Fairfield night, it was a pretty upsetting night for me, knowing that I wouldn't get to play the next game.”

If the Demons had made the football playoffs, the Bleacher Report party would have affected that game because team rules state a missed game means not starting the next game. Harris would have been put in a spot.

'Obviously, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for him and his family to go out to LA,” the coach said. 'For him to be recognized for what he does as a young man, it wouldn't be right for him not to go to that. I don't know what I would've done. I would've had to think long and hard about it. It would've been a tough decision. I would've liked to of had that decision to make because it would've meant that we made the playoffs. He would've played, but I don't know what my decision would've been on him starting. There would've been a lot of things to consider like how I felt about The game plan. Kyle Dallmeyer, who replaced him, did a great job (against Mt. Pleasant).”

Playing basketball is what brought national recognition for Willis, but is that his favorite sport, or is it football?

'That is a hard choice. I can't decide,” Willis said. 'If it came down to it,” he paused, then concluded, 'I just don't know.”

Whatever sport is in season, that will be his favorite sport.

In the video, he talks about wanting to play at the next level. Yet he is still undecided about which sport that would be.

'It depends on where I would get a chance to play,” Willis said.

Michigan is his favorite college, so whatever sport Michigan would ask him to play, that would be his favorite.

'My Dad is from Michigan, so it grew on me,” Willis said.

The Demons' opponents this season had better beware because Willis learned a few things from Paul.

'I picked up on some tricks about dribbling to my left side. When defenders play me on my right, (Paul) taught me how to be quicker in my movements.”

Towards the end of last year's basketball season, he received some varsity playing time.

'I played a lot a junior varsity through the year,” Willis said.

He now has some added amunition to make a push for varsity.

'Trashaun is a great young man and Washington is lucky to have him in the athletic department and in the school,” Harris said. 'He practices excellence in all areas of his life. He does it in the classroom. He does it socially. He does it in his religious life. He does it on the athletic fields. He's a pretty special young man. I want to do anything to make sure Trashaun is recognized for the upstanding young man that he is.”