Coach Mo Basketball

Phoenix Christian's Calvin makes adjustments running in fast lane Richard Obert The Arizona Republic Mar. 16, 2007 12:00 AM Bobby Calvin says he has 19 brothers and sisters, some of whom he has never met. He says his real father, whom he hasn't seen in seven years, is in prison. He characterizes his childhood as always being on the move. "You have to adapt, move around, city to city, always different people around you," he said. Calvin says he is one of the youngest in a current household of eight children, but says he looks the oldest and acts the oldest. "Actually, I'm considered the oldest," he said. He's had to learn fast on the field at Phoenix Christian, where, as a freshman last fall, he joined the varsity football team as a running back and defensive back. In six games, he ran for 430 yards, averaging better than nine yards a carry on an 11-2 team that reached the Class 2A semifinals. This track season, he runs the 100 and 200 meters and will likely anchor the relays, giving the Cougars, what track coach Mo Streety calls "a chance" to unseat perennial power Chandler Valley Christian for the state title. Streety, who was at Desert Vista in the late 1990s when Bobby Wade was the Arizona Player of the Year in football, believes Calvin could end up better than Wade, who played at Arizona and in the NFL. "Bill Patterson is the running backs coach who was at Desert Vista when we had Bobby Wade," Streety said. "We had our share of all-state running backs. We both think (Calvin) might be the best we've had, and we've had a ton of them." Calvin is a mature freshman at 5-foot-10, 185 pounds. He has a barrel chest, a big neck and runs hard. He is closest to his brother Rasheem, a sophomore at Phoenix Christian. Four other brothers from his stepfather Jim Armstrong's side, are athletes who attend Glendale Deer Valley. It's fitting that Calvin is in track's fast lanes, because his life to this point has been lived in the fast lane. He was born in Casa Grande and lived in Yuma, central Phoenix, Eloy and Arizona City to name a few places in his life. His mother, Roxanna Armstrong, has raised Bobby. She got help in 1998 when she married Jim Armstrong. "My mom wants me to do good with my life," Bobby said. Bobby said he once got in trouble with the law but doesn't talk about the details. He got through that time, learned from it and has moved on with the help of friends and family. "I've learned a lot of things on my own," he said. Bobby said he recently began corresponding with his father. "He says he misses me and my brother and wishes he could have thought about the decisions he made before he made them, because they're impacting our lives," Bobby said. "I've got to focus, stay good on my goals, stay determined. I've got to adapt to things very fast."