Father’s Day: Dynamic dads inspire star athletes in Las Vegas
Three sons and a daughter of famous fathers are well known to Las Vegas sports fans. What is not as well known is the profound influence their fathers have had — and continue to have on these stellar athletes.
In honor of Father’s Day, we share their stories. Meet Kevin Hamilton, father of UNLV basketball player Bryce Hamilton; Willard Reaves, father of Vegas Golden Knight Ryan Reaves; Peter Stastny, father of Vegas Golden Knight Paul Stastny; and Roscoe Wilson, father of Las Vegas Ace A’Ja Wilson.
Biggest fan, toughest critic
Paul Stastny remembers watching the end of his father’s NHL career, when he was a step slower and the points didn’t come quite so easily. But even then, he had heard the stories.
“Back then, it was all word of mouth,” said Paul, 34. “My first year as a pro, there were four or five guys who obviously looked up to him and played with him. Now I’ve seen the highlights. It’s fun to try to add to the legacy of the name and keep it moving forward.”
His father, Peter, was a trailblazer for Eastern European hockey players, defecting from Czechoslovakia with his brother Anton in 1980. Older brother Marian followed a year later.
Peter starred for the Quebec Nordiques, winning rookie of the year in 1981, and earned the nickname “Peter the Great.” Only Wayne Gretzky had more total points during the 1980s.
Peter, now 63, finished his career with 1,239 points (450 goals, 789 assists) in 977 games with Quebec, New Jersey and St. Louis. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998.
Paul has carved out his own name as an NHL player with 726 points (250 goals, 476 assists) in more than 900 career NHL appearances. The center recorded his 700th career point with an overtime goal Nov. 27, 2019, making the Stastnys the third father-and-son duo to each record 700 or more NHL points. Gordie and Mark Howe, Bobby and Brett Hull are the others.
Paul says his father remains his biggest fan and toughest critic.
“There were times when I was hard on myself, when I thought I wasn’t good enough for him,” Paul said. “But he’s always been proud of us, as long as we were good kids and good human beings.”
— David Schoen
Bringing up an enforcer
A narrow hallway led to the bedrooms in Ryan Reaves’ childhood home in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Whenever two family members tried to walk through in opposite directions, a battle ensued.
“It wasn’t like you guys could just pass each other,” said Reaves, the Golden Knights’ rugged right wing. “It was basically a full war to get by.”
Competition was a way of life in the household, including between father and son. Whether it was roughhousing in the living room or pushing their foreheads together to see who would give up first, the battles between Reaves and his father, Willard, 60, never stopped.
“He was a physical guy,” Ryan Reaves said. “I don’t think he knew that I was going to turn into an enforcer kind of guy in hockey, but he definitely did make me into that.”
Willard Reaves played five seasons for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from 1983 to 1987 and led the Canadian Football League in rushing three times. He set a CFL record for most yards from scrimmage and won the Most Outstanding Player award while helping Winnipeg to the Grey Cup in 1984. The three-time CFL all-star also briefly appeared in the NFL in 1989 with the Miami Dolphins and Washington Redskins.
“We’re a sports family, and I think we take a lot of pride in that,” Ryan Reaves said. “My brother (Jordan) plays in the CFL right now. … We’ve gone places and accomplished things in sports, and it started with my dad, obviously.”
Ryan Reaves inherited his bruising style of play from his father and has carved out a productive 10-year career in the NHL. He remains one of the NHL’s most respected pugilists at 33 years old.
Reaves said his relationship with his father hasn’t changed, with all the horseplay and trash talk still present.
“I don’t think that little competition part will ever leave us.”
— David Schoen
Behind her all the way
Roscoe Wilson certainly is proud of his daughter A’ja. The Aces star forward, who achieved her goal of becoming the nation’s top high school basketball player, led South Carolina to the first national championship in program history and became the No. 1 pick in the 2018 WNBA draft. At age 23, she’s just getting started.
But A’ja is just as proud of her father.
“My dad is someone that can walk into a room and know everyone,” she said. “He can start a conversation with anyone and come back with their life story. People really trust talking to him, and it’s just pretty cool how everybody loves that about him.”
The Aces’ affable standout credits her father with literally putting the ball in her hands and helping her develop into one of the world’s best — and most genuine and gregarious — basketball players.
As one of her first coaches, he introduced her to the sport and was patient during her development, providing tough love and invaluable knowledge that he gained playing pro basketball in Europe. He still sometimes stays up until 2 a.m., watching her old game tapes, providing pointers when he sees fit.
At age 12, A’ja told her father she wanted to become the top high school recruit, a state and national champion and a gold medalist.
“I said, ‘A’ja, if you want to do that, you’ve got to put in the work,’ ” her father recalled.
Roscoe fortified A’ja’s training regimen. The intensity of the workouts sometimes strained their relationship, but she knew he had her best interests at heart.
She is already a two-time WNBA All-Star and won another gold medal with USA Basketball’s senior national team in 2018 at the FIBA World Cup. Roscoe could talk all day about his daughter and everything she’s accomplished, but he’s most proud of who she off the court.
She’s charismatic, kind and unapologetically true to herself — much like her father.
“That’s who he is and I think that it was pretty cool for me to grow up watching,” she said. “Everyone’s always talking about my smile, or how I’m always laughing. … That’s my dad. That’s my dad’s personality. You can see that in me.”
— Sam Gordon
Providing an assist
When Bryce Hamilton was struggling midway through this past season, his second at UNLV, he didn’t have to go far for advice. His father, Kevin Hamilton, who played for legendary Texas-El Paso coach Don Haskins from 1982 to 1986, and appeared in the NCAA Tournament each of his final three years, had been in a similar situation.
When Bryce sought his father’s help, Kevin remembered the advice Haskins gave him as a young player. “Coach was actually kind of shy,” Kevin said. “He didn’t really like the notoriety and the attention. He just wanted to do his work and let his work speak for itself. That’s kind of what he taught us.”
That’s the lesson imparted to Bryce by Kevin, who played for Texas-El Paso in a loss to UNLV in the second round of the 1984 NCAA Tournament.
“His mom and I spoke to him consistently about him not playing to his capabilities,” Kevin said. “We’ve always known what he was capable of doing. We didn’t feel like he was getting the most out of his ability.”
Bryce took to heart his parents’ words and put together a stellar second half to the season, earning first-team All-Mountain West honors.
“My dad has meant a lot to me,” said Bryce, who is 19. “I have learned a lot from him, especially when it comes to basketball. His knowledge of the game and experience have helped me become a better basketball player.”
Kevin, 56, will continue to guide as the spotlight shines brighter on Bryce, who could push for Mountain West Player of the Year next season.
“I’m a firm believer in putting in the work, and doing the extra is always going to put you above the next player,” said Kevin, an insurance-fraud investigator in Southern California. “You can be good, but if you don’t get the most out of your talent, there’s always somebody there that’s going to outwork you.”
— Mark Anderson