Child Actor to Walk-On for Washington Basketball

It’s not quite Lil’ Romeo or P. Diddy’s son, but the Pac 12 will have another celebrity participate in it’s athletics this year. Following in the foot steps, sort of, of Romeo Miller at USC (basketball) and freshman Justin Combs at UCLA (football), Dion Overstreet Jr. will be walking-on to the Washington Huskies basketball team this season.

You may be wondering who in fact Overstreet is, to which I’d respond he’s about as well known for his hoops career as he is for his acting. Graduating from Venice High School (CA) in 2008, the 5-foot-9 point guard played two seasons of college basketball for Edmonds Community College in Washington. Averaging around 14 points per game over his two seasons, Overstreet is a long shot to make a difference for the Huskies, let alone crack the rotation.

Following in the footsteps of other short-guy explosive guards to play for Lorenzo Romar (and currently in the NBA) Nate Robinson (Chicago Bulls) and Isaiah Thomas (Sacramento Kings), Overstreet showed a capability to break out, putting up a career-best 42 points against Shoreline Community College back in January of 2011. He’s the second walk-on player for the Huskies this season, joining Quinn Sterling most likely on the back of the teams bench.

Now that you’ve read all you’d like to know and more about Overstreet the basketball player, you may recognize him from making appearances on shows like Malcolm and the Middle, the Bernie Mac Show, and NewsRadio. Overstreet was also in a number of commercials as a child for companies like McDonald’s, AT&T, and McDonald’s rival Burger King.

For Overstreet’s full filmography, check out his IMDB page.

For hoops, hip-hop and other random sports and pop culture commentary, follow Jared Mintz on Twitter @JaredMintzTruth