STARKVILLE — You name it, D’Antae Bush can do it.
If you need a defender, Bush is your man. If you need an attacking defender, Bush has you covered. If you need a loud mouth, don’t worry because Bush has learned to be a vocal presence whether he is stopping or scoring goals.
That versatility is one of the primary reasons Bush took the next step in his soccer career Thursday when he signed to play for coach Mike Sullivan at Itawamba Community College in Fulton.
“He’s probably one of the best we have ever coached in terms of being able to go forward from that spot,” Starkville High boys soccer coach Brian Bennett said of his senior defender. “He scored several goals this year from that spot. He could play a lot of different positions when he gets to ICC depending on where they need him.”
Bush will join Michael Sullivan, his longtime teammate at Starkville High, later this year at ICC. They likely will compete for playing time on defense with the Indians. It’s a role Bush is looking forward to because he has developed a good chemistry on the field with Sullivan. He also knows many of the other players coach Sullivan has signed for the 2015 ICC team. The signing class included seven players from Tupelo who signed last month.
“It feels great to go on and play in college, but I think I am going to miss high school ball,” Bush said.
Bennett said Bush has “natural instincts” from all of the soccer he has played. He said Bush is very calm on the ball and doesn’t get rushed or hardly ever makes a bad pass. He said Bush was a key to helping the Yellow Jackets build their attack from the back.
Bennett said Bush is capable of playing anywhere on the field. He said Bush saw more chances to play forward in practice than in matches, but he said there is no telling where Bush will play at ICC because he is that skilled.
“He is going to be an immediate impact player,” Bennett said. “They need his help, and he will give it to them right away.”
Bush said Sullivan’s decision to go to ICC made his choice easier. He said coach Sullivan told him he likely will play in the midfield or as a defender. It doesn’t matter to Bush, though, because he has seen time at every position, even if he likes playing defense the most.
“I think I just have the capability to play defense and go up and down and back and forth,” said Bush, who has played soccer since he was 4 or 5 years old in the Starkville Soccer Association. “I think all of the aspects of my game have matured because at the beginning I really wasn’t playing defense. As I moved on and got older, I started playing defense and it had to develop.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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