When selecting a school that fits, style counts

Sporting News, The, Nov 23, 1998 by Mike DeCourcy

He could be Ramon Rivas, but he is much lighter on his feet. He could be William Cunningham, but he has some clue of what to do with the basketball. There's no mistaking, though,

Kevin Lyde is every bit a Temple big man, a freshman who found precisely the right place to apply his talents.

This is trickier than it seems. Recent history is littered with players who picked schools for their names or campuses or TV appearances, only to discover they did not fit.

We often rush to declare these players overrated--former Kansas forward Darrin Hancock, former Louisville center Beau Zach Smith, former Georgetown forward Duane Spencer--when it's sometimes a matter of properly rated talents going to waste.

Over the past four years, the following four players found ideal homes. Each was pursued by a coach who knew what sort of player suited his style, as opposed to being guided by a list of the top 100 prospects. Wonder how many players who signed letters-of-intent during the past week's early signing period can say the same?

Lyde, C, 6-10/Fr., Temple. The 250-pounder matches the prototype of the Owls' center established by Rivas with John Chaney's great 1987-88 team: a powerful presence with a massive trunk who is nearly impossible to move from beneath the goal.

Lyde elevates the standard with soft hands and a softer shooting touch. Plus, his quick feet serve him well in Chaney's matchup zone scheme. "What I've always liked about Lyde is he has never tried to do anything but be a low-post player," says Fran Fraschilla, the former St. John's coach now doing television analysis for Fox. "The style Temple plays is ideal for him."

Robert O'Kelley, G, 6-1/Soph., Wake Forest. O'Kelley chose Wake because of its success with Randolph Childress. Wake coach Dave Odom says he sells the school's history with guards in recruiting, from Billy Packer to Frank Johnson to Danny Young to Muggsy Bogues.

O'Kelley will be the next addition to the pitch. He averaged 16.6 points last season and was ACC Freshman of the Year.

Odom noticed O'Kelley at the Adidas ABCD Camp, and O'Kelley--more a shooter than point guard in high school--wisely listened when the Demon Deacons approached. He found a program that would not restrict his deep-shooting, hard-driving style and would allow him to grow into a complete point guard. He averaged 1.8 assists his first year; he averaged 3.5 his first two games of 1998-99.

"He believes in himself and his ability to score," Odom says. "We're trying to get him to improve his ability to penetrate and read spontaneously. He's playing in the present too much. He needs to play not one play ahead, but two plays ahead."

Hanno Mottola, F, 6-10/Jr., Utah. For all the recruiting U.S. schools do overseas, many remain uncomfortable with permitting foreigners to maintain their native style.

Rick Majerus found Mottola in Helsinki, Finland. Once he got Mottola in a Utah uniform, he did not try to remove the finer points of his game. Mottola's shooting and ball skills are valuable in the Utes' offense. He does not overdo the long-range shooting thing, as only one of every six shots was a 3-pointer last season.

Majerus wants more physical play from Mottola, who must increase his scoring with Michael Doleac gone. But the fact he hasn't been forced to play exclusively along the baseline will make Mottola more comfortable as he works toward that goal.

Pat Bradley, G, 6-2/Sr., Arkansas. He was almost entirely unknown--recruited by Boston University and St. Bonaventure--when Nolan Richardson noticed his range, ability to shoot on the run and knack for reacting to the ball on defense during an AAU tournament. Bradley did not stand out to others because he lacked a shooting guard's athleticism and the ballhandling to be a point man.

But Richardson does not mind having a second guard who is not a great straight-up defender if he's smart enough to think on the press and has a ball-pressure point guard as a partner. Think Corey Beck and Scotty Thurman.

With Kareem Reid alongside, Bradley had 50 steals as a junior to go with 93 3-pointers and a team-leading scoring average (14.8 points).

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