The kids are coming to play

Sporting News, The, August 30, 2004 by Mike DeCourcy

The NBA's record raid of the high school ranks--eight first-round draft picks--robbed you of the chance to see, among others, Dwight Howard, Shaun Livingston and J.R. Smith compete for trips to the Final Four. So shed a tear for yourself, if not for the Duke and North Carolina fans who have been there plenty.

The class of 2004, however, did not earn comparisons to the greatest talent vintages--1979 (headlined by Ralph Sampson and Dominique Wilkins), 1989 (Shaquille O'Neal, Kenny Anderson) and 1995 (Kevin Garnett, Vince Carter)--merely by being loaded with stars. This class was loaded, period. There were far more top 100 caliber players than there were top 100 spots. Even without some who would have made splashy entrances, this freshman class will have a tremendous impact on the coming season.

These guys might not have the biggest names but will be noticed immediately:

Ron Steele, PG, Alabama. It's amazing how much Antoine Pettway's leadership and efficiency at the point will be missed, especially considering he entered Alabama without a scholarship and joined the rotation as a utility player.

The Crimson Tide recruited three guards with playmaking skills, including Glenn Miles and Albert Weber. But Steele, a two-time Alabama Mr. Basketball, will get the first and best shot at running the team. He is strong, quick and can score. Steele also is a winner; he led John Carroll of Birmingham to consecutive state championships. The Tide had fewer than 70 points in 12 games last year. Steele could make scoring less of a chore.

Mike Williams, PF, Texas. There are great expectations surrounding lanky center LaMarcus Aldridge, partly because he flirted with the NBA before deciding to play in Austin. Here's a little prophecy: Williams will play more and score more for the Longhorns as a freshman than Aldridge--and for his career.

Whereas Aldridge still must progress physically and develop Big 12-level intensity, Williams is ready to deliver now. He is tenacious and powerful and has nice face-the-basket skills.

If it doesn't seem like Texas' deep, experienced front line has room for Williams, remember that P.J. Tucker appeared to have little shot of breaking into last season's frontcourt, which was even stronger on paper. And Tucker ended up leading the team in rebounding and ranking second in scoring. If a player is good enough--and Williams is--Rick Barnes will find room.

Sasha Kaun, C, Kansas. Kaun went from luxury to necessity for Kansas when David Padgett transferred. Instead of serving as a backup, Kaun almost certainly will start. He will be expected to defend and rebound and take physical pressure off star forward Wayne Simien.

At 6-11,235, Kaun is equipped for the job of keeping bodies off Simien. But Kaun doesn't have Padgett's high level of skill, which forced defenders to honor him away from the basket. Surrounded by a loaded lineup, Kaun doesn't need to be a star offensively. But he at least needs to be someone who can't be ignored when the ball is in his hands.

Jordan Farmar, PG, UCLA. An overly simplistic (but telling) way to mark the difference last season between Pac-10 rivals Stanford, which went 30-2, and UCLA, which went 11-17, is comparing their assist/turnover numbers. The Bruins accumulated 40 more turnovers than assists; Stanford had 60 more assists than turnovers.

At the very least, Farmar gives UCLA a chance to start its offense. His point-guard style is more similar to Mike Bibby's than Jason Kidd's. Farmar is fast and energetic and as likely to generate a good shot for himself as a teammate. But he'll take the burden of running the attack from Cedric Bozeman, who never appeared comfortable with that responsibility. Farmar might be the most important recruit Ben Howland will sign in his first five years as Bruins coach.

(S) For more news and analysis from the college hardwood, go to msn.foxsports.com, keywords: college hoops.

SPEED READ

* The announcement that Dave Gavitt would take over as chairman of the Maui Invitational got more attention than Wayne Duke giving it up. But Duke helped Maul become the premier in-season tournament and successfully fought off the attempt of Jim Delany, his successor as Big Ten commissioner, to kill exempt tournaments such as Maui. Duke understood these events are good for college basketball.

INSIDE DISH

If Georgia can land PF Korvotney Barber of Manchester, Ga., or C Andrew Bynum of Metuchen, N.J., it probably will have the No. 1 recruiting class for 2005. That's not bad given that coach Dennis Felton took over in the spring of 2003 and has had to deal with the NCAA infractions case left over from Jim Harrick's regime. The Bulldogs already have commitments from SG Louis Williams and PG Mike Mercer, teammates at South Gwinnett High in Snellville, Ga., who complement each other well. Williams is an exceptional scorer who breaks down defenses, and Mercer is a fine creator and excellent shooter. Rashaad Singleton, a 7-1 center from Graceville, Fla., also is committed but will need time to develop.... Western Kentucky C Elgrace Wilborn, a transfer from Tennessee, earned praise for his aggressive interior play on a trip to Chile. He is expected to fill Nigel "Big Jelly" Dixon's role. The Hilltoppers need Wilborn to produce more than he did with the Vols; he averaged 2.9 points and 4.7 rebounds in 2002-03. ... New Ohio State coach Thad Matta and his staff are behind in recruiting because they weren't hired until the eve of the July evaluation period. But there's no panic within the program, even though the Buckeyes currently lack overwhelming talent. The coaches don't want to hand out scholarships carelessly when the state of Ohio is loaded with talent the next few years, starting in 2006 with SG DaQuan Cook of Dayton.... Look for Washington State to promote Tony Bennett to associate head coach. He came from Wisconsin, where he was an assistant for his father, Dick Bennett, and later under Brad Soderberg and Bo Ryan.--M.D.