Tuesday, August 18, 1998

Olowokandi
making big strides

The top pick in the NBA Draft
has shown remarkable
improvement in one year

By Cindy Luis
Star-Bulletin

It's a routine basketball workout, starting with the stretches. Only the 85 inches that belong to Michael Olowokandi seem to go on forever.

A year ago, Olowokandi participated in the Pete Newell Big Man Camp as a raw talent looking forward to his senior year at Pacific. Twelve months later, he has returned as the No. 1 pick of the NBA Draft and the center of the Los Angeles Clippers' hopes.

"When you think about last year and this year, obviously there's been some drastic changes," Olowokandi said during yesterday's opening camp session at the Kamehameha Schools Kekuhaupi'o Gym. "But nothing has changed in terms of what I've had to do to progress. It's going to take a lot of work for me to get to the point where I want to be.

"A year ago, I was just hoping to make it to the NBA. I'm thinking, 'I hope, I hope, I hope I can do it. I hope playing in the Big West Conference doesn't work against me. But I knew if I had a strong season, did as well as the rest of my college peers, that I'd have my chance."

The Clippers took a chance on Olowokandi, passing on Arizona All-American guard Mike Bibby. The thinking was that while Bibby could help them immediately, Olowokandi, the Nigerian-born, England-raised big man who had only played 77 games of organized basketball, had a brighter future.

"There's a great upside to Michael," Clippers General Manager Elgin Baylor said after the June draft. "He's an athletic, legitimate center. He's impressive. I couldn't really see any risk in taking him.

"He's coachable, self-disciplined and he's gotten better and better each year."

Camp director Newell sees the improvement from just a year ago.

"From the time we had him last year to right now, he's progressed a lot," said Newell. "He's going to be a fine player. He's got excellent footwork, natural quickness, leaping quickness, good sense of balance. And he's a quick learner.

"There are areas of improvement that are ahead of him and he will need to achieve those if he's going to be a super player. I think he's got a chance at that. He's got the skills to make him a real top NBA center."

An early part of yesterday's session was devoted to footwork. Olowokandi has exceptional quickness, something he attributes to his prep school soccer and track background.

"I did the long jump and triple jump and I think the quickness from that paved the way for basketball," said the 23-year-old. "The athleticism was there and I just had to learn the game (of basketball) and get better."

Actually, Olowokandi had to first find basketball. While growing up in England, he did all the traditional English sports: soccer, cricket, rugby.

"I never played basketball because nobody played basketball in England," he said in an interview after the draft. "We had an equipment room and we saw a basketball back over in the corner. We thought we'd try something new.

"We went outside and we were dribbling the ball, myself and two other friends. It felt good for me personally, I felt like it was something I could easily dominate. And I would go into stores and see Michael Jordan and see the Bulls, and it seems like something I wanted to be a part of."

He chose Pacific out of a college guide book in his prep school's library. The first page he turned to had the Stockton, Calif., school listed.

Olowokandi first called about transferring his credits. The discussion led to basketball and he was asked how tall he was.

"I said I was 7-feet tall and 265 (pounds)," said Olowokandi. "They said, 'We'll have you.' That's basically the story."

He began his sophomore year as a walk-on, not earning a scholarship until last season, when he averaged 22 points and 11 rebounds a game. Olowokandi finished his career as UOP's single-season block leader (95), was the Big West Player of the Year, and an All-American honorable mention.

He's also a breath of fresh air. While Portland's Kelvin Cato pouted and spiked a basketball into the rafters in frustration yesterday, Olowokandi took instruction with a smile.

"I really enjoy basketball," he said. "I step on the court and it feels good. It's not something I've been doing for a long time in my life and it always feels new and exciting. And my learning curve can expand exponentially.

"I guess I'm more like a sponge. You are presented with a lot of opportunities in life. It's about making the most of the chance that you have."

Olowokandi was considered the best center available in the recent draft. Analysts called him the ultimate unpolished stone.

This diamond in the rough may prove to be quite a gem for the Clippers.