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ABCD notebook Caner-Medley rises from obscurity in Maine
Updated: Thursday July 12, 2001 5:20 PM By Albert Lin, CNNSI.com HACKENSACK, N.J. -- The most unlikely big-time prospect at the adidas ABCD Camp very well might be 6-foot-8 small forward Niklas Caner-Medley from Portland, Maine. In case you haven't noticed, Maine isn't exactly a hotbed of hoops, with only Andy Bedard (who spent two years at Boston College and two at Maine), T.J. Caouette (Villanova) and Notre Dame rising sophomore Chris Markwood making any noise in recent memory. And if none of these names ring a bell, well, let's just say they didn't cause a whole lot of ruckus. Caner-Medley is poised to change that. The rising senior at Deering High will have his pick of major Division I programs, something he never could have imagined would happen when he first started playing basketball in the second grade. "In order to dream something, you have to know it's possible," said Caner-Medley, whose family has lived in Portland since he was two. "Coming from Maine, I didn't know it was possible because nobody had ever done it." Indeed, that someone from such a basketball-deprived state was able to develop his skills without facing good competition is remarkable. Caner-Medley gained an edge by playing against older kids, but he also put in countless hours on his own. "You really have to be self-motivated," the lefthander said. "One thing my dad told me is that it doesn't matter if you're in New York City in a gym or Portland, Maine, in a gym -- if you work hard and shoot a lot of jumpers, you'll get better." Caner-Medley's dream began to take shape the summer before his sophomore year, when he grew three inches, sprouting from 6-3 to 6-6. "Coaches from Maine would tell me, 'You have a chance,'" Caner-Medley remembered. "I was like, 'What do you know? You're from Maine.'" But he started to prove himself in national camps, and his reputation climbed. Soon, Caner-Medley attracted the notice of the Pump brothers, who have an AAU program based clear across the country in Southern California, and his play on the AAU circuit caught the eye of coaches from the likes of Boston College, Connecticut, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Syracuse and Virginia. Caner-Medley is tough and physical and could probably be a post player, but he also has the requisite shooting and ball-handling skills for his preferred wing position. "Travel isn't an issue for me," Caner-Medley said about his ultimate college decision. "As long as my parents can see me, and hopefully I'll go to a school that's on TV enough so my family and friends can see me play." Twice the funThe class of 2001 had a host of football/basketball athletes, including Charles Frederick (Washington), Adrian McPherson (Florida State), Marcus Spears (LSU) and Greg Tinch (Louisville). This year's contender for top two-sport star is Matt Trannon from Flint (Mich.) Northern, a wide receiver/small forward who has every major football program hot on his trail. Trannon, who looks like Memphis Grizzlies guard Michael Dickerson and is CNNSI.com analyst Brick Oettinger's No. 23 rising senior, is a wiry 6-7 with explosive athleticism. On the court, his perimeter skills are still developing, but in a worst-case scenario Trannon could end up much like UCLA senior Matt Barnes (who, coincidentally, was also a high school football star). If he continues to hone his shooting and ballhandling, Trannon could be an NBA-level player. On the field, Trannon exploits his height, reach and leaping ability to dominate secondaries. He will go to school on a football scholarship, which means some lucky basketball team will get a nice bonus. Though Trannon realizes he may need a redshirt year in one of his sports to get acclimated to his class load, he definitely wants to go for the double. "They're both a lot of fun," Trannon said. "You just play your heart out and try to win the game." Flint, of course, has become a pipeline in recent years to the Michigan State basketball team. However, Northern teammate Jaquan Hart broke tradition by signing with Michigan, where he will be a freshman this fall. A report a few days ago suggested that Trannon would follow suit, but he insists he is completely wide open. He says he will narrow down his choices within a few weeks and plans to make a decision by the end of August. "I know all those guys," Trannon said of the Flintstones. "They all try to influence me to go to Michigan State. But they're not forcing me. They tell me to make the best decision for me, because it's the biggest decision of my life." Star of starsThough he only played the last eight minutes of each half, there was no doubt 5-10 Brooklyn (N.Y.) Lincoln rising sophomore point guard Sebastian Telfair was the fan favorite for the Underclass All-Star Game. Telfair dominated the first half, hitting nine of his 10 shots, including a 28-foot 3-pointer at the buzzer. He simply abused 5-10 junior point Dewayne Green from Grand Blanc (Mich.) Christian Faith Center, going around and over Green to the tune of 21 points, running the pick-and-roll to perfection, and throwing an alley-oop pass and a dazzling no-look fastball for another jam. He slowed in the second half but still finished with 29 points and seven assists (it seemed like he had more), earning White team MVP honors. The Red MVP was 6-7 junior Akron (Ohio) St. Vincent-St. Mary small forward LeBron James, who after the break had a host of dunks as well as pretty dishes, tallying 22 points and seven assists. Also playing well were 6-8 junior power forward Leon Powe from Oakland Tech; 6-0 sophomore point guard Darius Washington of Orlando (Fla.) Edgewater; and 6-9 small forward Charlie Villanueva of Blairstown (N.J.) Blair Academy. The White team won 119-118 at the buzzer when Telfair missed a layup but Jackie Butler, a 6-10 junior center from McComb (Miss.) High, put in the rebound. In contrast, the Senior All-Star Game was soooo boring, it doesn't even merit a mention. Worth notingOettinger's No. 68 senior, 6-7 small forward Cortez Davis from Chatham (Va.) Hargrave Military Academy, who is at the Nike All-America Camp in Indianapolis, apparently has backed off on his recent commitment to Maryland and reopened his recruiting. ... You know you are good when you earn the respect of your peers. Florida-bound Anthony Roberson, a 6-2 point guard from Saginaw (Mich.) High, has wowed those in attendance with his pure shooting stroke, knocking down all manner of 3-pointers with an impeccable follow-through. Powe shook his head in disbelief after Roberson drilled back-to-back treys and intoned to no one in particular, "He's a cold killer, man. A cold killer." ... Powe, by the way, according to the very unofficial stats, was the leading scorer (21.3 ppg) and rebounder (9.9 rpg) at the camp. Roberson was the No. 2 point producer at 18.8 ppg. ... Though he hasn't played all that well in New Jersey, 6-4 junior guard Rodrick Stewart of Seattle Rainier Beach is still having fun. Late in his final game Stewart left his feet and caught an alley-oop toss at waist level with his right hand, passed the ball between his legs and came up just short on a layup attempt with his left. ... One of the more pleasant surprises has been the play of 6-5 senior wing guard Adam Haluska of Carroll (Iowa) Community High, who has had the fortune of playing on No. 1-ranked junior James' team. Haluska has shown great touch from the outside, an ability to run the floor, and surprising athleticism. ... The Name Game: No terribly unusual monikers at ABCD, but we have a winner from Nike. Oettinger's No. 3 sophomore performer in Indianapolis is 6-2 combo guard JamesOn Curry from Mebane (N.C.) Eastern Alamance. No, that's not a typo. Curry's first name is pronounced jaym-ZON. ... Which of the camps has the best overall talent? While that is always up for debate, ABCD wins the class of 2003 race hands down. Twelve of Oettinger's top 14 rising juniors are in New Jersey, with only No. 6 Richard McBride and No. 8 Dion Harris missing. However, No. 7 Lawrence Carrier, a 6-8 small forward from Salisbury (Conn.) School, left New Jersey after Monday's afternoon session. ... New coaching faces spotted on the last day of ABCD: UConn's Jim Calhoun, Miami's Perry Clark, Pittsburgh's Ben Howland, Tulane's Shawn Finney and Fordham's Bob Hill. Surprisingly, we never saw UCLA's Steve Lavin or Michigan State's Tom Izzo all week, though we're told Izzo was here Sunday. ... A late arrival to the Rothman Center, just for the All-Star Game festivities, was former St. John's guard Omar Cook, now property of the Denver Nuggets.
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