ebo profile 719

SoCalHoops Tournament Report

adidas Big Time Tournament
EBO Profile From Vegas Papers--(July 19, 1998)

The Las Vegas Review Journal published an interesting article this morning about the EBO team and Carlos Boozer. Echoing what Mats told us at the West Coast All Star Camp, it's pretty clear that Boozer is going to play it cool and not commit to anyone until the spring signing session. It's also clear from the results of the tournament so far, that EBO is still the odds on favorite to take the whole thing.

Darren Matsubura, the excitable coach for the EBO Fresno summer basketball team, was asked Thursday which college his muscle-bound power forward, Carlos Boozer, will attend. "I'll write it down," said Matsubura, attempting to evoke an air of suspense. He then scrawled a single four-letter word. Not Duke, or UCLA. Rather, it was "open." As in, wide open. There is no hint of even a preliminary decision from the 6-foot-9, 240-pound prospect who has drawn a who's-who of college coaches at The Big Time Basketball Tournament.

"It's completely open," Boozer said after EBO Fresno's 121-60 dousing of the Las Vegas Panthers at the Las Vegas High School auxiliary gymnasium. "I'm not sure which schools I'm looking at. Everyone seems interested. That much I know."

There can be no arguing that point. In attendance Thursday in the tiny Las Vegas High gym were more than a dozen coaches, including Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, UNLV's Bill Bayno, UCLA's Steve Lavin, Georgetown's John Thompson, Arkansas' Nolan Richardson, Fresno State's Jerry Tarkanian, Kansas' Roy Williams and Kentucky's Tubby Smith. "I notice a lot of them when they walk in, but I try not to notice during the game," Boozer said. "I can't let it affect how I'm playing. I just play my game and hope they like it."

Boozer has kept busy playing in six summer tournaments. A resident of Juneau, Alaska, he met Matsubura at a summer camp before his freshman year and has played for EBO Fresno for the past three summers. "He lives with me during the summer and works and plays a lot of summer basketball," Matsubura said. "He's got the kind of tools to make it big, but he needs to keep playing and working."

Though possessing the body of an adult -- and a large one at that -- Boozer is stunningly just 16 years old. Boozer, who averaged 25 points and 10 rebounds in high school, scored 21 with 14 rebounds against the Panthers. "I feel pretty good, but I'm tired," Boozer said. "These games take a lot out of you. We run a lot, but I feel pretty strong." Physical maturity is hardly a problem for Boozer, but Matsubura said Boozer needs to grow mentally and emotionally. "Mental maturity is the thing he needs to work on most," said Matsubura, who repeatedly chided Boozer's lax defensive effort in Thursday's 61-point victory. "He needs to remember to play hard at all times and work on fundamentals. Pure talent isn't enough. To succeed in this game over the long haul, you need to have solid fundamentals because talent won't always be there."

Boozer's career has drawn accolades from a variety of recruiting services. Recruiting expert Bob Gibbons lists him as the No. 21 prospect in the nation, and Recruiting USA magazine lists him at No. 3. "I don't worry about any of that stuff," Boozer said. "When it comes down to it, all that matters is hooking up with a good coach and a good program." Boozer and Matsubura said the player will not choose a school until April 1999, at the end of the NCAA's late signing period and near the end of Boozer's senior year. "I'm not going to rush it," Boozer said. "It's a big decision, an important decision, and I'm going to take my time. A lot can change between now and then." Matsubura said a shift in a school's coaching staff could alter Boozer's decision. "We expect to hear from the top coaching staffs in the country," Matsubura said. "A lot of times, the head coach could get a job somewhere else or an assistant can find a head job at another school, and all of a sudden the guy who has been recruiting you is gone. We don't want that to happen, and that's why it's good for Carlos to wait."

In measured tones, Boozer makes it obvious he's not going to make a hasty decision. "All I care about right now is playing basketball," he said. "I don't want anything to distract me from that."