Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 7, 1993 TAG: 9302070144
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
OAK HILL STAR FINDS STRENGTH IN FAMILY, UNC TRADITION
Those who said Jerry Stackhouse is one of those college basketball prospects who can do it all weren't wrong.The recruiters who raved about the University of North Carolina signee, however, likely didn't realize the depth of their accuracy.
Yes, the Oak Hill Academy senior probably is the nation's premier high school player. He also washes his own clothes, cooks for his teammates and, in a crowd or going one-on-one, talks just as good a game as he plays.
"Jerry's a good kid who is very confident about himself," Oak Hill coach Steve Smith said. "He has an ego. When you've done what he's done, who wouldn't?"
Stackhouse's impressive play and numbers really don't describe the 17-year-old Tar Heel-to-be. His smooth, forceful play isn't just his game. It's him.
"I don't really recall anybody telling me I was shy," Stackhouse said. "I was never one to be bashful."
If that seems apropos for the star on a great team from Mouth of Wilson, Stackhouse is not outrageous, however. He soared for 23 points and his 100th dunk Saturday night as the Warriors (24-0) beat George Washington of Danville 90-49 in the Newbern-Trane Classic at the Salem Civic Center. Still, there's a certain down-to-earthness about him.
"That comes from home," he said.
That would be in Kinston, N.C., where Stackhouse is one of 10 children of George and Minnie Stackhouse. Dad is a truck driver. Mom is a retired cook.
"I'm the baby," Stackhouse said with the grin of a dribbling 6-foot-6, 218-pounder who, away at boarding school, misses his mom's cooking.
While recruiters point to Stackhouse's physical strength, perimeter play and passing as his assets, he says his strength is a product of prodding.
"My parents, my brothers were always pushing me to do a lot better," Stackhouse said. "When you're playing against older brothers, it's a battle. You have to be tough. It matures you.
"My parents taught me to stand up and, if I believed in something, I should say that. I don't know if I'm outspoken, but I think I am a strong person."
He has to be. In his home state, an appearance by Stackhouse usually means a packed house.
On Thursday night, Oak Hill beat Clinton, ranked fourth in North Carolina, at Davidson College's sold-out Belk Arena. Stackhouse had 33 points and 16 rebounds and, after the game, the UNC faithful descended to courtside to surround Stackhouse and Warriors point guard Jeff McInnis, also headed for the Dean Dome.
Up and down Tobacco Road, Stackhouse is being pegged as the next Michael Jordan, as if being the next David Thompson, James Worthy, Dominique Wilkins or Phil Ford wouldn't have been enough.
"I don't look at that as added pressure," Stackhouse said. "My goals and expectations, in basketball and life, are higher than those people could even put on me."
While the rumors had Stackhouse headed for North Carolina State, he says he strongly considered Florida State and, besides UNC, visited only Virginia.
"The tradition meant something," Stackhouse said. "Besides, I'm from the state of North Carolina. I liked Florida State. I liked Virginia. But those weren't the places where I figure I'll spend the rest of my life. North Carolina is."
One of his older brothers, Tony Dawson, was an in-house adviser when the coaches started dialing the Stackhouse house. Dawson starred at Florida State three years ago and now plays pro ball in Italy.
"Tony taught me a lot," Stackhouse said, laughing. "He told me that in recruiting, everybody has the same garbage; it's just whose garbage you believe the most. He's right."
Stackhouse isn't only street smart. Once was enough with the SAT. He said the move from home to Oak Hill "was one of the toughest things I've had to do, but one of the best decisions I've made, too."
Now, he will be trying to fit into a UNC system in which stardom is homogenized. Yes, he's heard the one about his next coach being the only one who has stopped Jordan.
So, where does Stackhouse see himself at Carolina next season?
"I see myself," he said, "on the court."