ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, March 31, 1996 TAG: 9604010131
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B2 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: EAST RUTHERFORD, N. J.
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
THE HIGHLY RECRUITED freshman forward for Kentucky says he is comfortable with his reserve role after starring at Oak Hill Academy.
Ron Mercer seemed to be enjoying his anonymity Friday as reporters and camera crews crowded around his University of Kentucky teammates at the Final Four.
``This year has been more of a learning experience than anything,'' said Mercer, a 6-foot-7 freshman. ``I didn't expect to come in and be an impact player. That's why I chose this school; they already had superstars here.''
If Mercer wasn't the top basketball player to come out of high school in 1995, he was the top player who went to college. Mercer and Kevin Garnett, now with the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves, were rated 1-A and 1-B by recruiting analyst Bob Gibbons.
Mercer was the object of a recruiting battle that became an obsession for basketball fans in two states, Kentucky and Mercer's native Tennessee. It was front-page news - not sports-front news - when Mercer picked the Wildcats.
``Last year wasn't normal,'' said Mercer, who spent his senior year of high school at Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va. ``People were bugging my parents [and] bugging me. Right now, this is normal.''
That is not the usual perception of Kentucky basketball and its fans, who are known for their high expectations and lack of perspective. How could any Wildcats player, especially one with Mercer's buildup, keep his sanity?
``It depends on whether you read the newspapers and listen to what everybody says,'' Mercer said. ``I don't listen to the talk shows. I'm not getting a lot of attention. I don't feel there's a lot of attention on me.''
It was no big deal when Mercer played six minutes in the Wildcats' 83-63 victory over Wake Forest in the Midwest Regional championship game. He averaged a little more than 13 minutes in Kentucky's first four NCAA Tournament games.
``Come tournament time, my [playing] time is going to be limited because of my experience,'' Mercer said. ``That's what's taking over right now. This is only my freshman year. It's not like this is my last year; I've still got three years to go.''
Mercer compared his situation to that of North Carolina freshman Vince Carter, another highly touted prospect. They won't show up on many freshman All-America teams.
``It's not hard to understand,'' Mercer said. ``A lot of us come out of high school, where we've survived on our athletic ability, and we don't do a whole lot else. We're not taught a lot. So, it's a big adjustment.
``I think with a guy like Vince Carter, once he gets in a system, you're going to see how good he can be really be. We have a lot of talent on our team, as well, so I'm basically just learning from the seniors.''
Mercer has played in every game for the Wildcats, who took a 32-2 record into Saturday night's NCAA semifinal with Massachusetts. He was averaging 7.6 points and 3.0 rebounds.
After starting 12 of the first 13 games, Mercer became a reserve, but he has remained a contributor. He had 17 points against Florida in the Southeastern Conference tournament, one of three consecutive games in which he scored in double figures.
``I don't have a lot of pressure on me,'' Mercer said. ``I don't feel like I've got to go out and score 20 points for us to win. That's fine with me. That's the way I wanted to be my freshman year.
``Next year and my junior year will be a different story. One of the reasons I chose this school was to be able to compete for the national championship and we're a couple of games away,'' he said Friday. ``So, I've already almost reached my goal.''
LENGTH: Medium: 71 lines KEYWORDS: BASKETBALLby CNB