THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 27, 1994 TAG: 9411270220
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JOHN SMALLWOOD, KNIGHT-RIDDER NEWS SERVICE
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Long : 128 lines
The whispers started spreading around the nation's capital during the summer.
``Have you seen Allen Iverson?''
``Man, he's unreal!''
``I heard he scored 60 in a game the other night.''
``Georgetown could win it all with him.''
Now the secret will come out.
Freshman point guard Allen Iverson, after a series of exciting exhibition performances, makes his regular-season collegiate debut today for Georgetown against Arkansas (WTKR, 2 p.m.) in the Martin Luther King Classic in Memphis, Tenn.
That scratching noise up and down the East Coast is the sound of chalk being frantically scribbled on strategy boards. Coaches from Fayetteville to Syracuse are about to find out that what they have suspected, and dreaded, of the player from Hampton is in fact true.
There's been a lot of hype, but Iverson looks like the real deal.
``(New Jersey Nets All-Star guard) Kenny Anderson with a jump shot,'' Washington Times columnist Tom Knott spouted as he watched Iverson play. ``Hang his number (3) up in the rafters. He's better than most of the point guards in the NBA right now.''
Never mind that the opponent was the Fort Hood Tankers, a team made up of Texas-based foot soldiers that surely would rank with the have-nots of Division I-A.
Still, what Iverson displayed went way beyond the concrete measure of 36 points, five assists and three steals in just 23 minutes.
The 6-1 guard put on the type of show that makes basketball pundits, even the most seasoned ones, gush.
``I saw Lew Alcindor, Austin Carr, Moses Malone, Alonzo Mourning, Albert King, Ralph Sampson and Patrick Ewing play in high school,'' veteran sports writer Thomas Boswell wrote in the Washington Post the day after watching Iverson. ``. . . Now, I have two memories on my first-impression top shelf. The man who became Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Allen Iverson. Ewing is third.''
At the Big East Conference's preseason media day, St. John's freshman guard Felipe Lopez was voted preseason rookie of the year by the league's coaches. They obviously hadn't seen Iverson yet.
Syracuse was selected the preseason favorite to win the league. They didn't see Georgetown's level of play increase twofold the instant Iverson stepped on the court.
``Allen is a natural,'' said Georgetown coach John Thompson, who never has been known to heap undue praise on any player, particularly one yet to play a college game. ``He didn't surprise me. What's to surprise? I see Allen every day in practice. He's got great quickness, he can pass the ball, he works hard and he's aware of his teammates.
``We've had enough people here with big-name reputations. It's not new to us, so it's not something we get excited or unexcited about. Allen is a talented kid, but he's human. He's going to make some mistakes. There are things he has to learn. It's important that he knows that, and he does.''
It's not as if Iverson, 19, suddenly fell to earth and landed in Georgetown. As a junior at Hampton's Bethel High, he averaged 31.6 points, 9.2 assists and 8.7 rebounds and was one of the most highly regarded players in the nation.
But in February 1993, Iverson was arrested and charged with three felony counts of maiming by mob for his part in a bowling-alley brawl in Hampton.
He was found guilty and sentenced to a five-year prison term at Newport News City Farm, serving four months before then-Virginia Gov. L. Douglas Wilder granted him conditional clemency.
Leery of the negative publicity, many schools turned away from their recruitment of him. The dramatized version has Iverson arriving at Georgetown because his mother, virtually in tears, came to Thompson because she feared for her son and asked Thompson to give him the ``tough love'' the Hoyas coach has been known for.
``I don't have any concerns about Allen because Allen would not be here if I had concerns about him,'' said Thompson. ``I've said many times, I don't want any jackasses. We're not a program for problem people.''
Thompson prohibits his freshmen from speaking with the media until after the first semester, so Iverson has been silent since he committed to Georgetown. But veteran Hoyas say their newest teammate is anything but the street thug some have tried to portray him as.
``When I first met Allen, I didn't have any preconceived notions of how he would be,'' senior guard Irvin Church said. ``I just figured he would be trying to watch his step. The incident with Allen is in the past. I don't think Allen is a bad kid.
``From his time around us, he seems to be down-to-earth and nice. He has a good head on his shoulders. He knows what he needs to accomplish. He's a good kid.''
Still, already there has been minor baggage to take care of.
After Georgetown opened practice Oct. 18, the issue of Iverson's two paid-for flights to a Nike camp in July 1993, during his trial, prompted the school to declare him ineligible.
The NCAA granted Georgetown's request for reinstatement a day later because the school submitted documentation that Iverson had repaid Nike the cost of the tickets.
Back on the court, the breakdown of Iverson's tremendous potential starts with his hypnotic dribble and the explosive yet seemingly effortless moves he creates from it.
That's why he shot 21 free throws against Fort Hood, sinking 19.
``If they interpret the hand-checking rule the way they say they are going to this season, then it's going to be very difficult for anyone to guard Allen one-on-one because of his explosiveness,'' Thompson said. ``He can stick it from the outside - stick it well from outside - but as I told him, don't try to prove you're an outside shooter if you can get to the basket.''
Many of his future teammates, as well as fans, got an early glimpse of Iverson over the summer when he played in D.C.'s Kenner League. Playing in his first organized competition in nearly a year, Iverson totaled 99 points in three games.
``He did all of his things within the flow of the game,'' said Hoyas senior forward Don Reid, who played on Iverson's Kenner League team. ``What has impressed me the most is his penetrating and pitching, looking down low for the big men after he has drawn our men away from us. As a big man, that makes you very happy.''
The early challenge for Iverson will be sizable - after Arkansas, there are games with Memphis and De Paul and then a rugged Big East schedule.
It remains to be seen how he will stand up against major-college opponents, but one guy who should know has little doubt. Joe Smith was getting ready for practice at the University of Maryland. The former Maury High player, who was ACC freshman of the year last season and recently made the first-team preseason Associated Press All-American team, played with Iverson on several AAU teams.
``Can Allen have a Joe Smith-type freshman year?'' Smith said, flashing a smile. ``Allen can have a better-than-Joe-Smith year. I think his freshman year is going to be much more outstanding than mine.'' by CNB