Canton Rep
7/3
Perry’s Frease reaching new heights
Monday, July 3, 2006 By CHRIS BEAVEN
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</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> Many men’s college basketball coaches knew something about Kenny Frease when the summer began.
Then came the 6-foot-11 Perry High School star’s dominant performance two weeks ago at a national camp in St. Louis. Suddenly, it seemed every major college coaching staff became aware of Frease at the same time.
“The phone began ringing off the hook once that camp ended,” Perry head coach Rob Toth said. “Kenny and his mom had over 600 minutes combined on their cell phones in one week.”
Expect their phone activity to increase again soon, as Frease heads to an even bigger basketball showcase this week. The junior-to-be is going to Indianapolis for the Nike All-American Camp, which runs Wednesday through July 10.
If he plays well — and continues his steady improvement — one national recruiting analyst believes even more attention awaits Frease.
“I think the light at the end of the tunnel for him a year from now is he’ll be one of the elite players in his class at his position,” said Dave Telep, the national editor of men’s basketball recruiting for Scout.com.
“In the Class of 2008, he’s certainly one of the most improved guys I’ve seen from last year to this year.”
That improvement has Frease headed to this week’s invitation-only camp featuring the nation’s top 120 high school players, regardless of age.
“It’s an honor to be able to play against the people I’m going to be playing against,” Frease said.
It is an honor he earned with his play at the Nike Hoop Jamboree in St. Louis two weeks ago where he was named the camp’s top performer.
“It was awesome,” Frease said. “I never expected that. There were a lot of good players there. When you come out and do something like that, it feels good.”
AGAINST THE BIG MEN
Frease took full advantage of playing in a setting that allowed him to go against other top big men.
“It wasn’t like a high school game where he’s surrounded all the time by two and three guys,” Toth said. “He got there and got to show what he can do going one-on-one in the post. It was liberating for him.
“College coaches saw what they wanted. They got to see him get on the block, and they saw that he can score. ... Everybody he talked to was real positive with how he did, how he improved his footwork and had gotten better, stronger, all those things. Guys who can play with their back to the basket are hard to find.”
Frease, who weighs 260 pounds, has worked on his footwork and quickness.
“I think you’ll see a significant improvement from now until the season,” Toth said. “He’s blocking more shots. He’s more active in the paint.”
Telep said another factor in Frease’s improvement was his confidence level.
“Last year, Kenny wasn’t confident enough to go out and do what he did in St. Louis,” Telep said. “Now, he has an air of confidence about him, and he’s improved his game.”
Frease averaged 18.2 points, 11.1 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game last season for Perry. He earned all-district honors and led the Panthers to the district tournament.
“He’s still the same-old kid,” Toth said. “He handles (the attention) well. He’s got good parents, and they keep him very grounded.”
Frease said he does get excited when a big-name coach or high-profile school contacts him.
“I’m just enjoying it right now,” he said. “Everywhere I go, whenever I’m playing, I’m just hoping my best is good enough for college coaches to offer me a scholarship.”
GREATER HEIGHTS?
Telep said Frease can still “crank his game up another notch” by becoming more mobile and more explosive inside.
“For him to become an ‘elite’ elite, he’s going to need a little more explosion inside to play with the guys who have more ability and athleticism,” Telep said.
Frease guesses he has heard from 35 to 40 colleges since St. Louis. And it wasn’t like he was going unnoticed before the camp.
Xavier University offered him a scholarship last summer at its team camp, which Frease again attended this past weekend with his Panther teammates.
Frease also recently received scholarship offers from Indiana, Dayton and Miami (Fla.). More offers are sure to come, possibly from the likes of Michigan, Notre Dame, Cincinnati, Louisville, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Purdue, Illinois and Pittsburgh.
Telep expects that list of schools to grow longer.
“He’s in the national mix with the better players,” Telep said. “He is an absolute lock to play at a high major conference.”
Big-time college coaches have been no stranger to Stark County in recent seasons.
Former McKinley star forward Raymar Morgan was a national recruit before settling on Michigan State, where he will be a freshman this year. GlenOak senior-to-be Kosta Koufos heard from a who’s who list of colleges before verbally committing to Ohio State several weeks ago.
“(Frease) will be recruited with the same intensity,” Telep said.
What Telep likes is how Frease has made gradual but consistent improvement in his game.
“One of the things with Kenny, because he’s not a super athlete or a great leaper ... he has to work hard,” Telep said. “Everything that happens to him, you know is a product of hard work. Clearly, Kenny works on his game, works on his body, and by all accounts, this is a (good) character kid.
“It’s definitely a situation where you look at the nice, steady progress he’s made and you have to give him a lot of credit and respect for what he’s done. He’s one of they guys where everything that comes to him, they’ve earned.”
