He admits he has lost his confidence.
“This is a reality check,” Curtis Kelly said Tuesday. “I have to step it up. But the first thing I have to do is get my swagger back.”
It’s hard to believe at one point Kelly was a top-30 recruit in the Class of 2006 out of famed Rice High in Harlem, N.Y., a member of the vaunted New York Gauchos. Many of his peers in that class are already in the NBA.
Kelly? The 6-foot-9 forward is transferring out of UConn after two disappointing seasons, possibly to Kansas State (where he visited the past weekend) after averaging 2.4 points and 2.2 rebounds in 51 games. He admits now he wasn’t a good fit in Storrs, suggesting the Huskies’ style of play didn’t mesh with his talents, which were described by Rivals two years ago as “unorthodox.”
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OK, I know this is getting ridiculous, but I just hung up the phone with Matt Suther, who is fielding questions and information for next weekend’s Manhattan Classic. Anyway, he just confirmed the Brandon Bass All-Stars from Alabama are in the Classic field, and Latavious Williams will be running with them.
So, you’ve got two 2009 commitments in the D.C. Assault’s Wally Judge (No. 48 in Rivals’ Top 150) and Rodney McGruder (No. 76). And K-State is in good shape with Williams, who is No. 13.
Other prominent teams in the field include the Dallas Heroes, the Iowa Barnstormers, Team Texas and the Spiece Indy Heat. Tickets can be purchased now at Powercat Illustrated at 1125 Moro Street from 10 am. to 5 p.m. or online at gopowercat.com or at the Kansas State Super Store in Manhattan.
Rivals ranked Williams, the Progressive Christian Academy-via-Starkville (Miss.) High star, as the No. 13 player in the Class of 2009, a five-star recruit.
And he’s concerned about minutes at the next level.
“I want to go somewhere where I’ll play right away,” Williams said late Monday.
Oh, it’s funny how college coaches find spots in the lineup for 6-foot-8 forwards who can leap out of the gym. That’s the book on Williams, whom most evaluators compare to Tyrus Thomas, a Chicago Bulls “veteran” who was one-and-done at LSU.
That’s probably the same fate facing Williams, although his immediate plans are confined to shoring up his perimeter shooting skills (he said his coach at Progressive plans on using him on the wing this season), growing another inch (he desperately wants to be 6-foot-9) and, which is what most Kansas State fans want to hear about, committing to a college.
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