Premier teams make plays for N.C.’s Randolph

Victoria Sun

Friday, July 27, 2001 | 9:59 a.m.

On one side of the baseline wall at Durango High School's main gym stood North Carolina basketball coach Matt Doherty. Less than 50 feet away on the other side of the baseline was Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski.

And somewhere nearby in the half-empty gym lurked Florida coach Billy Donovan.

All three were present and accounted for Thursday afternoon to watch the Raleigh Heat play the Inner City Players in one of the hundreds of games being played through Sunday at the adidas Big Time Basketball tournament.

But the game was almost an afterthought.

The real subject of their attention was 6-foot-10 Shavlik Randolph of Raleigh, N.C.

"It's a good feeling because those are the best programs in the country," Randolph said of being watched by the trio. "I'm honored that they would think I'm good enough to play for them."

Randolph was quiet the first half of the game while he was figuring out how to ignore the pain caused by a left ankle brace that was too tight. When he entered the second half without the brace, he displayed the mobility and aggressiveness that coaches love.

Randolph, called Shav for short, finished with 10 points, eight rebounds and three blocks.

Following the game, each coach took turns shaking hands and schmoozing with Randolph's father, Kenny.

It was like a scene out of "Blue Chips."

"I'm definitely getting closer to deciding," Randolph said. "But there's no rush. I pretty much have the same list.

"Right now it's pretty even. I'm just going to take a look at all the schools and see how I feel.

"I grew up around probably the biggest rivalries in college basketball. I know about the rivalries and so much about the ACC, but I really just want to go to the best place for me. Not like, just where I grew up or anything."

Duke, Carolina, Florida, N.C. State and Stanford, the school Kenny said has been recruiting him the longest, are all on the list.

After the list was revealed, many schools backed off, but Randolph said he still gets 20-25 letters a day from schools hoping he'll change his mind.

For the schools that have sent him standard form letters, forget about it.

"I try to only read the hand-written letters," he said. "The other ones, my dad puts them in a file.

"But hand-written letters and personalized letters, you know, that's different."

Different is a good way to describe Randolph.

Randolph's passions include Michael Jackson (yes, that Michael Jackson) and meteorology--specifically tornadoes.

Even his name is unique.

Randolph's mother, Kim, named him after her father, basketball great Ronnie Shavlik, who is enshrined in the N.C. State hall of fame.

Kenny chuckles when talking about his oldest son.

"He's always been the kind of person that when he becomes infatuated with something, I mean, he just studies it," Kenny Randolph said. "How he got into weather was he watched that movie 'Twister' one time.

"Well, for the next eight months, we'd go to Blockbuster and rent documentaries on weather and Michael Jackson -- he can actually do the routine. Oh, gosh, he can do the moonwalk. He studied Michael Jackson and can move just like him."

For a big man, Randolph has a very wide array of skills. He's a good passer, can shoot a mid-range jumper and is fundamentally sound. Though his wingspan isn't particularly long, Randolph is a good defender and still manages to block shots and grab rebounds by relying on his instincts.

As a junior at Broughton High School in Raleigh, Randolph averaged 28 points and 12 rebounds. He is rated No. 1 by recruiting expert Bob Gibbons of All Star Sports.

"He's kept his head on his shoulders through this whole process and he's the same kid he was five years ago," Kenny Randolph said. "It's like nothing is going on."

A smile comes across Shave Randoph's face when he talks about the most innovative way a coach has tried to get his attention.

"It's probably a tie," he said. "One of the things is, the first day of the evaluation period, Coach Donovan was at my school just to wave to me before I went to class. Yeah, he just waved at me.

"Then, Coach Doherty sent a 'Shav Country' shirt to Michael Jordan and Michael Jordan sent a picture of himself wearing it to me. That was kind of weird."