In young hoops career, KU signee already has endured ups and Downs

By Ryan Greene     Apr 3, 2005

Scott McClurg/Journal-World Photo
Kansas University signee Micah Downs brings the ball upcourt during the first half of the McDonald's All-American game on Wednesday in South Bend, Ind. Downs had eight points and two rebounds in just 11 minutes in the all-star game and was visibly upset on the bench in the second half.

? Micah Downs is not a punk, and he is not a crybaby.

But after the second half of Wednesday night’s McDonald’s All-American game, that probably was a popular opinion among Kansas University basketball faithful who watched the Jayhawk signee during the all-star showcase.

On the bench, Downs threw up his hands in disgust and shook his head, but he did it because it pained him to not be on the floor. Downs’ attitude stemmed from a love for basketball that isn’t normally seen these days in highly touted high school players.

However, because of his bench antics during the McDonald’s game, Downs has by default become the wild card of this year’s Jayhawk recruiting class.

Loves the game

If you want to know how much Downs loves basketball, just look under his arm, where he’s usually toting a ball. Or, better yet, ask him.

“I don’t really like fame and stardom,” Downs said, as the cameras and microphones filtered through the room at Tuesday’s Media Day. “I was really cocky when I was little and just starting out. I’m not like that anymore. I just love to play the game of basketball.”

He’s definitely a lay-low type of guy, and play ball is what he went to South Bend to do. When it was taken from him in the final 15 minutes of Wednesday’s game, he grew frustrated.

But he’s just a teenager, so don’t judge his maturity too closely. Instead, pay attention to what he does when he’s on the hardwood.

Last summer, Downs said he was in a similar playing-time quandary at the USA Developmental Camp, and when he next hit the floor was on a quest to prove his limited action was a fluke. After the McDonald’s game, he said he planned to come out with a similar chip on his shoulder.

High school

Downs developed mental toughness during this past season at Juanita High, his first at the Seattle-area school. He transferred there following “personal differences” with the coach at his old school, Bothell High.

Juanita met Bothell twice this season, and Downs knew he would be heckled by opposing fans. His intensity boiled over in the first meeting against Bothell, where an obscene gesture towards a referee earned him a two-game suspension.

But he got back at his former school by hitting the game-winning shot in the regular-season finale. Juanita, which won a total of three games in the previous three seasons, won 11 in Micah’s only year there.

“It made me feel proud to know that I could do something like that,” Downs said.

His size presents a nearly impossible defensive matchup at shooting guard, and that height advantage also allows him to pull up for three whenever he pleases. He’s a legit 6-foot-8 with an 8-foot wingspan, and Downs showed that range in the McDonald’s game, going 2-of-3 beyond the three-point arc, including a 25-foot splash.

Scouts and analysts have compared his game to that of former Duke standout and current Golden State Warrior Mike Dunleavy Jr. Both are long, both can shoot, and both have the ability to get to the basket at will.

“I think so,” said Snohomish, Wash., forward Jon Brockman, Downs’ teammate on their Friends of Hoop AAU squad, on the Dunleavy comparisons. “He’s a good player who’s got good athleticism, plus he’s got a good body type with long arms. He’s got range, can shoot from far out.”

Though Downs says he hasn’t really seen Dunleavy play. He is more focused on his own game and on adding enough mass to his 190-pound frame to get regular minutes next season for KU coach Bill Self.

Bulking up

The man responsible for getting Downs ready physically is Seattle-based weight trainer Bull Stewart, the father of Rodrick Stewart, who can play for the Jayhawks next December after transferring from Southern Cal.

Stewart trains plenty of Seattle-area athletes, from high school kids to professionals. He is also currently working with Louisville-bound guard Terrence Williams.

Before two weeks ago, Downs had never sniffed a weight room. Basketball had made him naturally strong, and, though lean, Downs is what Stewart calls “basketball strong.”

“He’s long and wiry, very athletic, and you can’t determine it by looking at him,” Stewart said. “Weight training is new to him, and his metabolism is so fast, so we’ve just gotta increase his meal intake. It’s easy for him, because his body is not used to any weight training. It’s much easier for him than somebody who’s been doing it for a while.”

Not only is it easier for him, but because of his body’s unfamiliarity with weights, the bulk will come much quicker. In the two weeks before Downs left for South Bend, he packed on five pounds. Stewart said he would talk with the Kansas University coaching staff to gauge where they wanted Downs to be, but he said getting him to 205-210 pounds before moving to Lawrence in late June should not be a problem.

Stewart also said the added strength should increase Downs’ already impressive vertical leap, which got him into the dunk competition at Monday’s Powerade Jamfest where he executed an impressive windmill jam.

It could seem impossible to add that much weight that fast, but Downs has become good at disproving doubters during his basketball journey. He next seeks to prove that there is no reason why he and fellow KU signees Mario Chalmers and Julian Wright can’t brave the waters of the Big 12 Conference.

“The Big 12’s one of the toughest leagues in the NCAA,” he said. “We’re gonna be young, but we’re gonna be good. We’re not gonna take anything lightly. We can’t just expect to be good because it’s Kansas.”

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