Kreps Positioning Himself To Play In Europe

By LEROY BRIDGES

H&R Staff Writer

Living just six blocks from the University of Illinois-Chicago, Mike Naiditch knew what kind of competitor and player Robo Kreps was on the basketball court.

What Naiditch didn’t realize was just how passionate Kreps was for the game. When the two finally crossed paths during the agent and player process after Kreps graduated this spring, Naiditch found out what drives the Maroa-Forsyth product every day.

It’s not dollar signs.

“He just wants a job to play basketball,” Naiditch said. “He has a passion for the game that I haven’t seen from a lot of guys. He didn’t bring up money, not one time. I can tell you that’s not his motivation. He really is doing this because he loves it.”

Kreps’ dedication to getting better in order to live as a professional has backed that up. He’s in the middle of a two-month stint at Attack Athletic, one of the country’s elite training facilities under the direction of Tim Grover. Grover’s spent time with Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade, just to name a few.

When Kreps showed up with his swollen physique after living the majority of his college career in the weight room, Grover dubbed him the “fat white kid.”

“In college, I wanted to put on this weight and I knew how to do it,” said Kreps, who graduated with a Kinesiology degree. “I know how to lose the weight, too.”

Kreps has limited his lunch diet to either Subway or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, while he’s basically taken up residence at Attack Athletic. The first four days of the week feature five-hour workouts that mix in court work with some lifting. The end of the week is a ligther load, but every day he finds himself in the gym trying to get better, specifically as a guard with the ball in his hands. After making a promise to work extensively on his handles every day, his elbow is even a bit sore.

On a rare day off recently, Kreps relished the day by sleeping in and simply watching a movie. A direct reflection of the amount of work he’s put in to lose 20 pounds and develop ball handling skills he’s never had.

“I’m 10 times quicker,” Kreps said. “I have gotten better in every area.”

The rapid development Naiditch has seen is changing the outlook on Kreps’ options overseas. There’s already one offer on the table to play ball in Germany at one of the highest levels, but Naiditch thinks Kreps can handle even better competition with his new explosiveness and improved point guard skills.

So, Naiditch is exploring every option in Europe in hopes of finding Kreps the perfect fit.

“I want to push as hard as I can because I believe he can surprise some people at a high level,” Naiditch said about Kreps. “Losing that weight and adding some tools has really changed things.

“Germany in the second division is a safe start but I think we could make a shot at the first division.”

One of the challenges for Kreps when it comes to attaining his dream of playing in the NBA is figuring out what guard position he fits best. He’s a natural scorer, but doesn’t possess the needed size to play at the two in the League.

In Europe, he doesn’t run into that issue. He can be a score-first point guard who enjoys a long career, which is fine by him — even if it means adapting to a life half a world away from his family, which is already making his a bit nervous.

“It flew by, but I feel like I played in college forever. I’m ready to move on,” Kreps said. “If you want to be good in the game, you have to put the time in. I’ve always said if I stop having the drive that I do right now to get better, that’s when I’m done.”

For now, Kreps has another couple weeks in Chicago before he finally finds out where he’s going to be playing next.

“Mid-august I would like to have him off and running wherever that may be,” Naiditch said.

lbridges@herald-review.com|421-6970

Published in the Herald & Review in July 2011.

Adams Ready To Overcome, Again

By LEROY BRIDGES

H&R Staff Writer

If Darius Adams has proved anything the past four years, he’s more than ready to overcome a far from ideal situation this summer.

After being one of the best players in Division II this year, the MacArthur and soon-to-be University of Indianapolis graduate is prepping for a new stage in his life — professional basketball. But with a looming lockout for the NBA, most potential professional basketball players are in for a grueling and unpredictable couple months.

Unlike most high-profile guys, Adams has been through the struggles. He went from being a bench player for the Generals to a two-year college before becoming the nation’s seventh-best scorer in D II. Now, he’s going to have to shake the D-II label and prove he’s worthy of a workout for NBA teams that are going to be limited given the likely work stoppage.

“There are a lot of people who start at the bottom and come up,” Adams said. “The main thing is proving yourself. I know if I just keep going hard and putting in the work that’s where I want to be.”

In normal years, teams bring in a host of potential draftees before the draft then evaluate undrafted free agents during mini camps and the summer league. With none of that set to happen, Adams is going to have to make a quick impression in the few opportunities he might get.

“The timing is terrible,” Eric Fleisher, Adams’ agent, said about the lockout affecting Adams’ options.

With the draft still almost two months away, Adams’ first chance to start turning heads will be in the middle of May once he’s finished up with classes in Indianapolis. Then, Adams will hopefully hit up a couple workouts across the country.

His 23.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists a game, along with being named a second-team Daktronics All-American, are evident the basketball side comes easy.

The lifestyle side isn’t as simple. As a kid growing up in Decatur, Adams watched his mother, Michelle, work two jobs just to get by, so he hasn’t traveled much. He’s flown just three times in his life, including his first solo trip, which came in late March when he played in the Reese’s NCAA Division II College Basketball All-Star Game in Springfield, Mass.

“I’m about to start a new part of my life,” Adams said. “Being from Decatur, you can only dream of stuff like this. I’m just taking it all in. I’m blessed to be in a position like this.”

While Adams couldn’t get Indianapolis coach Stan Gouard to fly with him to Massachusetts, Gouard has been with him every other step of the way. Gouard isn’t too far removed from the hectic scene of trying to make to professional basketball one’s career. After starring at Southern Indiana in the mid-90s, Gouard transitioned to a life playing ball in Europe. But the inconsistency of work, turned Gouard away from it and into coaching.

“I’ll be stupid to say that was one of my goals,” Gouard said about playing in the NBA. “That was another conversation we had. You can spend your time trying to make it in the NBADL or you can go to Europe and make a couple $100,000 a year.

“It hit home with him.”

Like many, Adams’ ultimate goal is reaching the NBA and he won’t stop until he gets there. If Europe is his first stop, so be it. He will take the opportunity and turn it into valuable experience to make The League.

In the mean time, he wants to provide financial relief for his mom and daughter.

“My mom has been working for so long, I’m getting tired of seeing her work two jobs,” Adams said. “And I don’t want my daughter to worry about anything. I want her to be able to go on and do whatever she wants to do in life.”

Even with incredible competition to find a place to make some money, whether it’s here or in Europe, Fleischer is confident his client will get it done.

“Do I think he will have an opportunity? I believe so,” Fleisher said.

And if the past says anything about Adams, one chance is all he needs to spark his professional basketball career.

lbridges@herald-review.com|421-6970

Published in the Herald & Review in April 2011.

Illini Showcase Fresh Attitude

By LEROY BRIDGES

H&R Staff Writer

CHAMPAIGN – A new and improved Illinois men's basketball team attitude was on full display before Tuesday's rare July practice.

With preparation for a 10-day August trip to Italy continuing, players and coach Bruce Weber talked about a more mature and coachable roster for this season.

After a couple years of turbulence with personalities, D.J. Richardson said the team is listening to Weber and staying together as a team even if it is months before the season begins.

"The chemistry is just way different," Richardson said. "Everybody's on the same page. No one has a bad attitude. Everybody comes to practice every day to get better."

A big step in that direction came when all six freshmen showed up on campus without attitudes. Robinson product Meyers Leonard said individual agendas, including his own, caused issues with last year's team. Now, with a more mature Leonard and juniors Brandon Paul and Richardson, the team's mojo has changed.

The team also lost four starting seniors, including Mike Davis and Demetri McCamey, as well as freshman Jereme Richmond.

"I think we'll be really solid and surprise people because we play really hard and we're willing to listen to coach," Leonard said.

Tuesday was the fourth of 10 practices Weber can use to prepare the Illini for the trip. He introduced all of the newbies with one practice back in June and the team is beginning a four-practice stretch.

They will go another five times before leaving for the trip, which will include at least four games in Rome, Florence, Venice and Como against professional Italian club teams.

"It's a great opportunity for us to have with all these new guys to go through the practices," Weber said. "The games are the icing on the cake when it comes down to it; more value in the teaching and learning, so when we get to the fall with these guys, whether it's terminology or how hard we want to go or part of our system, hopefully, we'll have an advantage."

Given the amount of roster changes, especially the addition of Sam Maniscalco, who transferred from Bradley in the offseason, the timing of the trip couldn't be any better. Maniscalco sees the perfect opportunity for the seven fresh faces to mesh with the six returners. For him, the likely season-opening starter at point guard, bonding time is immeasurable. Throw in the fact that he's still recovering from major ankle surgery and the trip's bonuses keep stacking up.

"I'm just getting back into the swing of things and having the opportunity to play against some competition of that level and speed will pay dividends down the road," Maniscalco said.

Maniscalco estimated he's at about 70-80 percent of basketball-playing shape and he's still taking it slow at times by listening to his body. He just started playing basketball again after taking eight months off.

"It's taken a little longer than we had thought," Weber said. "But Sunday, he kind of showed us the things we thought he was going to do. He's very crafty. He's got some toughness. He understands the game.

"I hope he ends up being a very good player for us."

Weber said he hopes to split the minutes evenly throughout the roster on the trip but it's certainly an opportunity for players to prove they should be in the rotation come the beginning of the season.

lbridges@herald-review.com|421-6970

Published in the Herald & Review in July 2011.

Brooks Working His Way Toward Olympics

By LEROY BRIDGES
H&R Staff Writer
It’s 6 a.m. when Lance Brooks rolls out of bed and immediately thinks about the gym. He won’t be there for at least another 8 hours, but Brooks is addicted to it. June is the heart of track & field season, so a heavier, less-toned Brooks is in the middle of the biggest month of his career. The 20 extra pounds he carries makes him more intimidating. Today, the 27-year-old is headed 60 miles north of Denver to Turner Oil and Gas Co., to put in four hours of work before his focus turns to his real job. Despite having to spend two hours commuting for the little time he puts in, the part-time gig helps ease the financial worries of an athlete trying to reach the pinnacle of a sport without a ball.
Fortunately for him, he’s almost there.
The 2006 Millikin graduate took an important step toward competing on the world’s biggest stage by proving he’s one of the country’s best discus throwers last week. It was a third-place throw of 63.42 meters at the USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The performance means he can represent the United States at the World Championships, if he notches a 65-meter throw (the A-standard) before Aug. 8.
“It was surreal waking up the next morning having 40 text messages from other throwers, athletes, friends and family,” Brooks said. “It’s big time now.”
Soon after finishing his shift, Brooks passes the time on his drive home by mentally mapping out his workout. It’s always a two-and-a-half hour session with his roommate, Doug Goldstein, also a Millikin grad, who doubles as his physical therapist, but the routine is never the same.
The two former Millikin athletes bonded over an obsession for exercise. This isn’t the type of exercise most can relate too. The YouTube video of Brooks jumping from a stand-still onto a 57-inch stack of boxes (that’s 4-feet-9) made former Olympian hammer thrower Steve Deautremont fall out of his chair. There’s also the one with Brooks showcasing his upper body strength by hoisting 455 pounds twice.
“What I saw was an amazing human specimen that had size, explosiveness and quickness,” said DeAutremont, who was the 1974U.S.hammer throw champion, about seeing Brooks throw for the first time.
Some who watched Brooks run the floor for Millikin’s basketball team remember those qualities, too. Despite not possessing the most skill, he was known for throwing down vicious dunks. More than half a decade later, it’s Brooks’ freakish athleticism that’s helped him grasp a technique-driven field event. Up until weeks before the national championships, Brooks was ranked No. 1 in country and eighth in the world. Then he pulled a chest muscle and a couple others threw well, but Brooks’ third place was striking considering he missed a lot of training.
“To do what he did at that meet without being able to train hard in the past 6 weeks, that’s pretty amazing,” Deautremont said.
When his agent signed him up for the competition he still hadn’t inked a sponsorship deal. That changed with Nike backed him just before he put his name in mix for the World Championships, which are in Korea in late August, and potentially the 2012 London Olympic Games.
Now, the size 17 shoes he always struggled to find are piling up in his bedroom. Instead of paying his way to meets around the states or internationally, Brooks gets invited, which takes care of the financial burden (flight, hotel, food, etc.). That makes the looming three-week trek to Europe to bring home his A-standard throw do-able.
“A lot has changed in the last three years,” Brooks said. “I thought four years (until the Olympics) would take forever, but it’s gone by so fast. A lot of blood, sweat and tears.”
All of the sacrifice Brooks and his supporters have gone through since he began his dizzying journey is inspiring Brooks. He wants to compete in Korea then make the Olympic team and position himself for a gold medal, whether that is next summer or 2016. All of that, combined with making a trip back to New Berlin with hardware makes it all worth it.
“A little bit of everything,” Brooks said about why he continues his quest. “Making the world championship team, Olympic team, bringing everything back to the hometown, showing everybody I appreciate them.
“You have to have a loving and sacrificing family.”
When Brooks leaves Tuesday for Madrid he begins a stretch where he could wind up on the road seven out of eight weeks. Stops could include Champaign, Sweden and Korea. The final one won’t become a possibility until that 65-meter throw is in hand. Once he gets it, he will head home to rest his body, which still means ridiculous amounts of training.
Brooks wouldn’t have it any other way.
lbridges@herald-review.com|421-6970

Published in the Herald & Review in July 2011.