Published: April 10, 2009 11:36 pm      

Huggins: Kilicli can help WVU

MSA senior to play in Scott Brown game today in Beckley

For better, worse or maybe somewhere in between, Mountain State Academy’s Deniz Kilicli will play his last game as a high school player today.

His next game will be in the Gold and Blue in Morgantown as a member of the West Virginia basketball team.

Kilicli will suit up today for the Class AA-A all-stars, who will meet their Class AAA counterparts in the 20th annual Scott Brown Memorial Classic at the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center. The game tips off at 7 p.m. after a slam dunk contest and three-point shootout at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the door.

Kilicli, a 6-foot-9, 260-pound monster in the paint, was somewhat a mystery man this season for Mountain State Academy, which finished 26-7.

When he was on, he bordered on great.

When he was off, well, it wasn’t so great.

It was all a part of the learning process for the native of Turkey, who averaged 15 points and nine rebounds for MSA.

“He didn’t dominate as much as we had hoped and a lot of that was because we couldn’t keep him in games,” MSA coach Rob Fulford said. “A lot of that was because of positioning. On defense he would allow offensive opponents to establish position and it led to a lot of cheap fouls.”

That was the general perception. And it has been discussed ad nauseum, especially after Kilicli signed with WVU and quickly became somewhat a celebrity in the area and the state.

“It is hard to be someone who is somewhat famous,” Kilicli said. “I know everyone expected more of me. I expected more of myself. But it is also a beautiful thing to be known in West Virginia or in the country. It is a good feeling for a kid from Turkey.”

West Virginia coach Bob Huggins is happy to have Kilicli.

“He’s got an enormous amount of potential,” Huggins said Friday. “He just needs to learn the game the way we play it (in the states).”

“It’s obvious if you grow up playing a different style it’s going to take time to adjust and we understand that.

“One of the big differences is the trapezoid lane. There is a lot more room to dribble. Here, the game is different. It’s like (Pitt’s) DeJuan Blair, you catch and drop step or you power through the lane.”

Given time , Huggins said, Kilicli will learn.

“He has size and he has strength,” the WVU coach said. “And he has a great pair of hands. Obviously, the mental part of the game is something he will struggle with. That probably affected him this year. Thinking instead of reacting. His learning curve is going to be higher than some of the other (WVU freshmen).”

Huggins compared Kilicli to Devin Ebanks, a five-star recruit who struggled early but starred in the Big East Tournament less than four months later.

“Go back to the beginning of the year, and Devin Ebanks was tentative and not sure what to do,” Huggins said. “With the way he finished, people forget that slow start. It’s that way for most freshmen.”

Huggins also compared Kilicli to former WVU star Joe Alexander, now with Milwaukee.

“Joe spent a good deal of his childhood in China and he learned the game differently,” Huggins said. “Same thing with Deniz. Except he is in his first year here.”

Don’t think Kilicli doesn’t realize that.

“I looked at the overall steps of Joe Alexander, first year, second year and third year. He was very strong in his third year. That is what coach Huggins can do. I want to play in the NBA. And I think coach Huggins is best for getting a player ready. I trust coach very much. I know I have to work hard and get my game much better for the Big East.”

He has been doing that.

“He’s played pick-up games with our guys since the season ended,” Mountain State University coach Bob Bolen, director of the Scott Brown Memorial Classic, said. “He’s very strong and his body is already college-ready. When he gets to Morgantown, the other parts will get college ready in a hurry. But you can tell his game has improved since he got to Mountain State Academy.”

“The one thing he lacks, day in, day out, is the mental part it takes to play Division I basketball,” Fulford said. “I think coach Huggins is part of the answer. But a guy like (fellow recruit) Dan Jennings is the complete answer. Deniz had better be ready to play when he gets there because I guarantee you Dan Jennings will be ready.”

Kilicli is well aware of that, with the word coming directly from Ebanks.

“He told me (early in the year) that he needed to get stronger to play in the Big East,” Kilicli said. “And he did that. But that is part of what coach Huggins can do. In four months you are a much better player.”

Huggins said he thinks Kilicli will help WVU next season.

“You never know, but I think the kid is going to be able to help us out,” he said.

And as he learns, you can bet that he will end up on Huggins’ infamous treadmill.

“They all end up on it,” he said.

“I already know about it and I have one at my house and I practice on it all the time,” Kilicli said. “I know I have to be ready for that for sure.”

Kilicli said he would miss the Beckley area.

“It is where I first came when I left my country and everybody here treated me like family,” he said. “But I am excited to go to Morgantown and to be a Mountaineer.”

The following players qualified at practice Friday for today’s three-point shootout finals: Ryan Powers, Woodrow Wilson (14), Anthony Fuller, Wyoming East (14), Chase Smith, George Washington (11), Daniel Spurgeon, Williamstown (11) and Levi Spencer, Nicholas County (10).

— E-mail:

demorrison@register-herald.com