Frease has options in college search
Sunday, October 22, 2006
By TODD PORTER
The way Kenny Frease figures things, he has plenty of time to decide on where he will attend college. Less than a week after his 17th birthday, the 7-foot Perry High School junior doesn't have a final three. He doesn't have a final anything.
Nor does he need one.
Frease, who is as well-rounded socially as he is tall, does have a top three.
There is plenty of time between now and 2008, which is the recruiting class Frease will fall in, for him to accept any one of dozens of full-ride basketball scholarships.
Long observed as one of the top post players in the country, Frease is a hot commodity among college coaches not only because he can play, but also because he can pass classes. He can graduate.
Frease said his top three schools are, in no particular order, Michigan, Xavier and Notre Dame.
"If I had to say, I'd say Xavier is probably at the top and the other two are real close," Frease said. "Nothing is set in stone for my choices. I could still choose Michigan State, Indiana or Kentucky. There are also a couple of schools I like I haven't visited."
Unless a lot changes in the next year, one school that isn't likely to crack Frease's top three is Ohio State. It's nothing against the Buckeyes because he grew up an Ohio State fan.
However, OSU Head Coach Thad Matta has an impressive incoming freshman class. He's got a solid start on a 2007 class that includes GlenOak senior Kosta Koufos, a 7-footer.
"That's the thing. They have four or five guys who are 7-foot, or almost 7-foot, committed," Frease said. "They're telling me a bunch of them may leave early ... like one kid who's the same age as I am, may leave early and go pro after a year. It makes me feel like they don't think I'm good enough to be a pro basketball player. ... They're not real high on my list right now."
Frease, some insiders believe, could become a better player than Koufos by the time he graduates from Perry. There is an implied rivalry, but the two did not play against each other last season. Koufos broke a bone in his foot before GlenOak played Perry. Those teams are scheduled to play Jan. 19.
GETTING SERIOUS
Frease would like to settle on a school next summer, no later than August. The earliest he could sign a letter of intent is a year from now. He can verbally commit any time he likes.
"My mom (Margie Frease) and I talk about it a lot," Frease said. "When we talk about it, we talk about it for a while. We don't talk about it often, but when we do, it's like a 90-minute, 2-hour discussion."
Frease wants a college that is a social fit. He is a carefree, easygoing kid who will just as soon talk to a teammate as he would a stranger in the hallway between classes.
"I like to have friends and hang out with people," he said. "That's going to play a big part. I will look for that during visits ... if people are talking to one another between classes, then it's a friendly campus.
"The guys I will be playing with will play a role in it, academics will play a role in it and coaches who are there will play a role. All the schools I'm looking at, I can't go wrong in those areas."
In addition to his parents and grandparents, Frease has sought advice from family friend and former Penn State All-American quarterback Todd Blackledge and Todd's father, Ron Blackledge.
"I don't think this is a decision I will make on my own," he said. "I know if I make it on my own, there is a good chance I'll mess it up."
GROWTH
Since last season, Frease estimates he's grown about an inch. He was measured last week by Perry coach Rob Toth at 7-foot, 3/4 inches in shoes.
AND AFTER SCHOOL
The NBA loves 7-foot high school players, so that gives you an idea of what college coaches think of big men. One reason Frease impresses coaches at the next level is his frame. He is built like a 7-foot tight end, not a beanpole.
"I have aspirations of playing beyond college," Frease said. "There isn't much that would hold me back from going after that, other than injury, and I've been pretty healthy."
Frease did consider playing football for Perry this year. However, there isn't much time left for much else after school and basketball. He enjoys Perry football so much that he passed up a chance two weeks ago to watch the Michigan-Michigan State game as a guest of the Wolverines so he could attend the Perry-McKinley football game.
