The pipeline from the recreation program to the high schools was already working when Syracuse star freshman forward Carmelo Anthony was only 10. Nick Wise called Darrell Corbett who called Towson Catholic High School's Mike Daniel.
No one knew then that the road would lead to Syracuse, the NCAA Division I Final Four and possibly to the National Basketball Association, but they knew Anthony might be special.
"Coach Wise [at Robert Marshall Recreation Center] said come down and look at this kid. He thought Carmelo was going to be tremendous one day. I guess he was about 10 or 11 years old. He was just a long, skinny kid who couldn't stand up right," Daniel said.
"But right away, you could see the kid had a knack for scoring and he was always trying to do things he couldn't do, like go behind his back or go to the rack hard," Daniel said. "Even then, you thought if you put some strength in that body, gain some maturity, he was going to be one hell of a player."
The evolution is almost complete. Once an 8-year-old who spent his days and nights on a playground court behind a convenience store in the drug- and crime-infested neighborhood of Murphy Homes in West Baltimore, Anthony will lead the Orangemen (28-5) into tonight's semifinals against Texas in New Orleans.
He is one hell of a basketball player, college basketball's national Freshman of the Year. Anthony has averaged 22.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 36.4 minutes for a team predicted too inexperienced for a serious run for the national championship.
But locally, former teammates and coaches knew Anthony could carry the Orangemen or any other college team, and they'll be cheering for him tonight at tip-off around 9.
"I always watch him play," said Derek Wise, a junior on TC's basketball team. "Of course Syracuse is going to win. Why? They got Carmelo Anthony, that's why."
"I'm going to make sure I'm home watching it," said Charles Griffin, the Owls' 6-foot-4, 234-pound swing forward. "Maybe I'm biased, but I think Syracuse is going to go all the way. They got Melo."
Melo is short for Carmelo, Anthony's nickname. Around Baltimore, he has become another local basketball product makes good. As the nation watches tonight, fans will marvel at his all-around game, the crossover dribble before kissing a short jumper off the glass. Or the quick drop step before the baseline jam.
