PASHA'S PRESSURE POINT

College recruiters overwhelm Richmond High basketball guard Pasha Bains with calls, letters

HE MAY BE THE MOST SOUGHT-AFTER ATHLETE IN THE HISTORY OF B.C. SPORTS.
Certainly few high schoolers have ever endured the kind of pressure U.S. college recruiters are heaping on Richmond High basketball standout Pasha Bains.
While the Grade 12 guard admits he's honored by all of the attention, he prefers instead to let his game do the talking.
The only problem is the recruiters just won't stop calling.
"It's kind of opened my eyes," says Bains, who began turning heads two years ago while leading the Colts to the junior provincial title. Last fall, Basketball B.C. named him its junior player-of-the-year for 1995/96.
College scouts rave not only about his raw, natural talent but are impressed by his growing maturity and the willingness to listen and learn. And he hates to lose.
He demonstrated all of those qualities last season leading the senior Colts to a berth in the provincial AAA tournament at General Motors Place. Agonizingly disappointed following the team's early exit, he revealed his leadership skills by promising they would return this year more determined than ever.
Long-time Richmond High coach Bill Disbrow, who has been at the helm for two decades, says Bains is very easy to coach.
"He listens and is self-motivated. He arrives here (to practice) at 6:30 every morning."
That commitment symbolizes the kind of commitment Bains is willing to make as he pursues a dream of someday playing in the NBA.
"(College and university) schools are really turning up the heat (in their recruiting efforts)," says Disbrow.
"You know you're really being recruited when you get invited for a visit and scholarship offers are on the table if you want them."
Bains had a hectic, but productive summer. After an impressive showing at the prestigious Nike ABCD camp where he was the only Canadian among more than 100 of the top-rated high school hoopsters in the world, he further impressed college scouts with his play for the B.C. Under-17 team at an invitational tournament in Las Vegas.
The upshot has been an almost-relentless pursuit by recruiters to get him to commit to their school. Since July 1, when U.S. colleges were first allowed to begin recruiting, the phone hasn't stopped ringing and letters pour in like fan mail. Sometimes the mail bag includes up to a dozen letters a day. After a while, Bains admits it's difficult to separate legitimate letters from form letters.
"I don't want to complain, it's an honor, but it's also very chaotic."
Bains says he plans to visit three campuses and has scheduled eight or nine home visits prior to the NCAA's Nov. 11 early-signing deadline. While there is no limit on the number of home visits, a recruit is allowed only five campus visits.
While many schools have contacted Bains, including several of the big names, New Mexico may be among the hottest on his heels. The school has a lot to offer too. Not only is the program successful but the waiting period for tickets is up to eight years.
"Pasha fits into a position very well," Disbrow says. "He's a shooting guard and can also play point guard. It's really what universities are looking for. He's got two of the things that are most rare: size and shooting ability."
"He's also got great range. Most players are stand and catch shooters but he can create shots because he's a great athlete and can take the ball to the basket."
Clearly, U.S. schools are beginning to recognize how much talent there is north of the 49th parallel. Just a few years ago, Victoria's Steve Nash, now of the Phoenix Suns fought tooth and nail to get a scholarship at Santa Clara.
"Obviously they were wrong, there should've been 100 offers," Disbrow says.
Bains says he didn't feel he played his best at the start of the Nike camp in Indianapolis, but by the end he began feeling as though he could compete with any of the top-rated players. Later in Las Vegas, he impressed several scouts with a couple of big outings. Stanford watched every one of B.C.'s games, he says.
As keen as he is on playing basketball, he says academics will also play a major role in the school he ultimately chooses to attend.
"Right now I'm kind of naive. I want to play basketball but in my head I'm thinking academics. I want to experience being part of a big-time school and big-time atmosphere."
He says his biggest influences will continue to be Disbrow, his dad, and older brother Pavel. Pavel previously attended UCLA on a track scholarship.
"I look up to him (Pavel) as a role model. The things he went through I want to know about."
McNair Marlins coach Paul Eberhardt says the interest in Bains is good for basketball not only in B.C. but throughout Canada.
"Recruiting is so competitive in the states. They're all fighting for any untapped market and Steve Nash has led the way here."
But Eberhardt stresses that Bains, like Nash, is a special player - among a select few who will be able to step into a Division 1 program and play.
"There's maybe only one player like that that will come along in a year."
Still, they help create more exposure for other players, many of whom may be able to perhaps gain junior scholarships south of the border, he says.