“Hello, world.”
If Miami of Ohio senior forward Wally Szczerbiak has been a known quantity since leading the United States to the gold medal at last summer’s Goodwill Games, he saved his official coming-out party for last weekend in New Orleans.
And what a party it was. With the whole world watching, Wally wowed ’em–and then knocked ’em dead.
Last weekend, chants of “Wally! Wally! Wally!” echoed through the Superdome. This weekend, Wally’s show moves to St. Louis, where Miami meets Kentucky on Friday night in the Midwest Regional.
In New Orleans, Szczerbiak led the RedHawks to upsets of Washington and Utah with a total of 67 points and 19 rebounds, including a career-high 43 points in the tournament-opening victory over Washington.
Suddenly, Szczerbiak, isn’t the best-kept secret in Oxford, Ohio, anymore. He has become the player Sports Illustrated touted him to be in its college preview issue. He’s Wally Who no longer.
Hello, world indeed.
Which brings us to Szczerbiak’s famous nickname. As most of the college hoops fraternity now knows, Miami coach Charlie Coles often calls Szczerbiak “Wally World,” a reference to the fictional theme park destination of Chevy Chase and his family in the film “National Lampoon’s Vacation.” Sometimes, Coles shortens that to just “World.”
So as the world begins saying its hellos to Wally, Wally is very happy to shout “hello, world” in return.
Boy is he.
With Tom Hanks good looks, an engaging smile and his easy patter with the media, Szczerbiak’s profile only figures to increase this spring when he’s projected to be a lottery pick in the NBA draft.
A half-hour after Miami’s upset of Utah, Szczerbiak was the only RedHawk player still in the locker room. As the TV lights glared, Wally patiently held court as if he’d done this a hundred times before, which he has.
Hey, Wally, what’s it like to be in the Sweet 16?
“It’s unbelievable,” Szczerbiak said. “But my teammates deserve all the credit. I’ve reaped the benefits of a lot of things. Now it’s their turn to reap the benefits.”
Hey, Wally, was that 43-point performance an almost perfect game for you?
“I don’t think I was perfect. I’m still striving for the perfect game.”
Hey Wally, do you think people will notice Miami now?
“This school definitely doesn’t get the respect it deserves,” Szczerbiak said. “My teammates work hard. Maybe now they’ll get their due.”
Hey, Wally, how’s your father (former ABA and European star Walt Szczerbiak) reacting to all this?
“My dad is having the ride of his life,” Szczerbiak said.
“I’m excited to make it special for him.”
Miami senior forward John Estick, who scored 18 points against Utah, said Szczerbiak is the same with his teammates as he is in public. Well, almost.
“He’s a wonderful player,” Estick said. “I’m glad to be associated with this team and with Wally. I wouldn’t want to play against him.”
Estick, though, contends that sometimes even Szczerbiak needs to be put in his place. He especially enjoys beating him in video games.
“I room with him on the road,” Estick said. “He’ll try to big-time you every now and then. He gets so much attention. Everywhere he goes now it’s like `Wow, it’s Wally Szczerbiak.’ On the court he should have a big head.”
One of the more interesting aspects of Szczerbiak’s ascension is how gradual–until lately–it had been. Some of it has to do with the fact that he missed eight games late last season with a broken right wrist. A lot has to do with his background. He was born in Madrid, where Walt played and is now a scout for the Spanish Basketball Federation.
His high school years were spent on toney Long Island, where he averaged 36.6 points a game his senior year at Cold Spring Harbor High, hardly a DeMatha of Maryland or King of the Public League.
After averaging eight points as a freshman, 13 as a sophomore and 24 as a junior, Szczerbiak convinced the doubters with that fine senior season. But he visited Miami early, felt at home there and stuck with his decision. He graduates in May with–no surprise–a marketing degree.
What Coles and NBA scouts love about Szczerbiak is that he can do so many things well. NBA scouting director Marty Blake has called him the best shooter in college basketball. In an era when great shooting has gone the way of the peach basket, that would make Szczerbiak valuable even if he wasn’t also a great rebounder, defender and ballhandler for a player his size (6 feet 8 inches, 243 pounds).
Heading into the Kentucky game, Szczerbiak leads the RedHawks in scoring (24 ppg), rebounding (8.8), field-goal percentage (52), three-point shooting (34.8) and blocks (one per game).
“My father has been the biggest single influence in my career,” he said. “He has so much valuable insight because he’s been there. He has had good games and bad games. I learned from his experience. I always wanted to shoot baskets with him. He was the one who said `enough already.’ “
Which was pretty much Washington coach Bob Bender’s reaction after Szczerbiak got done riddling his defense in the Midwest Regional opener.
“You don’t want to give him an open look, an opportunity to catch and shoot the ball,” Bender said. “We wanted to see if we could use a zone to eliminate the screens and slow the game down and it worked until he hit an open three. He’s as good as people said he is.”
Coles often likens Szczerbiak to another player he coached–at Central Michigan–Dan Majerle.
“In practice,” Coles said, “we know how to get Wally going. We praise the defense by telling them they are doing a good job on Wally. Boy, he doesn’t like that. He’s a tough kid.”
Tough in more ways than one.
Since last week, Wolf estimates that Szczerbiak has done more than 60 interviews with TV stations, newspapers and radio talk show personalities.
“Hello, world,” Wally seems to be saying. “Nice to meet you. I have a feeling that by the time I’m done playing this game you’re going to know me even better than you do now. I’m ready. Are you?”
