Late in February, Duke assistant Chris Collins traveled to Minnesota to watch a player by the name of Kris Humphries, who had begun receiving increasing attention from colleges like Arizona, Louisville and Michigan during an exceptional junior-year campaign.
On May 22, three months later, Mike Krzyzewksi garnered his first commitment from the Class of 2007 when the six-foot-nine forward from the suburbs Minneapolis, announced his intentions to become a Blue Devil.
3Coach Collins immediately saw him and realized [how good Humphries had become,]2 said Ken Novak, his coach at Hopkins High School. 3I think he came up at the same time Jim Harrick of Georgia was there and there were about three others. And immediately, every one of them just realized.2
Maybe it was the seven assists the big man handed out against Wayzata that night that impressed the coaches. Maybe it was the 11 rebounds he pulled down. Possibly it was the five-of-six that he shot from behind the arc, or maybe it was simply the 44 points he poured in against poor Wayzata.
In any case, the coaches liked what they saw.
Collins talked with Krzyzewski and showed him the tape. An invitation for an official visit was tendered, and in May, after the forward met with the players and coaching staff on campus, Humphries found himself on the Mike Max Show on WCCO in Minnesota verbally committing to Duke.
3I think it was always in the back of Kris1 mind to go to Duke,2 Novak said. 3I think it was just more of a matter of whether Duke thought he was good enough to play for them, and I think once they saw him they realized he was.2
After earning a starting spot for Hopkins at the beginning of his sophomore year<an impressive accomplishment for a team that had been nationally ranked the year before<and playing well early, Humphries broke his wrist and missed most of the season.
That summer, Hunphries was forced to play center<a position he can handle, but does not highlight his abilities<for his AAU team and drew only limited attention from major programs.
Then came Humphries1 junior year, the coming out party. Last season he averaged 26.5 points, 11.1 rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots while leading Hopkins to the state AAAA championship, and he was named Minneapolis Metro Player of the Year. In the spring he was listed among the top 25 players in his class by most recruiting experts.
After not even being on the list of finalists Humphries1 cited in the winter, Duke vaulted past Kansas and Minnesota, where Kris1 dad William played football.
If the winter was Humphries1 coming out party, the summer has been his coronation ball.
The player Novak describes as 3literally improving monthly2 swept through the Nike Camp in Indianapolis, in early July. Hoop Scoop ranked Humphries the top player at the camp and Fox Sports ranked him second behind Duke prospect Luol Deng of Blair Academy in N.J.
3Nike went really well,2 Humphries said. 3I was pleased with how I played.2
After a quick rest, Humphries jetted to Miami for the USA Basketball Men1s Junior World Championship Qualifying Team practice. The team worked out for a few days, and on July 21 narrowed its roster to 12. Those players selected will compete, beginning today, in Venezuela for one of the Americas Zone slots in the 2003 World Championship.
3Getting to participate in USA Basketball is a great honor,2 Humphries said. 3It1s great to be here competing with the other guys, the best players in the country.2
According to his high school coach, it is Humphries1 versatility that will make him most valuable to both Team USA and Duke.
3He1s a very versatile player who can do a lot of things,2 Novak said. 3He1s a 6-9 kid who can go inside<who can go outside. He can handle the ball well from the outside. He can definitely go inside and post up. He1s able to guard smaller players and bigger players. He handles the ball very well for a big man. He passes very well and penetrates. Offensively, he flashes to the basket. He1s got a nice mid-range game and can pull up and hit the shot. He1s athletic and he1s a strong kid.2
Novak has compared him to Shane Battier and Grant Hill<comparisons that should have Blue Devil fans drooling.
3He does everything real well and he doesn1t really have a weakness in his game,2 Novak said. 3He1s going to get better. He1s a kid who does so many different things, and he can get better at each one of them. He can be a better ball-handler; he can be a better shooter. Consequently, his upside is just great.2
If Novak1s diagnosis seems a little amorphous, Humphries may have a more tangible idea of what he can improve.
3Coach Collins has told me I need to work on getting my shot off quicker,2 he said.
With the exceptions of Nike and USA Basketball, Humphries has eschewed the summer recruiting circuit, preferring to work on his post moves with retired NBA player, Trent Tucker, in private sessions at a gym near his home.
Staying at home for the summer, as opposed to the usual recruiting visits, will give Humphries the chance to relax on the lake on which his house is situated. He is as comfortable in the water as on the court, being an avid water sportsman and a competitive swimmer when he was younger. As a matter of fact, he still holds three national records<in the 50 and 100m freestyle and 50m backstroke<for boys 10 years old and under.
His dominance in those events shows that even at 10 years old, Humphries was a master of versatility.
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