Sunday, March 22, 1998
By SCOTT M. JOHNSON
Enterprise staff writer
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- His weight is listed as 252 pounds, most of which is in his torso and a pair of arms that seem to hang to his knees. If it weren't for his playful face, Antonio Garcia could look the part of a monster.
And the goal of the UC Davis men's basketball team was to slay him.
Garcia, Kentucky Wesleyan's 6-foot-8 All-American center, was the No. 1 topic of conversation during Friday's press conference. UCD coach Bob Williams called him ``the best player I've seen in the country in terms of his impact on the game.''
Wesleyan coach Ray Harper said Garcia is ``one of the top three big men at any level'' in college basketball and added that the giant has a chance to play in the NBA.
Still, the Aggies did not back down. Williams used a familiar plan to try to stop Garcia: He put 6-4 Justis Durkee on him and had Jason Cox help out if the All-American got the ball inside.
Garcia, who leads the nation in rebounding, scored 19 points and had 16 rebounds Saturday. But his passing game was limited when Cox arrived for help.
While Garcia did get a double-double for the third time in the tournament, UCD outrebounded Wesleyan 40-34.
``I believe our only real advantage was Justis Durkee down there,'' Cox said. ``He's the only player on our team that has the strength to throw those people around a little bit and also has the legs to jump up above the rim and pull down rebounds.''
Garcia was named the most outstanding player in the tournament, while Cox and guard Dante Ross were named to the all-tournament team along with Virginia Union's William Davis and Wesleyan's Dana Williams. But Bob Williams thought Durkee deserved some accolades, especially for the way he defended three opponents whose average height was 6-8.
``Justis Durkee is probably the most underappreciated player in America,'' Bob Williams said. ``You look at what he brings to the floor night in and night out. He doesn't make all-league in the NCAC? He doesn't make all tournament here and he goes for 11 (points) and nine boards?
``He's 6-foot-4, and he plays against guys 6-8 on the front line and he gives us a physical prescence. He's the MVP of this team in terms of we have to have him on the floor to be successful.''
Durkee was impressed with Garcia, but said that he has seen better, including former Cal State Bakersfield center Kebu Stewart, who was an NBA draft pick last year.
``(Garcia is) a great player,'' Durkee said. ``He's hard to move down low. Obviously, he grabs a lot of boards. But as far as being the best big man I've ever played against, I don't know if I can say that or not. I don't know if he stacks up to an NBA-type like Kebu Stewart or not. But he's still a great player, and he played well for them.''
As for Durkee, the senior handled his all-tournament team slight in typical fashion. Following the championship victory, Durkee sat in the stands calmly reading the newspaper and talking about how he is used to being overlooked. As for winning the national title, the low-key Durkee said he was still waiting for it to set in.
``It's hard to believe right now, but I guarantee in the next hour or so, there'll be an announcement for the Kentucky people to head for the hills before I overflow,'' Durkee said.
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