View full sizeCenter Enes Kanter of Turkey has less playing experience than any other player in this month's NBA draft, but his flashes of talent have made him one of the most intriguing prospects.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Principal Maria Arnold has a signed picture of Enes Kanter in her office at Stoneridge Preparatory School in Simi Valley, Calif.
The 81-year-old administrator stands 5-feet tall, which brings her about to the waist of the 6-11, 259-pound center, who was photographed holding the tiny hand of his principal.
When asked what she remembered most about Kanter, she didn't hesitate.
"His smile," she said. "Every time I would see him standing or writing, when I would come into the room, he always had the nicest smile. That meant a lot to me.
"He was just adorable, a fantastic kid. He was polite, with a good sense of humor and very respectful. He got along great with his peers and the teachers and the administrators. The funniest thing about him was that he claimed after basketball he was going to be a [professional] wrestler."
The Kanter file
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Kanter's path to becoming the possible No. 4 pick by the Cavaliers in the NBA draft on June 23 has been a circuitous one.
He was born in Zurich, Switzerland, where his Turkish father was studying. As a 16-year-old in 2008-09, he played with grown men in the Turkish professional league. In 2009-10, he came to the United States to attend prep school, looking at Findlay Prep in Nevada and Mountain State Academy in West Virginia before settling on Stoneridge, where he averaged 30 points a game.
He made his biggest impact to date during the 2010 Nike Hoop Summit, where, in spite of a bad back, he had a tournament record 34 points and 13 rebounds for the world select team in a 101-97 loss to the U.S. junior national select team. That broke the record of 33 points scored by Dirk Nowitzki in 1998.He verbally committed to Washington before eventually signing with Kentucky. But the NCAA ruled him permanently ineligible because he was paid by his team in Turkey.
With all that moving around and not a lot of playing basketball, Kanter knows he is a bit of a mystery man. That's why he was eager to take part in the recent NBA combine in Chicago and in individual team workouts, like the one he had in Cleveland on Tuesday.
The Cavaliers did not make Kanter available and they did not want to discuss his workout. But in Chicago, Kanter talked about his desire to show what he could do.
"I'm so happy I'm here," Kanter said in Chicago on May 19. "Finally I can show myself to NBA guys. I'm so happy here, finally. That was my dream.
"I didn't play college, so I have to show myself to people. I don't have to hide anything. I'm here. I haven't played in a long time. I have to show myself because no one has seen me play yet."
Ryan Blake, NBA scouting co-director and son of longtime NBA director of scouting services Marty Blake, says Kanter has made an impression this spring with his skills and strength.
"You have jaws dropping a little bit," Blake said in a phone interview on Tuesday. "He's more focused on playing below the rim, but he can play above the rim, too. He's a very cerebral player.'"
Party time: The Cavaliers draft party on June 23 at The Q is open to the public with free tickets available at The Q box office. For a $1 donation per ticket to benefit the Children's Tumor Foundation -- 14-year-old Nick Gilbert is the 2011 National Children's Tumor Foundation Ambassador -- fans can also get tickets online at cavs.com. Doors open at 6 p.m. The Cavs are expected to make the No. 1 pick at 7:30 p.m. They also have the No. 4 pick in the first round and the Nos. 32 and 54 picks in the second round.
Those 16 and under attending the draft party must be accompanied by an adult. The Downtown Cleveland Alliance will host Party in the Park, with the summer series kickoff at Harry Buffalo on East 4th Street across from The Q from 4:30-7 p.m.
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