Tuesday, June 08, 2004
 
Ben Biles is Big Beginning for Blue

Navy just signed 6'8"ish Ben Biles from Gastonia, North Cacalacka. Friend PL blog message board poster "hchoops" informs us that this may be the tallest Navy player since David Robinson. However, their signing of Ben Falkenberg is much more important. Falkenberg comes witha lot more accolades, while Falkenberg is one of those guys with a "big upside". Maybe he'll grow to be 7'5"/300. But it's just as likely that he goes all Fingleton on the USNA and pans out. Regardless, Falkenberg is more of a sure thing--Right now, Biles is just a guy that averages 12 points a game against competition that is less than stellar and always a half foot shorter than he is.

Here's an article about Biles from his hometown paper:

Charlotte Observer (North Carolina)
February 15, 2004 Sunday THREE EDITION
SECTION: GASTON; Pg. 5L
VIEW'S BETTER FROM UP HIGH
MICHAEL L. NIXON, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

DATELINE: GASTONIA

Gaston Day senior basketball player Ben Biles has much in common with NBA legend Michael Jordan.

Both got cut from their middle school teams. Both blossomed in high school to become worthy of attracting Division I attention, including ACC schools.

But while basketball stardom might have been predicted of Jordan during his prep basketball days, as recently as a year ago few would have expected the likes of ACC-newcomer Virginia Tech and academic heavyweight Yale to come calling on Biles.

"I remember sitting down with him for the first time," said Gaston Day coach Shaun Wiseman, in his second year with the Spartans. "He was tall (6-foot-7) and uncoordinated. But you could just tell that he was going to grow into his body. He had tons of potential."

Wiseman promised Biles if he'd do what was asked of him and work hard, good things would follow. Biles would average five points and four rebounds as a junior role player for the Spartans. Not exactly MVP numbers, but he kept working.

Fast forward to 2004, with a new-and-improved Biles wreaking havoc in the post. This season he's averaging more than 12 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots per game.

It was a recent game against rival Victory Christian, however, that thrust Biles into the focus of Division I scouts. In a hard-fought 60-57 win, Biles tallied a triple-double with 13 points, 11 rebounds and 10 blocked shots. And Wiseman's phone began ringing.

"They (scouts) couldn't believe it was the same guy they'd seen the year before," Wiseman said.

Biles says he never saw it coming. Attending Cramerton middle school through the eighth grade, and being cut from the school's basketball team two years in a row, he transferred to Gaston Day.

With basketball not going as successfully as he hoped, Biles took up golf. As a freshman, he shot rounds of 76 and 82 at the state championships in Pinehurst to bag a seventh-place finish.

Then something not in his control made him to take another look at basketball.

He started getting taller.

"I grew from 6-3 to 6-8 before my sophomore year," Biles said.

So he gave basketball a second chance.

He played sparingly as a sophomore. Then Wiseman took over the Spartans, and told Biles he was going to make a player out of him, but only if he was willing to do his part.

"He (Wiseman) saw something in me that I didn't," Biles said. "He's helped me change so much over the past year. I'm much more mentally tough. I can't tell you how much my game has improved."

But the college scouts can. After game tape of Biles' triple-double performance against Victory Christian (among other video highlights) made its way to collegiate coach's desks, the offers started trickling in. Virginia Tech has offered a chance to walk-on and possibly receive a partial scholarship. Lipscomb (Tennessee) College has a full ride on the table. It was a phone call from the head coach at Yale University, however, that seems to have garnered the most attention.

"I couldn't believe it," said Biles, who, with a 1290 SAT score and 4.0 GPA is Ivy League material.

"We talked for about 30 minutes. It's an honor."

As far as Wiseman is concerned, it's an honor that is well deserved.

"Ben is a testament to anyone who is willing to work hard and go at it every day, even during the off-season," Wiseman said. "He's put himself into a position where he's got a lot of options."
 
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