COLUMBIA, Mo. - He lay on a training table, propped on oneside, his left hip covered by electrodes and a giant bag of ice. Asa trainer adjusted the electricity running through the wires,Derrick Chievous shifted the San Francisco Giants cap on his headand shouted to no one in particular.
'Turn up the volume,' he laughed. 'I love it. Turn up thevol-ume.'
On the final play of Missouri's mid-February loss to IowaState, Chievous had been slammed to the floor, injuring his hip. Hebounced back to lead Missouri in scoring (23 points per game),rebounding (8.6 per game) and steals (44), and will carry thesixth-seeded Tigers (19-10) into the first round of the NCAAtournament tomorrow in Chapel Hill, N.C., against 11th-seeded RhodeIsland.
'We have a great deal of respect for Rhode Island,' saidChievous, whose 971 career rebounds put him 13 from the schoolrecord set by Steve Stipanovich. 'As a team, we just want to unite.If we play together, we can beat a lot of people.'
Chievous, the 6-foot-7-inch forward who is considered afirst-round pick -- if not a lottery pick -- in the NBA draft, isthird in career scoring (2,545 points) in the Big 8, behind DannyManning of Kansas and Wayman Tisdale of Oklahoma. Quick andaggressive, Chievous had a history of getting to the free throwline.
'But things have changed this year,' said Chievous, the nimbleforward who went to the line 302 times last year, more than anyplayer in the country. 'People are aware that I'll attack thebasket to draw the foul.'
As Chievous talked, he noticed Greg Church come into the room.Church, a junior forward, suffered his third stress fracture in hisfoot last month.
'Man, who cut your hair?' asked Chievous, who thinks ofhimself as possessing a kaleidoscope of talents, among them cuttinghair.
'Anyone but you,' said Church.
'I'd do a really good job, and you know that,' said Chievous.'I could even cut your initials on the side.'
Chievous swung himself upright and put sneakers over turquoisesocks. 'They sell these at Bloomingdale's,' he informed a listener.He explained that the Giants hat is in honor of Jeffrey Leonard,'another confident guy who had people against him but whoeventually prevailed.'
When he jumped off the table, Chievous walked away bowlegged,as if in pain.
'Are you hurt?' Chievous was asked.
'No, man, I'm imitating Mark Jackson (of the New YorkKnicks),' said Chievous, talking about his close friend from backhome.
Raised in the rugged 40 Projects, a section of Queens,Chievous developed a style, a savvy and a dream.
At Holy Cross High, the school that gave the NBA Mike Riordanand Kevin Stacom, Chievous averaged 29.6 points and 17 rebounds. Heshot 91 percent from the line and had Big East scouts standing inline after sharing all-city honors with Rod Strickland (DePaul) andEd Davender (Kentucky).
'I came to the University of Missouri for the journalismschool,' said Chievous, who is majoring in sociology, with a careerinterest in journalism. 'If I had to rank the important things inmy life, they'd be getting a degree, junk food, basketball andwomen.'
He hasn't been called mis-Chievous for nothing. As a writer,Chievous filed a report for the Columbia Daily Tribune from theWorld University Games at Kobe, Japan, in which he said theJapanese 'have a unique culture and an exquisite character.' He hasbeen a regular on coach Norm Stewart's TV show since last year butsaid his finest interview came last month.
'Greg Church, who is from Missouri, told the story of how hebagged a 12-point deer,' said Chievous, who never saw a pig untilhe moved to the Midwest. 'I asked him on the show, 'So Greg, tellus how you caught a deer.' '
Cut.
'Greg yelled, 'I didn't catch a deer, Derrick, I shot it.' '
Roll.
'Greg, tell us (laugh, cut, pause, roll) how you shot a deer,'said Chievous.
Stewart admitted he has a love/hate/ father/son relationshipwith his 20-year-old star.
'He can be the most entertaining, charming person,' saidStewart. 'But he's also young and full of insecurities.'
For his part, Chievous said, 'I'm not here to love NormStewart and he's not here to love me.'
Although Chievous holds 10 Missouri records, Stewart benchedhim earlier in the season. Chievous understood.
'Other people were playing better than I was,' said Chievous,shrugging. 'I wasn't playing up to my capabilities. My mother cameto visit. She told me that I'd come too far to let it affect me.She gave me a hand-woven leather necklace for good luck.'
Chievous will add the good-luck charm to his trademarkBand-Aid. As a seventh-grader in New York, Chievous cut his righteye on a flying elbow and covered it with a Band-Aid. After hescored 45 points in the next game, he began wearing a Band-Aidevery time he played. Last year he told Sports Illustrated that hefavored Johnson & Johnson, but now he's older and wiser.
'I'm not going to say what I favor because it may hinder myfuture endorsements,' said Chievous, who has been known to hand outBand-Aids before games and has an entire rooting section called theBand-Aid Court.
No one knows whether Chievous can continue to wear a Band-Aidon his leg (or his arm for big games) at the next level. Pro scoutsaren't even sure where he'll play, although most of them see him atbig guard. The move to the backcourt means Chievous will compete inthe guard-laden draft with Hersey Hawkins, Vernon Maxwell, VinnyDel Negro, Willie Anderson (Georgia) and Troy Lewis.
'It's too early to get the definitive judgment on Chievous,'said Marty Blake, director of scouting for the NBA. 'But he hastremendous athletic ability.'
Other players in the Big 8 know his worth. Oklahoma guardTerrence Mullins said Chievous is 'almost impossible to stop,' andKansas guard Kevin Pritchard said he is the 'type of shooter whocan single-handedly kill you once he gets going.' Chievous himselfmight say he has 'stupid fresh springs.'
What?
'It's an expression I use,' said Chievous, who has a languageall his own. 'It's about hang time. You know, Michael Jordan is thebest. His legs are such springs. He's up there for an incredible,stupid amount of time.'
There are also words for sneakers ('jimsons'), resting beforea game ('comazones'), covering another player ('face check') andgetting introduced to a woman ('hook me').
'Oh, I love 'hook me,' ' said Chievous. 'That's when you wanta friend to introduce you to a young lady. You say, 'Hook me.' Itcan also mean you're short on money, as in 'hook me some dough.' '
Chievous smiled, knowing the incongruity of a kid from thestreets of New York talking like this to the good people of theShow-Me State. He grew up rooting for the Celtics ('I lovedynasties, I love all those rings'), but he'll take his showanywhere the NBA will have him.
'I know it will take hard, consistent play to get to the nextlevel,' he said, 'but I'm not afraid. I don't want to sound likeI'm bragging, but I have confidence. I don't think anyone can stopme.'
Not a chance. Not when life takes you from the ozone to thecomazone. visser;02/19 NIGRO ;03/16,12:55 VISSER16
