Cincinnati Recruiting, Louisville Recruiting, Syracuse Recruiting

FABRICIO DE MELO: MELO MOOD

By Zach Smart

Springfield, Mass.–Plucked from the same venue as the Phoenix Suns’ Leandro Barbosa, Fabricio de Melo, or simply ‘Fab Melo’, could potentially keep the Brazil-NBA pipeline intact.

While that may be rich praise to heap on a high school kid, the 7-foot gargantuan contains considerable tools to springboard to high success.

And to think it’s only the beginning…

When he arrived at Weston Sagemont Upper School in Florida, the super-sized big dropped jaws.

The Al Jefferson understudy grew up on soccer before essentially becoming too big for the sport.

Melo is already head-and-shoulders above the work-in-progress level Hasheem Thabeet was at his freshman season at UConn.

He plays with energy and a will to win that seems foreign to some of these sluggish stiffs.

Melo’s got big, soft hands, polished footwork, and his faceup game is improving by the hour.

He’s learning to use his body to stave off defenders and is beginning to finish with authority, as he did yesterday at the Mass Mutual Center with a pair of violent two-handed bangers.

Albeit passive at times, Melo is starting to get a better feel for the game he was thrust into.

At the same time, coaches at major Big East schools are starting to develop a better feel for Melo, who’s soft touch from the free throw line would put some Big East Centers to shame.

Melo is a glove-fit in the Florida Rams souped-up, go-go style of play. His ability to outlet the ball off of rebounds helps spur fast breaks and allows the Rams to bust out the track shoes.

He’s enjoyed a sizzling summer. Melo’s quick evolution has taken the world by storm and dominated the message boards.

Rick Pitino and UConn assistant George Blaney took in his game yesterday. Jim Boeheim also seems under the impression the Orange can boast another star named Melo.

Granted, there are still facets of Melo’s game in need of refinement. His habits of putting the ball down en route to the basket (rather than going straight up), fading on shots in the low post, and tendency to disappear on plays need to be kicked.

NBE’s Doug Ferguson also saw the Derrick Rose-based AAU team negate Melo with a zone defense.

Still, the upside is enticing. Plus, 7-footers with that brand of versatile skill are rare-breeds in the NCAA landscape.

Melo averaged 13.5 points for the PBF-Olimpico team. The kid who plays through fatigue and darts up the floor in Shaq-size sneakers found a roster spot on the Brazilian 17-and-under national team.

He’s found his niche in an offense that features multiple lightning-quick guards and forwards.

Louisville-bound Josh Langford, a high-motor guy with a jet-quick two-hopper, is arguably the best player in this system. Other players have carved names for themselves, including Tim Hardaway Jr. The son of the former Golden State Warriors star is receiving interest from Michigan, Minnesota, and Florida, amongst others.

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