Babbitt keeping his head

Averaging more than 25 points and seven rebounds in roughly a half-game - head coach Tom Mauer would usually pull Babbitt out because the Grizzlies were blowing out other teams - the budding superstar gave those coaches an eyeful.

The 16-year-old Babbitt was so impressive that he was invited to play in the prestigious Albert Schweitzer International Basketball Tournament, in Mannheim, Germany, in April.

Now, following that tournament and several others, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that practically every coach in every major program has had a look at Babbitt and expressed an interest in him.

EVERYBODY WANTS YOU

His cell phone full of those coaches' phone numbers, Mauer ticked off a short, but interesting, list of college basketball's highest-profile coaches who had contacted him regarding Babbitt: Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, Louisville's Rick Pitino, California assistant coach Joe Pasternack - who called on behalf of a reportedly (and typically) angry Texas Tech coach Bobby Knight - and even Nevada's Mark Fox.

"I think every college coach in the country has called me," said Mauer, who returned this weekend from watching Babbitt play in the Adidas 3-Stripe Tournament, in Los Angeles. "Luke's gone to the (Nevada) campus on a lot of unofficial visits. I think Mark has done a great job - outstanding. Anytime head coaches start showing up at your games, that's big-time."

And, believe it or not, ticking off Knight can be a good thing.

"Knight is (mad) at me because, when he was at Indiana he was very important in getting me the job at Galena. And he's fond of Babbitt and was asking why weren't they recruiting him," Mauer said. "I saw Joe on site in L.A. and he gives the phone sign (to call), and that Knight is (mad), asking why can't they get Babbitt. They run the motion (offense) at Texas Tech (which the mobile Babbitt thrives on). They have no one to blame but themselves."

Taking time to catch a breather before he heads to Las Vegas for an upcoming, summer season-ending Las Vegas Prospects Tournament, Babbitt was as happy to talk about playing his "Madden NFL" and FIFA soccer game video games as he was about all the attention he's getting from a Who's Who of college coaches.

Babbitt, who by now must feel like Brad Pitt after walking through a crowd of single women handing over their phone numbers, is either one cool customer or a great actor, and he was low-key when asked about how it felt to be wanted by so many powerful people.

"I get phone calls by Hall of Fame coaches - the greatest coaches in basketball...I'm enjoying it. It's fun," Babbitt said. "Coach K (Krzyzewski), Pitino, Fox...I've taken unofficial visits to Nevada. Fox is doing a good job. He's a good coach.

"But what's really important to me when I make my decision is the whole picture - education and basketball. I want to make the best decision I can."

THE TEAM, THE TEAM, THE TEAM

Babbitt carries a grade point average in excess of 3.9 and has stuck to his guns about finding the right fit for his academic endeavors in college. In fact, the word NBA never came of out of his mouth.

"My main goal is still to win state," said Babbitt, whose Grizzlies went 12-0 in the High Desert League, 22-7 overall, and lost in the regionals to eventual state champion Reno. "Even with all the recruiting, it's my main goal. It's really important to me how Galena is doing. When I'm on the road (at tournaments), I call to see how they're doing."

Mauer couldn't be happier.

"I feel like Luke has the best attitude he's had since I've been around him," Mauer said. "He's very receptive to getting better. He's working on drills to make him better. He's open to me giving him advice. He's asking questions. He's really about Galena High School. He'll say, 'Coach, let's get our team together and work together."

Having played for various All-Star teams, including Team USA in the Schweitzer games, some players get a little full of themselves, buy into their own hype and tune out their own coach's advice when they return home.

"I'm hearing horror stories," Mauer said of some of the newly anointed future superstars. "Those kind of players won't work for their (high school) coach. They're telling their coach to F-off. Luke's matured a lot. I'm very confident he'll be around here two more years. Even though he has a ticket (to the big time), he cares about his high school teammates."

AN EYE-OPENER

When Babbitt traveled to Germany for the Schweitzer Tournament, he joined such NBA luminaries such as Magic Johnson, Vince Carter and Jermain O'Neal, who were also once among the 17-year-old-and-under prospects who got to test their skills against the best in the world in their age group.

Sixteen teams from 16 nations participated this year, and Team USA got a reality check and finished 3-3. And future star or not, Babbitt found himself in the unfamiliar position of not being the go-to guy.

"We knew already going into (the Schweitzer games) that Luke had to work on his defense over the summer," Mauer said. "He needed to be more physical around the post and put more emphasis on defense.

"He gave me a call and said he didn't start one game. I said, 'How will you handle it? Show the coach with your body language that you know you weren't playing defense and that's why you didn't start. Prove him wrong. Bust your ass and play defense.' The next phone call I got, he was starting again. He helped win a game against Israel to get them into the playoffs."

Team USA didn't win in the playoffs, but Babbitt chalked it up to experience.

"I got to play against some really good players," he said. "They were from Europe and all over the world. All the big guys over there can shoot and move. I learned how to defend them. I didn't do as well as I would have liked, but it was a learning experience. I took a lot away from that.

"International play is a whole different game. It was tough getting thrown together. You had to gel real quickly. It was tough. Individually speaking, I played pretty well (averaging about 11 points and seven rebounds a game). I put up some good numbers."

And Babbitt found out a lot about himself.

"I know I can play with anyone my age in the world," he said. "I learned I have to keep working on my defense - get my feet quicker, get stronger, everything. I can really improve the most on my quickness, so I can stay with quicker guys. There's some good talent out there. I was disappointed we didn't win. I think if we had some more time together as a team and some more practice, we would've won."

CALL IT A TEMPLATE

Whether it's the NBA or college, a big part of being a top player is being able to deal with the grind of playing more games, more often. Whereas most high school kids get a summer off, Babbitt has received a taste what it will be like at the next level by playing in numerous tournaments and living out of a suitcase.

In May he traveled to Arizona to play and train at the University of Arizona. Then it was off to the Adidas All-American Camp, in Atlanta, Ga. Then off to Los Angeles. And next up is Las Vegas.

"I've been pretty busy," Babbitt said with a chuckle. "The summer is a big time for college coaches. They're out and at the tournaments. I've been real busy - especially in July. It's a couple of non-stop weeks. After July, it slows down. In August, there's not much at all. It's tough, but it helps you become better. It's good."

Las Vegas Prospects coach Anthony Brown said the team is basically a traveling All-Star team, like an AAU team, which takes the best kids in the state of Nevada and some out of California.

Babbitt's team lost in the championship of the Adidas 3-Stripe Tournament, in Los Angeles, but Brown said the 16-year-old's stock has gone up another notch.

"He put on a clinic," Brown said of Babbitt. "Luke Babbitt played like himself - an All-Star."

Brown has worked with Babbitt for two years now and laughed out loud when asked if he had improved in the year since he last saw him play.

"Oh, man. Has he!" Brown exclaimed. 'That's the good thing about him, he's improved on everything: his focus; he's improved on his outside area; he attacks the glass; his lateral movement has improved."

Brown said Babbitt has come a long way and still has a lot of areas where he can improve even more.

"He's left-handed, and when he's making moves, he can improve on turning over his left shoulder, using his right hand. His ball-handling is impressive. He can improve a lot until he's more comfortable with it. He has (a little under) three years before he plays in college. That's a lot of time to improve."

Brown said Babbitt was ranked No.1 by HoopsScoop.com entering the Adidas All-American Competition, in Atlanta. He was still No. 9 out of the 170 participants at its conclusion. Four of five of the players ranked above Babbitt were to be seniors this year.

"When you sum up a kid like Luke Babbitt, he's a jack of all trades," Brown said. "He's a great high school player who will make a great college player. Strength, lateral quickness, turning over his left shoulder - through repetition, he'll be better. The sky's the limit."

Brown said the most important thing Babbitt has adjusted to is being a teammate first.

"On our team, any kid can score 30 points - but you can get 30 points and it's a loss," Brown said. "Here they've gelled. They're happy to see each other succeed. They can score 11 or 12 points, but they're a better teammate. They realize you don't have to make a difficult shot. You can pass it to a teammate and know he'll knock it down."

Somewhere Tom Mauer and the Galena Grizzlies are smiling. A new, improved Luke Babbitt. To paraphrase the Rolling Stones, time - and Babbitt - is on their side.