AN UNFLAPPABLE FRESHMAN : Poise, Maturity Mark Play of Temple’s Macon

After an 83-66 loss to top-ranked Temple, North Carolina Coach Dean Smith expressed surprise at the freedom given Owls’ freshman guard Mark Macon.

John Nash, Philadelphia 76ers general manager, who has already started to watch the 6-foot 5-inch Macon play, shared the feeling.

“Few coaches give guards the opportunity to do as much as he has in his freshman year,” Nash said of Macon, who leads the Owls in scoring with an average of nearly 20 points per game.

Smith and Nash are surprised because Temple Coach John Chaney is usually one who brings players along slowly, placing a premium on experienced leadership.

But Macon’s secret might be the way he reminds Chaney of another player--Chaney as a young man.

Asked if he had ever seen a freshman with as much poise who played with as little emotion as Macon, Chaney replied, “Yeah, me.”

“It is unusual unless you understand and know about his upbringing,” he said. “His high school coach is one who constantly worked with his players, trying to keep them focused.”

At Buena Vista High School in Saginaw, Mich., Coach Norwaine Reed molded Macon into a basketball player. Macon also went though the coach’s 12-month program dubbed “Competitive Edge to Peak Performance,” which involves both physical and mental training.

“Our biggest thing is dealing with the mind,” Reed said. “We realize the great magnitude the mind can do for you. That if you think positively, good things will happen. It’s like the adage, ‘As a man thinks, so will he be.’ Mark bought the program from the very start and that’s why he’s in the position he’s in today.”

That position is that of the best freshman player, on one of the best teams, in the country.

The unflappable Macon, who started his college career with 22 points against UCLA at Pauley Pavilion, scored in double figures in all but one of Temple’s first 26 games as he took 27% of the Owls’ shots.

He displays no emotion on the court, and his one freshman failing is an occasional tendency to take bad shots, but they became less frequent as the season progressed.

“He’s growing game by game in terms of approaching the floor with his own drum beat and that’s really good,” Chaney said. “At first, he was doing a lot of things just on his individual talent. But right now, he’s more in tune with the team than he has ever been.”

It’s impossible to know how Macon feels since Chaney refuses to allow him to speak to the media, saying it is too distracting.

When Macon could talk earlier in the season, however, he revealed his confidence.

“I don’t see myself as a freshman when I’m on the floor,” he said. “I’m a basketball player. Freshman is just my class status.”

On the floor, Macon’s talent speaks for itself.

“He’s precocious, to say the least,” Nash said. “It’s hard to determine if he came to Temple as polished as he is, or if he’s been a fast learner. He’s obviously benefitted from the coaching of John Chaney.

“He’s very professional, workmanlike and business-oriented, not only in his emotional makeup, but in his game itself. He’s virtually mistake-free, like most of the Temple team, which tries to limit its mistakes. As a freshman, you would expect him to be vulnerable but he seems to be far more advanced.”

In high school, Macon averaged 30.6 points and 13 rebounds per game and as a senior was named “Mr. Basketball” in the state of Michigan. Considered one of the top 15 players in the nation, Macon was also voted the most valuable player in the McDonald’s all-star game.

Consequently, Macon was one of the most highly sought high school players in the country. Before the recruiting wars could even heat up, however, Macon surprised a lot of people by deciding to attend Temple during the early-signing period before his senior season.

And it was a case of Macon choosing Temple, with a little guidance from Reed, who appreciated Chaney’s reputation.

“Mark’s placement was terribly important to me,” Reed said. “Mark needed a place where he could make a smooth transition to college life and college ball. And John Chaney was the only person I knew who would make that a reality.”

Macon’s high school teammate, Shoun Randolph, joined him at Temple but his freshman year has been more typical. Randolph has played sparingly as he has worked to learn the Owls’ system and gain Chaney’s confidence.

Macon had that from the beginning.

“Mark is an exceptional player,” Chaney said. “He’s come in here and performed the way we wanted. But perhaps more than that is the fact that he’s a character person. He’s the kind of guy who finds it easy to become part of a team. That’s the thing you hope a freshman has, irrespective of his talent. Because if a guy comes in as a louse, he doesn’t get off the ground. And consequently, his team doesn’t get off the ground.”

And Temple has flown above the clouds this season.