Chenowith Helps Himself Out

Little was at stake for the big guy.

He said there would be neither a major reward nor some harsh punishment no matter how well he played. He isn’t consumed with being “The Man,” which definitely makes him unique among his hoops generation, or caught up in the flash and bravado surrounding most all-star gatherings.

He has no agenda, another oddity in this group. He just wants to play basketball as best he can and with as little pressure as possible.

So why would Villa Park High standout Eric Chenowith cram his 7-foot-1, 232-pound body into an airplane seat to come here for this? This being the Nike All-American camp at Indiana Purdue Indianapolis, where improving one’s standing is the main order of business, windmill dunks and gratuitous yells are the most popular forms of communication and political intrigue is afoot throughout the stands.

The Nike Camp seems to represent everything Chenowith says he does not want or need. But the camp, which ended Friday, is where the best of the best stop, so Chenowith wanted to be in the group too.

“I just wanted to come here and play and have fun--that’s it,” Chenowith said. “This might be pressure to some people, but for me it’s more fun than it’s pressure. I mean, this might be the only time in your life when you can play with these guys.”

And that’s really the lure, playing with the guys. The top prep basketball players in the upcoming recruiting class, a select fraternity in which those with fragile psyches need not apply.

The still-developing Chenowith is a member.

Ranked among the top 50 players nationally by most scouts before the camp, Chenowith fortified his position during twice-daily sessions of games. Although he says that wasn’t his mission, Chenowith isn’t complaining about positive evaluations of his play.

“Actually, it’s important to play well and make a good showing all the time,” Chenowith said. “But right now I have all the scholarship offers I want, so there’s not a lot of pressure on me to do extremely well. If I did just absolutely horribly, I guess I could lose some scholarships. But I don’t think I did.”

Others agreed.

On Thursday, Chenowith played in the top game for the elite campers. Those selected to the games were judged to be the 60 best players in the 164-player camp. Chenowith played in the night’s final game, which theoretically is for players rated Nos. 1 through 20 nationally.

Scouts were especially interested to see how Chenowith fared at this summer’s camp. Last summer, many said Chenowith struggled.

“He had trouble [scoring] in traffic as a result of his lack of strength,” said Joel Francisco, of Socal’s Finest Scouting Service. “This year, I think he’s definitely stronger. Plus he’s smarter. A year of experience playing against big-time competition has helped him.”

Chenowith acknowledges last summer wasn’t a blast. Sometimes he wondered, “What am I doing here?”

“At times I really didn’t [play well],” he said. “At camp last year we were so stacked. Out of the top 30 players in the country I think we had eight of them on my team, so I was kind of lost in the shuffle.

“This year it was easier for me. I had a very good point guard who got me the ball and I’ve had a lot of good experiences this summer.”

Politics are as big a part of the camp as basketball. More lobbying occurs there than on a floor of a convention, as coaches and parents jockey to influence who plays with whom, who plays most and shines brightest.

Chenowith doesn’t dig that part. He grew up in that environment in Southland youth basketball and now avoids it as he would a referee with a quick whistle.

However, he said his dad, Bob, doesn’t shy away from the mix. Bob can filibuster with the best, which sometimes makes Eric uneasy.

“I’m proud of my dad because he’s always there for me, and I appreciate everything he’s done for me,” Chenowith said. “It’s just that he cares for me so much that he just doesn’t think sometimes before he does things.”

Chenowith doesn’t possess an assortment of eye-catching post moves and wasn’t the most creative player at the camp. But that’s OK for now, he said. He’s content to rebound, defend and pass if that’s what gets him through.

“I don’t really care how much I score--I mean that,” he said. “If I score 16 points and get 10 rebounds and somebody else gets 25 and we win, that’s fine with me.”

Which is good, because the first two figures are about what Chenowith averaged as a junior at Villa Park. In doing so, he led the Spartans to their first playoff appearance in 20 years and was selected to The Times all-county team. He’s being recruited by most of the biggies, with UCLA, Kansas, Duke, Arizona and Utah atop his list.

Those schools also are among the choices of Woodbridge star Chris Burgess, Chenowith’s longtime friend. They once attended a Duke-North Carolina game together. Could a package deal be in the works?

“No, Chris and I don’t talk about it,” Chenowith said. “We’re both going to go where it’s just right for us.”

But Burgess wouldn’t mind forming a tag team.

“I’d love to play with Eric in college,” said Burgess, who also attended the Nike Camp. “Eric is going to be a great player.”

Despite his improvement at the Nike Camp, scouts caution not to expect immediate results from Chenowith in college. He has a lot of work still ahead of him, they say.

“Eric isn’t there yet, but it always takes longer for a big guy,” Francisco said. “Eric just needs strength.”

And when he gets it, watch out.