Kilicli's American Journey About More Than Hoops

By Charlie Slenker
Special to ESPN.com

But that isn't why he chose to play his senior season in America at Mountain State University Academy (W.Va.).

The 6-foot-9, 250-pound forward who has great ball control and a smooth shot would have received attention even if he had chosen to continue his basketball career in Turkey. He's that good.

Kilicli, the No. 15 power forward in the Class of 2009, chose to play basketball in America just in case he could no longer play one day.

Kilicli said that anyone who tries to make a career out of basketball in Turkey gives up mostly everything else, including his education. Players who don't make it are stuck with no career path and a dim future.

Mountain State Academy

Deniz Kilicli is one of four players in West Virginia's 2009 recruiting class.

"If they get injured or they can't play basketball, they're screwed," Kilicli said.

That's why Kilicli chose to play for coach Rob Fulford and the Falcons. That's why he has signed to play for legendary coach Bob Huggins at West Virginia next year. He's hoping other young Turkish basketball players will follow in his footsteps.

"Deniz has made it clear that he wants to be a pioneer of sorts for other kids in Turkey," Fulford said. "There aren't many kids from Turkey over here. He kind of wants to set the tone for the kids who want to come over here and better themselves."

Kilicli said the education system is a little different in Turkey. Youths who have promising futures in basketball get a free pass of sorts on their education. He said his attitude hurt him a little when he first started attending school in the U.S.

"When I first got here, I was like this, my grades were low and I didn't do my homework, and I just concentrate on basketball," Kilicli said. "My teachers told me, 'We don't care if you have [scholarship] offers or something. We don't care. You must be a student first.' In Europe, it's a little bit different."

The advantages of living stateside have had positive impacts on Kilicli's game, but he's still adapting to the American style of play.

"First off, he's got a long way to go," Fulford said. "As good as he is, he's got a lot of things to work on."

The first step down that long road is for Kilicli to make the adjustment from the European style of play to the American style of play. Kilicli fouled out his first three games in the U.S. because of rule differences.

"He needs to learn the American game," Fulford said. "He's got to get used to the officials here. The European game is a little different than it is here."

Fulford and Kilicli agree that the big man is already making strides, but neither expects the change to be quick.

"I've played basketball 11 years. I learned to play basketball in Europe," Kilicli said. "It's hard to get used to it so quick. I think I'm going to get better and better every day."

Kilicli isn't about to forget that his European training helped make him the versatile big man he is today. He said that when he was young, all players ran the same drills for their first few years of organized ball -- whether they were point guards or centers.

Fulford said Kilicli's training has made him a unique player.

"He's a dominating post player that can step out, knock down jump shots. He can shoot the 3," Fulford said. "He can take you off the dribble. He's just got a skill set that you don't find in big guys."

Kilicli only problem is that he might use his skills too often. Fulford is working with Kilicli to start using his size and strength to his advantage. He presents a mismatch to almost everyone. Big guys can't keep up with him, and he's too strong to be contained by the smaller, quicker guards.

He simply has to use the right skill set at the right time.

"What we have to do is make sure on the offensive end that he understands that when he has a quicker guy on him, he needs to physically dominate the game," Fulford said.

That's one of the reasons Kilicli was drawn to West Virginia. Kilicli met with strength and conditioning coach Andy Kettler and was immediately sold.

"I told myself, 'He's going to make me a beast,'" Kilicli said.

Plus, Huggins has much experience turning collegiate big men into NBA-ready players. Just ask Kenyon Martin. Martin, a 6-foot-9 forward, was selected with the first pick of the 2000 NBA draft. Huggins, the NCAA's sixth-winningest coach, has had 16 of his players advance to the NBA. That's a pretty good rate during Huggins' 26-year career.

"His dream when coming here is he wants to play in the NBA," Fulford said. "That's why he chose West Virginia. Coach Huggins has the reputation of putting guys in the NBA."

If Huggins does what he does best with Kilicli, young Turkish basketball players can watch him playing in the NBA a few years down the road.

By then, his future will be secure, but his path may help those same players realize they have options to secure theirs.

Charlie Slenker is the sports editor at the Maryville (Mo.) Daily Forum.