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He grew up admiring Kevin Garnett, a versatile NBA star who values defense, and was being compared to Bill Russell, perhaps the best defender in NBA history, when he was only midway through his high school career.
That’s why Kentucky freshman Nerlens Noel says he can handle any comparison others wants to make between him and Anthony Davis, who led the Wildcats to the national title last season and was the top pick in the NBA draft.
“I definitely embraced that chance to follow him,” said Noel, the top-ranked player in many recruiting rankings in the 2012 class. “If you go anywhere else, you would not be following a great player. If you come right behind a great player, you are filling, like, a void that was left and have the opportunity to establish yourself as a great player rather than just going somewhere else and just being another big man.”
Kentucky coach John Calipari is already doing his best to downplay the comparisons to Davis.
“He shouldn’t be compared. Totally different. They are not even the same,” Calipari said. “Nerlens is going to give us a different type of game. Anthony understood how to compete on possessions. Nerlens is still learning. He will take possessions off. You can’t do that. What he is is a normal freshman.
“With Anthony, we forget where he was early in the year. Yeah, he could dunk balls and do all that, but he had absolutely no post game. He was shaky shooting free throws until the end, and he became a real good free throw shooter.
“Physically, couldn’t hold his position. He did stuff and looked good when we were running, but he came a long way as the year went on, and he was able to because the team was so good and it wasn’t totally on his shoulders.
“He was able to build some self-esteem and confidence as the year went on, and that’s what I am hoping for this kid (Noel). That’s why I like the fact that we do have seven guys that can lead us in scoring this year.”
DraftExpress.com analyst Matt Kamalsky confirms that Noel is viewed by many as a legitimate choice for the No. 1 pick in the 2013 draft, even though he has yet to play a college game. He also believes Noel will have to deal with the Davis comparisons no matter what Calipari says.
“I expect Noel to have to deal with an undeservedly challenging set of expectations in the shadow of Anthony Davis, who is an unfair comparison for him at this point,” Kamalsky said.
“In his own right, Noel can be an terrific defensive player thanks to his ability to block shots. He's going to benefit from playing for Calipari, who will inevitably be able to get him to compete on that end of the floor every game.
“A college strength and conditioning program should help him become a more capable one-on-one defender in the post, and consistent attention from the staff will hopefully improve his comfort level defending big men who want to face the rim away from the basket.
“He has the ability to make an impact on that end of the floor, but it may take him some time to consistently make the most of his talents.”
Those talents include blocking shots — some even suggested last year that he was a better shot-blocker than Davis — and Noel says he’s always had a passion for playing defense, which is one reason he admired Garnett.
“Not everybody can play defense. That is something I grew up playing and always wanted to do. I never really liked taking a lot of shots when I was young, but I always applied myself defensively,” he said. “You can never really do too many things to hurt your team on the defensive end, so that’s what I really applied myself to.”
That mentality is a reason some have compared him to Russell, who won 11 NBA championships in a 13-year career with the Boston Celtics that ended in 1969.
“I knew who he was,” Noel laughed and said. “Just a comparison to Bill Russell who won 11 (championship) rings, you don’t get into that. You make sure you stay focused and keep working on what you need to do as a player so you can make your own legacy in your career. But that’s a great compliment to have anyone even mention your name with him.”
Davis spent some time playing against Noel in pick-up games in Lexington in September after Davis returned from the London Olympics, where he was part of the gold medal-winning U.S. team. He told Calipari that Noel could block shots. Then Calipari asked him how Noel was offensively and Davis told Calipari that he “kind of pushed” Noel off the post.
“I said, ‘You pushed him off the post?’ Which is kind of like, we have to teach the kid how to sit down and hold your position,” Calipari said. “He will not ever be Shaq (Shaquille O’Neal). That’s not how he is. But he is really quick and fast, and he has a quick twitch.
“If a kid is not quick going to the ball or reacting to the ball, he can’t play. I don’t care what you say. He cannot play. If a kid is quick, really quick going to the ball, now he has a chance of being special.
“Anthony was really quick getting to balls. Michael (Kidd-)Gilchrist was really quick. Now we had two that were just bang to balls. This kid is the same way. He’s the quickest on our team getting to balls and doing stuff like that. If he’s on the baseline or high-post area with handoffs and rolls and all that stuff, he will finish with dunks.
“But he is not in shape right now. His behind, back hurts. No kidding. You are out of shape. He just started here, but I think he will be fine.”
Noel said that during the brief workouts he has been allowed to have with coaches since arriving at UK in mid-August following the completion of his academic work — he had to take summer school classes after reclassifying — he has been working on his skill set within 15 feet of the basket.
“Just teaching me a few things around the basket, whether it is to establish post position or just how to shoot the ball in a particular way. It has really been benefitting me on the court. I really feel it is helping me out to score and do certain things I didn’t know I could do,” he said.
“I think my offensive game is actually better than some know. We will see when the time is right. It is something I have been working on for a while, even since I have been here. These coaches really know how to bring you along and add aspects to your game.”
Can Noel make improvements offensively much like Davis did last year?
“Definitely. I want to do that. With the right mindset and a good work ethic, I feel that I could develop as a player in a significant way, especially offensively,” he said.
Noel admitted he was “anxious” to get to Kentucky when he was having to finish summer school classes while freshmen Alex Poythress, Archie Goodwin and Willie Cauley-Stein were already on campus working out and taking classes.
“I knew what I had to do, and that is what I really focused on to apply myself to my academics that I had to take care of this summer. The day I finished I was ready to be here,” he said.
“I love this team. (We’ve become) real close already in the few weeks I’ve been here. The whole team has been together. I think it is a real special team, and I think we will be doing a lot of things this season as long as we stay together and work hard. We have a high ceiling for this season.
“I am the guy who likes pressure. I definitely go off of it. I really apply myself to really prove what I have to prove, and I think we have a lot of other guys on this team that are the same way.”
Noel has had to endure several queries by the NCAA into his eligibility and numerous media reports about his recruitment and associations after his transfer from a Massachusetts high school to a private school in New Hampshire. He was also originally in the 2012 graduating class, reclassified to the 2013 class and then changed back to 2012.
“They (NCAA) do this kind of review with a bunch of kids. And they review when you change, when you are reclassifying, there is a red flag. Then some people are mad that you reclassified and there’s another red flag. You go through the process. It’s a review, but we fell confident about it,” Calipari said in mid-September.
If eligibility questions or concerns about who paid for some unofficial visits he took during his recruitment are bothering Noel, it doesn’t show.
“You always have your mind on right and focus. You get used to it. Nothing that really worries you,” he said.
He also said the notoriety he has had to deal with should help him at Kentucky, where basketball is the center of attention and nothing about UK should overwhelm him.
“No, it is at that point where I know what I have to do to really meet the expectations I want for myself. It is just about working hard,” he said.
Besides, he has already had a one-on-one meeting with Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick.
“It was special. I don’t think everybody does that. It was fun. He is a real good guy,” Noel smiled and said. “It’s a special place to be in the statehouse. At first when I heard it, I was like, ‘Wow. that is something.’ I heard I was really going and said I would definitely do it. Just meeting him was special and seeing what type of person he was a great opportunity for me.”
However, even meeting the governor didn’t make Noel even think about changing his flattop hair style — he had UK cut into the hair when he made his college choice.
“I have had this since about late my freshman year in high school. It has been something that has really grown on me and others. I think it has kind of become my identity in a way. I couldn’t change it now. I don’t think UK fans would want me to change it. They seem to like it,” he said.
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