First there was ‘Melo at Syracuse.
Now there’s Fab Melo.
The 7-foot, 267-pound Melo, a native of Brazil whose real name is Fabricio de Melo, gave a verbal commitment to the Orange on Tuesday afternoon.
Whether he leads the Orange to a national championship the way Carmelo Anthony did in 2003 remains to be seen. But he will play in the new $19 million Melo Center.
The No. 2 center in the Class of 2010 and No. 5 player overall according to Rivals, Melo chose Syracuse over Louisville, Florida State and UConn, according to Sagemont (Fla.) High School coach Adam Ross. Texas, Florida, Kansas, Georgetown and Miami also showed interest.
“First and foremost, he really got to know and like [Syracuse coach] Jim Boeheim and the coaching staff, [assistant coach] Mike Hopkins and the rest of the guys there,” Ross said in a phone interview. “That was an important part. He felt comfortable with them. He felt like he really fit into their system and, given their surrounding cast, that he could slide right in and make a major impact moreso there than just about anywhere else.”
Melo joins a stellar recruiting class that also includes Dion Waiters, a 6-3 guard from Philadelphia who plays for Life Center Academy in Burlington, N.J., C.J. Fair, a 6-8 forward from Baltimore who attends Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H.; and Baye Moussa Keita, a 6-9 forward at Oak Hill (Va.) Academy.
Many observers had expected Melo might pick Louisville because head coach Rick Pitino was the first to get involved with the young man.
“I think maybe it is [a surprise] to the general public or college basketball fans that have been following his recruiting because Louisville has gotten a lot of press with him,” Ross said. “They were the first ones to really start recruiting him and a lot of people thought that’s the way he would go but Fab’s a leader and a unique kind of kid and really thought this thing through and felt he would be better off long term at a school like Syracuse.”
Like most South American kids, Melo played soccer in his home country. When he reached 6-8 in the ninth grade, his soccer coach sent him to see the basketball coach.
Soon, Melo became a member of the Brazilian 17-and-under national team and averaged 13.5 points for PBF/Olimpico.
“He really grew physically as a player, and he realized that he may be a special enough talent to make money,” Ross said.
At that point he and his family decided it would be best for Melo to come to the U.S., leaving his family behind.
“He knew that he wanted to come to south Florida,” Ross said. “His host family in south Florida started doing research for him and decided that Sagemont was the place for him.”
When he first competed in an open gym at Sagemont, Ross was blown away.
“I was sitting in the stands and scratching my head,” he said. “Is someone playing a practical joke on me?”
He added: “He’s just about as skilled as a 7-foot high school kid can be. He shoots really well. He can dribble and pass it. He had seven or eight assists [in a recent game at the ItTakes5ive Classic].
“He has great hands and great feet. He works his tail off. He loves the game; he loves being in the gym.”
Due to the transfer regulations of the Florida High School Athletic Association, Melo sat out last season and worked out on his own. He will be eligible this year as a senior.
His stock rose in April when he competed with the Florida Rams at the King James Classic in Akron, Ohio.
“The following week during a five-day stretch in April, we had 30 or so high-major head coaches come in,” Ross said. “John Calipari [of Kentucky], Coach [Jim] Calhoun [of UConn], Jim Boeheim, Billy Donovan [of Florida], Leonard Hamilton [of Florida State], they all came through here.”
Melo visited Syracuse in May and loved it.
“On his visit he loved campus,” Ross said. “It was a little warmer than it will probably be when he’s up there. He loved campus and he loved the Dome. The Melo Center is second to none.”
Ross says Melo will add a face-up post presence that Syracuse has lacked in recent years.
“I think like any high school kid, he’s got some work to do,” Ross said. “But I also thing his size and skill-set are so advanced for a high school kid, I think he’s gonna be a very solid player from the very beginning of his career at Syracuse. He take up so much space, he’s gonna be a really key part of their 2-3 zone. He’ll be in the middle of it.
“It gives them a post presence that they haven’t necessarily had in recent years, a guy that can step out away from the block and face the basket and make jump shosts and put the ball on the floor and create things.
“Most of the guys they have now are strictly back-to-the-basket guys. Fab has a little more versatility to his game. He’s also substantially bigger than those guys. He’s gonna have a pretty big impact on the program.
“I think the Syracuse fans are gonna love him.”
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