The Atlanta Constitution from Atlanta, Georgia • 58

DEKALB EXTRA, AUGUST 4, 1988 Hf TIT -a i I Ji 1 If A afii, JIM SAIItRLYStaff Strickland wasn't 'discovered' until the school season ended. land seemed helpless. "For a minute there, I couldn't stoD him I was surmised at that" Strickland Star On Rise After Summer Effort 'i ByJimSatterly Sports Editor A year ago, Mark Strickland was a few weeks away from beginning his senior year at McNair High School. And no college basketball coaches had ever heard of him. There were some good reasons for that The 6-8 Strickland had not attended any of the summer basketball camps to which the coaches flock to assess talent At 180 pounds he was a bit on the thin side.

And though he possessed great talent, his game was rough at the edges. But after averaging 16.3 points and 10.7 rebounds, shooting 60 percent from the field, and leading his team to the state AAA tournament last March, Strickland has made a name for himself in a hurry. First he made news by sighing a grant with Eastern power Temple, which, under coach Don Chaneyr was one of the top teams in the country last season. That of left observers wondering how the SEC and ACC schools had overlooked such a player. Then in late June, Strickland led the Atlanta.

team to its third straight Boston Shootout championship and was named tourney MVP. Then last week in the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association all-star game, he grabbed 19 points, 12 rebounds, and several (but not quite enough) of the MVP ballots to help the North to a 108-98 win over the South. He also easily won the slam dunk contest This Saturday he'll be one of the key players for the Georgia all-' stars as they meet the Tennessee all-stars in Chattanooga. Not a bad summer, eh? "Hopefully it'll carry over to Tennessee," said the soft-spoken Strickland, who leaves for Philadel-. phia at the end of August "I've just tried to improve as much as I can." Some of the improvement can be traced to a weight and conditioning program assigned by Chaney.

Strickland now has fleshed out to 205 pounds. "I was weak at the beginning of the year, but I've gotten a lot stronger and that's one reason things are working out so well," he said. In last week's game Strickand scored 13 of his points after half-time. He made 8 of 16 field goal attempts. Eight of his rebounds were offensive.

He played 25 minutes. "I really didn't expect to get that many points," he said. "I knew they wanted to give everybody a chance to play, but I got the ball more than I thought I would." The weakest area of Strickland's game showed up in the second half, however, as he tried to guard 6-7 Tennessee signee Shaun Thompson of Fitzgerald, who scored 13 of his 19 points. At times, Strick- Ex-Redan Star Nclloms a Hit for N.Y. Farm LesA.Thomassen Staff Writer Skip Nelloms had just turned 17 when he graduated from Redan 'Sigh School in 1984.

College recruiters told him he still had some growing to do before they would be interested in him as a linebacking prospect in football. So Nelloms opted not to wait He switched instead to marketing himself as a baseball player. He hasn't regretted his choice. Last June 4, the day alter his 21st birthday, Nelloms got a call from the New York Yankees saying he'd been drafted. Four days later he reported to camp in Oneonta, N.Y., to play for the Oneonta Yankees, one of the New York club's class A farm teams.

Nelloms soon discovered playing with Oneonta was far removed from his collegiate career at Western Carolina University. "I was discouraged at the beginning," said Nelloms, a record-setter at WCU. "I felt like a freshman just entering college. You've got to get used to the idea that there are other good ballplayers here besides yourself." Through last Sunday, Nelloms was hitting .296, with 17 RBI in 34 games. He hit only .191 in his first 20 games, but has batted .475 since.

"I expected to hit well over .300 this season started," said Nel-, loms, who had a .350 batting average during his four years at WCU. "But I'm seeing good pitching every night and a greater variety of pitch-' es. Balls are coming in at 85-90 miles per hour consistently. That's not at all like it was In college. It's been a humbling experience." Still Nelloms is overjoyed to be playing and progressing.

"Every day that we take the field, it's nothing but baseball he said. "Everyone on the club is set on improving as individuals and as a team. This is a job, and you're getting paid to con-ttbute. We're playing the best base-ball we can." Though the team works hard, the atmosphere is relaxed. "It's a lot more laid back than I expected," said the Oneonta right fielder.

"My college coach was always on edge. But our manager here, Gary Allison, -doesn't seem to get overly excited. He is a serious guy, but he also has a sense of humor." The Oneonta Yankees, who play in the New York-Pennsylvania League, have a 75-game regular season running from June to Septem-hjjr. Nelloms said there is no shortage of playing time and that trying to play every day is physically draining. The club travels to towns throughout New York and north into Ontario, Canada.

Oneonta's competitors include other class A farm clubs such as the Efroira, N.Y, Red Sox, the Water- Special Nelloms was an all-Southern Conference pick at Western Carolina, but batted only .191 in his first 20 games in the minor leagues. he said. "I got a little tired, but he still a good player. I can't take anything away from him." Strickland had no problems in the slam dunk contest, however, easily outperforming the other five contestants on each of the three dunks. On his second effort he took a long running start, taking off just inside the free throw line.

On his third he did a 360-degree spia "I kinda thought I would win," he said matter-of-factly. "The only player I thought could challenge me was Sebastian Neal of the North." North head coach Ron Bell of Marist who'll also be an assistant for this week's game in Chattanooga, is among the many impressed by Strickland's talents. "I saw current pro star Larry Nance when he was at Clemson at the same age Mark is now and that's who Mark reminds me of," said Bell. "I think Mark is better at this stage, but ever since then Nartce has worked his butt off. Mark needs to work to practice and play to his potential and push himself, because he's got unlimited ability.

Right now, he can be his own worst enemy. Given five minutes to shoot with a purpose, he never jumps." Strickland says he's been compared to Nance before. "To be compared to a pro is a real compliment," he said. "It gives me something to shoot for. He's one of the best" NOTES: Van Ushar of ALL-STAR Continued on 27 "This one woman sort of picked me out and told me she'd be pulling for me," he said.

"Her name is Julia. She's been in Oneonta about 30 years. She brings me candy and peanuts at all the home games. She sits behind our dugout and yells for me even when nobody else does. She told me she'd put together a scrapbook of news clippings for me, too." Nelloms, who lives in a duplex with three teammates, enjoys life in Oneonta, a town of about 15,000.

He said going to college in remote Cul-lowhee, N.C., the site of Western Carolina, acquainted him with small-town living. "I've been living in small towns so long I'm starting to feel like a. small-town person," said Nelloms, whose family still lives in Atlanta. "I'm not used to seeing big city scenes any more." Unless he is invited to play winter league ball, Nelloms will return to Atlanta after Oneonta closes out its season in September. "I'm having a great time," said Nelloms.

"I'm getting paid to do something I love. I'm improving all the time. I can even sleep late when I want to." town, N.Y, White Sox and the St Catherine, Ontario Blue Jays. Travel is done by bus with a normal trip averaging 2-3 hours. Road time isn't wasted.

"We play cards like you wouldn't believe," said Nelloms. "We all get a little meal money and we end up doing a little gambling." On a road trip, players occasionally have time to watch movies, shop and visit nightspots. They are subject to curfews, but Nelloms said the rules are more lenient than those he was used to in college. Most Oneonta players don't talk much yet about moving up to the major leagues, which they call "the show." It's too early. Nelloms said discussion keys more on moving up to higher classification teams or down to the rookie league team in Sarasota, Fla.

The Yankees have other class A teams in Prince Williams, and Ft Lauderdale, Fla. in addition to Oneonta. Their AA squad is in Albany, N.Y., and the AAA team is in Columbus. The Yankees are Oneonta's only pro sports team, and they get solid support from the small Central New York town, Nelloms said. He estimated a crowd of 3,000 was on hand for their game July 4.

Nelloms has picked up one special fan..