The second wave; no matter how you size it up, next-generation basketball stars are becoming more and more commonplace

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN'S "BORN to Run" blares from the sound system. A teenage Patrick Ewing sweeps into the lane, soars way above the rim, and then gently rolls in one of his pre-game layups. Even during warm-ups, his awesome physical tools jump out.

A flashback to Big East basketball from the early '80s this is not. Patrick Ewing Jr. plays for Marietta High, just outside Atlanta. As for the musical choice, that apparently stems from the school deejay's preference for classic rock.

The young Ewing, wearing No. 33 like his dad, towers over the other kids, with one exception: Teammate Chris Ellis stands 6'9", an inch taller than Ewing. Although sons of former NBA players abound in the high school and college ranks, would you believe two on the same team? Well, get this: Chris is the son of ex-NBA sharpshooter Dale Ellis.

Marietta coach Charlie Hood also coached Chris' dad, who went on to star at the University of Tennessee and played for six NBA teams. "Chris has size, a great Work ethic, and determination. He wants to be a great player. He's almost 6'9", 265, so he's a very imposing high school player--that's big [even] for a college player. That's the first thing you notice."

The young Ellis faces a challenge next season. He's off to Wake Forest, where he'll battle with the giants of the ACC. Ewing, a junior, has another year to dominate high school foes.

"For somebody his size [6'8"] he's really long--long arms, long legs," says Hood of Ewing. "He's very athletic. He shoots the ball pretty well. He'll be a better shooter as time goes. He has great timing and instincts. This is only his second year of high school basketball, so he's still learning."

While Ewing's body hasn't filled out yet, Ellis already looks like he could win a wrestling match with his dad. Their two fathers have combined for more than 43,000 career points. While Ewing is far more celebrated, Ellis was certainly no slouch. He made more three-pointers (1,719) than any player except Reggie Miller, and his three-point percentage (.403) ranked eighth all-time entering the 2001-02 season. The 6'7" marksman last played for the Milwaukee Bucks and Charlotte Hornets, two years ago at age 39.

Hood sees little in common between Chris and his father. "Dale was a great, great shooter. Particularly in the pros, he played on the perimeter. In high school, we didn't have a three-point shot then. He was predominantly our inside player."

The muscular Chris spends most of his time in the paint, by choice. With his assortment of power and finesse moves down low, it's hard to see him ever moving outside like his dad.

Chris will soon join the growing list of NBA players' offspring in college ball. Another Son of a former Tennessee star enters the collegiate ranks next year. Dan Grunfeld, a smooth-shooting 6'5" swingman, has committed to Stanford. His dad, former Volunteer Ernie, played in the NBA and is now the Bucks' general manager.

Bill Walton has two kids playing Division I basketball, Luke at Arizona and Chris at San Diego State. A third son, Nate, played last season at Princeton.

UCLA's T.J. Cummings (Terry), South Carolina State's Moses Malone Jr., Baylor's John Lucas III, Winthrop's Alex English Jr., Washington's Marlon Shelton (Lonnie), Illinois' Brian Cook (Norm), and Pittsburgh's Jaron Brown (Clemon) all have dads who played NBA ball. Georgia's Damien Wilkens (Gerald) is sitting out this season after transferring from North Carolina State.

The LSU Tigers even have a third-generation hoopster. Josh Maravich now plays for the same school where his dad, Pete, shattered NCAA scoring records more than three decades ago. The late Pistol Pete, a member of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players, was coached at LSU by his father, Press. While both his dad and grandfather played in the NBA, Josh faces a steep climb to match that achievement. The 6'3" freshman walk-on had yet to play in a game through midseason.

Walton, Malone, and Ewing all joined Maravich on the NBA's all-time top-50 team in 1996. In fact, that exclusive group has produced numerous next-generation players, including Dolph Schayes' son, Danny, George Mikan's son, Larry, and three of Rick Barry's kids, Brent, Jon, and Drew. In addition, George Gervin's son, Gee, excelled in college ball and starred last year for the ABA champion Detroit Dogs (with father George coaching) but has yet to reach the NBA.

Of course, not all second-generation players had NBA superstars for fathers. Take freshman sensation Dajuan Wagner of Memphis. His dad, Milt, had an undistinguished professional career after starring at Louisville. Mike Dunleavy Jr. is having an awesome junior season at Duke; Mike Sr. scored in double figures in just one NBA game.

While both Wagner and Dunleavy seem destined for success at the next level, there are no guarantees. Though numerous sons of former NBA players can be found on college teams, considerably fewer have taken the next step. Having an NBA dad certainly doesn't give you a free pass.

"There are a lot of guys whose sons have played that can't make it," Jon Barry says. "[Having an NBA father] gave us an opportunity, but you have to take advantage of that."

No other NBA dad can match Rick Barry's total of three sons in the league. Jim Paxson, the father of Jim and John, is the only other to send more than one.

Jon (Detroit Pistons) and Brent Barry (Seattle SuperSonics) have become solid players. Drew, whose last NBA action came in 1999-2000, now plays professionally in Europe. Another brother, Scooter, played college ball at Kansas and has spent several seasons in European leagues.

Being around the game growing up does give NBA sons an advantage over other kids. "When you're younger, you just don't realize how great it is," Jon says. "It's just commonplace to go to an NBA arena, hang out with the players, get to shoot on the floor, and be a ballboy." In fact, all four Barry sons served as Golden State Warriors ballboys.

"That's just what we did. We loved to just play basketball. There's no guarantee that you're going to have three guys in the NBA from one family, but [being exposed to the NBA is] a tremendous advantages," Jon says.

The Barrys also benefited from the size of their family. They had spirited competitions to hone their skills, according to Jon. "Two-on-two games were pretty fierce. The games ended when we saw blood. It made us all very competitive. It may not have been healthy for us back then, but it's [turned out to be] healthy for us now."

While none of the Barry kids took to shooting free throws underhand, they resemble their father in other ways. For example, all shoot wen, both from the foul line and long range.

Does their dad think his playing style rubbed off on his kids? "They all have the same kind of court vision that I had," Rick told The Akron Beacon Journal. "Brent is the one who is built the most like me. Jon is the most hard-nosed. He dives for loose balls. And I think that Drew kind of learned a little bit of everything from all of his brothers."

"We all have a good knowledge of the game--court awareness, knowing where a player is going to be, and making plays for teammates," Jon adds.

While the Barrys get the edge in volume, Kobe Bryant qualifies as the most famous and accomplished son among active players. His dad, Joe, played several unspectacular years in the league. Unlike his son, who participated in four All-Star Games before turning 24, the 6'10" Joe Bryant was predominantly a role player.

Bryant played for the 1976-77 Sixers, a team that featured two other fathers, Dunleavy and Mike Bibby's dad, Henry. The 76ers reached the NBA Finals 25 years ago, behind stars such as Julius Erving, George McGinnis, and Doug Collins, before falling to Walton's Portland Trail Blazers in six games.

Other sons of NBA players currently active include Danny Manning, whose dad, Ed, played several seasons in the ABA and NBA, the San Antonio Spurs' Danny Ferry (Bob), Los Angeles Clippers' Eric Piatkowski (Walt), and the Indiana Pacers' Jalen Rose (Jimmy Walker). Wally Szczerbiak's dad, Walter, played in the ABA and starred for several seasons in Europe.

Second-generation NBA players no longer are an exclusive group. In fact, with Kobe Bryant leading the way for the other talented sons coming through the ranks, being a second-generation star is becoming less and less unique.

No matter how you size it up, the next generation is going strong to the hoop.

A Father-Son All-Star Game

JUST FOR KICKS, WE'VE COME UP WITH A mythical All-Star Game between NBA fathers and NBA sons. Notice there's a certain lack of depth in the Dads' backcourt perhaps an NBA team could sign Gee Gervin to a 10-day contract, which would allow us to replace Ernie Vandeweghe with "The Iceman"). The Sons, on the other hand, are loaded at the guard slots: Imagine a backcourt of Pistol Pete and Kobe. Take your pick for reserve guards--Mike Bibby, Jalen Rose, and Jim Paxson each could fit in nicely. They are a bit thin at center, where Danny Schayes starts by default.

POS   THE DADS            PPG    RPG   APG

 F    Rick Barry         23.2    6.5   5.1
 F    Dolph Schayes      18.5   12.1   3.1
 C    George Mikan       23.1   13.4   2.8
 G    Jimmy Walker       16.7    2.7   3.5
 G    Ernie Vandeweghe    9.5    4.7   2.4

POS   THE SONS            PPG    RPG   APG

 F    Danny Manning *    14.7    5.4   2.4
 F    Kiki Vandeweghe    19.7    3.4   2.1
 C    Danny Schayes       7.7    5.0   1.1
 G    Kobe Bryant *      18.5    4.4   3.4
 G    Pete Maravich      24.2    4.2   5.4

Note: Career averages are listed;

* denotes active players, with career statistics
through the 2000-01 season.

COPYRIGHT 2002 Century Publishing
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group