Opportunity Knocks

If there is one certainty about Nate Blue, he knows talent. The AAU coach and recently named Forest Hills assistant spotted NBA players Charlie Villanueva and Smush Parker at an early age. Therefore, when he took Mike Poole in at about the same age, there was obviously something that stood out about the Rosedale native.
“He just loved to play basketball,” Blue said.
Approaching his junior year, others are taking notice, too. Poole recently took part in Reebok U at Philadelphia University, a showcase for the top 140 prospects in the nation. That he was invited despite little production in two years at Rice and St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark, N.J., spoke volumes about the 6-foot-5 shooting guard’s ability. He has also received scholarship offers from DePaul and St. John’s, Poole said.
He had a so-so showing at the camp last week, scoring 10 points in one game while struggling with a sore quad.
Far more important is the upcoming year for the smooth-shooting 16-year-old. In three weeks, he will return to Newark - classes at St. Benedict’s begin in mid August - and prepare in earnest for his all-important junior year. With the graduation of star big men Samardo Samuels (Louisville) and Greg Echenique (Rutgers) and point guard Scott Machado (Iona), Poole will be given a chance to earn starting minutes, Coach Danny Hurley has told Blue.
“This is the year,” Poole said, “I’ve been waiting for.”
His first year away from home was tough, on the court and off. Early in the year, he needed stitches after injuring his shooting hand going up for a dunk. It cost him four games and five practices, valuable time for a newcomer in Hurley’s upper-echelon program. Quiet and unassuming, he was also homesick and knew few people.
After returning, though, Poole improved as the year went on, learning the Gray Bees intricate offense. He has enjoyed a stellar summer, shining in the IS 8 Spring League, making the all-tournament team at the 16-and-under Pitt Jam Fest, and earning top-five billing at Reebok’s All-American Breakout Camp in addition to the invite to Reebok U. He has spent just as much time on his own or with Blue working on his game and running, spending an average of four hours a day that does not include games.
“He understands everything it takes to get to the level he’s trying to get to,” Blue said. “He’s just getting so much better; you see the steady improvement day to day, week to week, and month to month.”
Blue likes to compare Poole to Parker, the Queens star who most recently played with the Los Angeles Clippers. Parker bounced around from school to school before landing at Newtown as a senior. After junior college, he made his way to Fordham and eventually the NBA. Like Parker, Blue thinks it has just taken Poole longer to find his niche.
Of course, there are doubts. For all his exploits on the AAU circuit, he has yet to prove himself on the high school level. Granted, two schools in as many years made it difficult. His mother could not afford to pay the tuition at Rice and the commute was taxing.
Yet, one notable New York City high school coach said Poole is a “good practice player, but his skills don’t translate.”
“If he saw me play every day,” Poole countered, “he would change his mind.”
Poole will get the chance to prove his doubters wrong very shortly.