Zollo weighs options at summer camp

Dozens of recruits gather in Cincinnati

By Jerry Tipton / jtipton@herald-leader.com

CINCINNATI — Now that he's re-opened his recruiting process, former Kentucky recruit Vinny Zollo wants to keep his options open and his mind clear of what-ifs.

"We're right now enjoying going out and getting to play in front of evaluators and coaches and stuff," Zollo said Monday at the adidas-sponsored It Takes 5ive camp at various locations in the Cincinnati area. "It's a good experience not having to think about anything. Basketball is such a mental game. To keep a clear head and go out and play, I think you'll play your best when you do that."

Zollo speaks from experience.

After committing to UK as a ninth grader, he transferred from Ohio to Clark County. The move allowed ever-judgmental UK fans to eyeball the would-be Cat. It didn't help any that he played as a sophomore last season while recovering from an off-season leg injury.

"I'm not going to lie," he said. "... I felt like I have to do this or I have to perform. I thought like that.

"I matured a lot that year and realized the injury made me a lot stronger. I realized you just go out and play the game. Things like that make you mentally stronger."

Zollo, a 6-foot-8 forward, came to understand his return to the recruiting process does not represent a setback.

"I wasn't sure if I was going to UK," he said. "That was up in the air. Nothing has changed since then."

Zollo noted the "solid communication" he's had with the new UK assistant coaches. That communication covered the change of playing style: from the high-low power game of Gillispie to the slash-to-the-basket Dribble Drive preferred by Calipari.

Zollo hasn't given up on the idea of becoming an effective perimeter player.

"You change as a player," he said. "Right now, I am trying to involve my guard skills a lot more."

The Indiana Elite team includes several big men, which frees Zollo to play on the perimeter.

"Right now, it's a question mark," he said of his perimeter skills. "We don't know."

Meanwhile, Zollo has received scholarship offers from Oklahoma State and Dayton. He visited Notre Dame last weekend when the Indiana Elite team practiced in South Bend.

Big Brazilian impresses

Fabricio DeMelo, a 6-foot-10 center from Brazil, drew a who's-who of college coaches when he played Monday.

Among the coaches who nearly circled the court were Kentucky's John Calipari (plus assistants Orlando Antigua and Rod Strickland), Roy Williams of North Carolina, Gary Williams of Maryland, Billy Donovan of Florida, Rick Barnes of Texas, Bob Huggins of West Virginia and Oliver Pernell of Clemson.

The coaches probably liked what they saw. DeMelo moved well, showed no frustration when he did not get the ball and made a few nifty passes.

A crowd of reporters wanted to talk to DeMelo after the game, but he declined all requests. His coach for the Florida Rams summer team said the player did not feel comfortable in a group interview setting.

The coach, Matt Ramker, said DeMelo had been in the United States for fewer than 18 months. He said the schools high on DeMelo's list are Connecticut, Louisville, Syracuse, Florida State, Miami, Texas and Florida.

DeMelo attends Sagemont Upper School in Weston, Fla.

Bluegrass representation

A definite Kentucky flavoring enveloped the It Takes 5ive camp.

There are 21 teams from Kentucky in the event, which has separate divisions for ages 15-and-younger through 17.

Players from Lexington represented all five public high schools, plus Lexington Catholic and Lexington Christian.

Davis biding his time

Jeremiah Davis, one of the fuzzy-faced prospects former Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie liked to recruit, is getting a different message from new UK Coach John Calipari's staff.

"They tell me to wait," Davis said Monday. The UK coaches are concentrating on prospects in the high school class of 2010.

Davis, who will be a junior next season, was a target for Gillispie. The process became public about the time Gillispie raised eyebrows by offering a scholarship to eighth-grader Michael Avery.