Wilcox no fan of KU forward

Maryland player inspired by slights

? Chris Wilcox can thank Drew Gooden partly for his meteoric rise.

During a sophomore season occasionally marked by lackadaisical play, Wilcox’ buttons were pushed during Maryland’s NCAA championship run, pushed by Gooden. Wilcox’s engine hasn’t stopped motoring from a reserve forward at season’s start to a lottery pick the Knicks hope falls to seven Wednesday.

The athletic 6-foot-10 rebounder/shotblocker grew tired of the hype surrounding Gooden and Indiana’s Jared Jeffries.

“During the whole season those guys were always on ESPN,” Wilcox said. “People were saying they’re the best players in the league. During the tournament, all you heard was Gooden and Jeffries every time you turned on the TV. I kind of took that to heart. There was someone else out there working just as hard as they are. When I got my chance to play against them, I just took it to them and gave it my all.”

In the NCAA semis against Kansas, Wilcox bullied Gooden, scoring 18 points with nine rebounds and four blocks in 26 minutes. Wilcox then helped Maryland secure the NCAA title over Indiana with 10 points and seven rebounds.

“You go back and look at the (Kansas) game, he was quite inspired,” Wilcox promoter Rock Newman said.

“Unmistakably in years to come, that’s going to be a very compelling matchup to watch. Chris felt he was sitting in the shadows.”

Wilcox’s distaste for Gooden didn’t stop there. When Gooden held workouts last month as Wilcox healed a hamstring injury, the Gooden camp told clubs how they wished their man could have faced Wilcox.

“We were like, ‘Really?”’ Newman said. “So when we decided to hold our workouts we told the host teams do your best to get Gooden and Jeffries,” Newman said. “Though the invitation to the dance was well in advance, no one showed up. Gooden disappeared once Chris was healed.”

Gooden still is considered more polished and is expected to go before Wilcox. But as Maryland coach Gary Williams said, “A lot of times in the draft it’s about a guy’s potential and what he can do in the future.”

Williams attaches a warning.

“As far as any weakness, he is still learning how to play the same level of consistency and effort every time. There were times Chris didn’t play hard enough. That is the process of being a 19-year-old kid. You’re not getting men in terms of maturity. But he could be a great one.”

Don Chaney would give him every chance next season.

“Because of his size and quickness, he can help right away,” Chaney said. “The next word is impact. I don’t know. But a guy like that can definitely help a team.”

In Chaney’s eyes, Wilcox is a natural.

“Long arms, quick-jumping ability, it doesn’t matter how big you are, if you’re able to react and quickly jump, that’s something you can’t teach,” Chaney said.

“He can plant and go up, react very quickly without having to think about it. A lot of guys have to count the numbers. I got to move here, got to move left, now I jump. Everything is instinct with him. That’s an edge.”