Garnett is big name from a small town
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Chicago's Farragut Academy is always mentioned when the Celtics' Kevin Garnett is introduced in the starting lineups. You can hear a hint of a New York accent when he speaks, which isn't surprising since his mom is from that city. The forward also spends much of the offseason in Los Angeles.
But home for Garnett is actually about a 90-minute drive from Charlotte in a small South Carolina town called Mauldin. South Carolina has produced numerous current and former NBA players, like ex-Celtic Xavier McDaniel, Hall of Famer Alex English, three-time All-Star Larry Nance, Pacers forward Jermaine O'Neal, and Bobcats guard Raymond Felton. Celtics guard Ray Allen went to high school there, too. And when NBA teams come to Charlotte, it's not uncommon for some players to cross the state line to get a quick taste of South Carolina.
"It's home," said Garnett, whose Celtics practice in Charlotte today before departing for Milwaukee for a game tomorrow night in the middle of a three-game road trip. "I went home Friday night to see my mother, some friends, and some family. It was good and very much needed. It's always a good time when I get to see my people and my personal friends."
Mauldin is a suburb of Greenville in northwestern South Carolina. The population was 15,224 in the 2000 census. While actor Orlando Jones is also from there, Mauldin's most famous native is Kevin Maurice Garnett, who was born there May 19, 1976.
Juan G. Hernandez Abrams, a Celtics fan from Greenville, S.C., his wife, and their two children came to Charlotte to see the Celtics' 101-78 victory over the Bobcats Saturday night. Abrams was disappointed when he learned before the game that Garnett, Allen, and Paul Pierce were given the night off, but he understood. Abrams said Garnett is a huge star in the Greenville area.
"The NBA is not very big there, but the name Garnett is," said Abrams. "He's big in Mauldin. We're Celtics fans all around, but more for Garnett."
Ex-Clemson and NBA Development League player Merl Code recalls first seeing Garnett play as an eighth-grader at Springfield Park in Mauldin and also at a gym called The Armory nicknamed "The Oven" because it was without air conditioning. "The Oven" always showcased aspiring hoopsters who got their rep playing against former and current college players, street legends, and grown men, and the win-or-go-home pressure sometimes lead to fistfights.
Code believes Garnett got his renowned intensity from playing in the Greenville area.
"He was skinny as a rail, tall, long, unbelievably coordinated," Code said. "At that time he was maybe 6-7. You didn't see guys like that with so much basketball skill. He could handle the ball, shoot the ball. He [had] exceptional basketball skill at an early age."
Garnett starred his first three years at Mauldin High. However, after a fight between black and white students before his senior year, he became fearful of being targeted. Instead, Garnett moved to Chicago, where he led Farragut to a 28-2 record his senior year and was named USA Today's National High School Player of the Year in 1995.
Had Garnett attended college instead of entering the NBA out of Farragut, he says he would have chosen between North Carolina and Michigan, with South Carolina and Clemson not in the mix. Garnett's love for his home state, however, still runs deep.
"I know exactly where I'm from," Garnett, 31, said. "I've never claimed Chicago as a first home. It's definitely my second home among homes. But I'm from South Carolina, and I'll be a South Carolinian until I die. I rep the South with dignity and integrity."
Walter Ray Allen 3d is a son of an Air Force mechanic and was born in Merced, Calif., on an Air Force base July 20, 1975. He spent time growing up in England, Oklahoma, Southern California, and Germany. He also lived in Sumter, S.C., which had a population of 39,643 in the 2000 census and is nestled in the middle of the state.
Unlike where Garnett is from, Sumter wasn't known for producing basketball stars. But Allen led Hillcrest High School in nearby Dalzell to a state championship. Code recalls playing on an AAU team with Allen and a mix of South and North Carolina prep stars, including future NBA players Jerry Stackhouse and Jeff McInnis.
"I'd heard of his name before. South Carolina is one of those states where if there is a guy who is really good you heard his name," Code said. "He was thin as a rail, could really shoot it, and was really athletic. He was trying to make a name for himself and was from part of the state where you didn't get a lot of credibility or notoriety."
Allen said he was recruited by Wake Forest, North Carolina State, Alabama, Connecticut, and Kentucky and wasn't interested in South Carolina because it was on probation. He said he respects then-North Carolina coach Dean Smith "to the utmost" because he called to tell him he was a great player, but the Tar Heels were set at his position. Despite originally committing to Alabama, Allen left South Carolina after falling in love with UConn.
Allen's teenage daughter lives in Sumter with her mother and he still has friends and family in South Carolina, some of whom attended the Bobcats game. While Allen appreciates his time in the Palmetto State, he doesn't have the strong ties to it Garnett does.
"A lot of people ask me where I'm from all the time," Allen, 32, said. "But it's interesting because a lot of people in South Carolina declare me as one of their sons. I have no problem with that, but I have people in California that do the same thing and other states I lived in that feel the same."
Marc J. Spears can be reached at mspears@globe.com 