38 // VARSITY February 13, 2014
Hayes was in the sixth or seventh grade when he
took a liking to O'Neal and his Black Tornado.
"For a man his size to be able to perform a move
like that shows how good of an athlete that he was,"
Hayes said of the 7-1, 325-pound O'Neal. "He was
the epitome of the word unstoppable because there
really was nothing you could do to stop him once he
got the ball.
"I started using the spin move in AAU and it
worked like a charm in the summers and through
high school. It doesn't work as much now due to
people getting more in-depth into film and scout-
ing players. People have been taking it away from
me, so I have to find other ways to score."
To this end, Hayes had one secret that he was
willing to share.
"If I could model my game after anyone in the NBA
it would be Carmelo Anthony," he said. "In my eyes,
Carmelo has the easiest way to score the ball and
the most efficient way which is the way I've tried to
model my game even though I haven't branched out
to start shooting the 3s like Melo.
"But his game is very simple. He catches the ball
in in the mid-range area, which is the same area
where I liked to catch it. He faces up, and if the guy
(defender) is off and he can get a shot off, he shoots.
If the guy is on him, he gives a little jab, a little shot
fake and he goes around him for the layup.
"It's real simple with a limited amount of dribbles
and work. When he catches the ball, he has already
done his work by his positioning and posting up,
which is what I try to do. It's one of the most potent
ways to score effectively.
"Few people would guess Carmelo as the one I
really look at."
The secret is out about Hayes ― in more ways
than one.
"His feel for the game is just off the charts
for how quickly he has learned things,"
Ryan said. "The things that he's doing now,
he wasn't doing in the summer. But with
performances comes some confidence and
confidence helps performance."
DAVID
STLUKA
