Iowa recruit Basabe mixes humility with on-court talent

IOWA CITY - Melsahn Basabe's best basketball is ahead of him. Only you won't hear him saying that.

Basabe, a 6-foot-8 forward, signed with Iowa two weeks ago after a distinguished career with the AAU powerhouse New York Gauchos and St. Mark's School in Southborough, Mass. He's an enigma to many in Iowa with a different name. In many ways, that's the way he wants it, too.

Whether he's too shy or disinterested, Basabe declined to talk for this story. To those close to him, that's indicative of his humility.

“He's a very kind person,” said Rocky Bucano, vice president and general manager of the Gauchos. “He's very polite, very gentle, well-mannered. That's the thing that impresses me is he's humble. He just blends into the crowd. You don't even realize he's there.”

Basabe, 17, was a team captain for St. Mark's this year, averaging 13 points and nine rebounds a game. His team finished second in New England Preparatory School Athletic Conference Class C. He has become an explosive and ascending player in a league with considerable Division I talent.

“He's always been athletic,” Bucano said. “He's a good rebounder, he's strong, physical and got good size. But now he's starting to develop a little bit of an outside ability to shoot the ball. He can play with his back to the basket or facing up to the basket.

“His skill set has improved consistently year over year.”

Basabe grew up in Glen Cove, N.Y. on the northern shore of Long Island. His basketball prowess coupled with good grades helped him qualify for New England prep schools, like St. Mark's, through the Boys Club of New York.

St. Mark's Coach Dave Lubick said Basabe came to St. Mark's as a 5-11 late enrollee just before his freshman year. Lubick said Basabe grew in multiple ways, not just in inches.

“He's a very bright kid,” Lubick said. “St. Mark's is a top-notch prep school academically, and we only take elite kids. It takes a special kid to play here, and Melsahn is very bright.

“He's like a member of my own family. We've went through a lot together, and it's been fun watching him grow physically and emotionally. He's unbelievably disciplined and a determined kid. He's really hungry to be good.”

Basabe landed at St. Mark's for his athletic skills but has earned solid grades at the six-day-per-week school as well.

Coaches became interested in Basabe during last summer's AAU circuit. Basabe was named Most Outstanding Player at the Hoop Group Elite camp last summer, which instantly boosted his profile. His mother, Aloha Wilks-Basabe, said the offers came in from Big East schools like Seton Hall, St. John's, Rutgers and Cincinnati. He even garnered interest from Harvard as much for his grades as his basketball ability.

But Siena topped the list for Basabe, all because of Coach Fran McCaffery. But instead of waiting until the summer like many college coaches, McCaffery recruited Basabe much earlier.

That forever endeared McCaffery to Basabe's mother. “These other coaches came in during July during the nationals ... that's when these coaches really started recruiting him,” Wilks-Basabe said. “Coach McCaffery started recruiting him before then. He realized his potential, he followed him everywhere.

“Coach McCaffery is a very intelligent man. He can articulate Melsahn's weaknesses and strengths. He was just really, really impressed in him. He told me by his actions that he would take care of my son on and off the court. That was my biggest priority.”

McCaffery left Siena this spring and took the job at Iowa. Basabe was released from his Siena scholarship and later chose Iowa. McCaffery called recruiting Basabe “a priority.”

“Melsahn is about 6-8, he's long, he's athletic, He can run and jump,” McCaffery said. “He's one of the few players that can actually play the point press and back press. There's not many of those guys, so Melsahn was a priority. And we're ecstatic he decided to come along.

“I think the interesting thing about his story is he's from New York. And when I first talked to him about the University of Iowa, I might as well have been talking about China.”