FLC's Eleby was rarin' to go

When he said his pregame shots were mostly falling, Malcolm Eleby used a broad definition.

Not for mostly falling. For pre.

The clock read 3:15 when visiting Franklin Learning Center and Overbrook tipped off yesterday for what became a Public A basketball goodie. By then, Eleby's first pregame shots had been taken almost 9 hours earlier.

Whoa! This kid has the work ethic of a Midwestern farmer.

"I have a goal and someday I want to fulfill it," FLC's Eleby said. "I know what that takes - hard work. I'm willing to do it."

Eleby, a 6-3, 195-pound combination guard who already has signed with St. Bonaventure, learned at a summertime family gathering he's related to Kevin "Chrome" Garris, formerly a star guard at William Penn and the University of New Orleans.

Their relationship has quickly evolved into teacher/prized pupil and timepieces are no object.

Eleby lives in Mt. Airy. By 6:30 most school days, he meets Garris at the YMCA, at Broad and Master, not too far from FLC's building, at 15th and Mt. Vernon, and allows himself to be subjected to a spirited workout.

"I get up about 5:40 and I'm usually out of the house by 6," Eleby said. "I drive down there, do the workout with Chrome and I'm out by 7:40, 7:50. It helps me work on things. Helps me get focused. Some of my teammates sometimes come down there, too."

He added, thinking back to his "mostly falling" proclamation, "Actually, I've been shooting pretty good this year. Hitting some pullups and even threes."

Ah, we all have our medium days.

Eleby, a strong, crafty lefty who redefines play for keeps, scored 25 points as FLC triumphed, 62-57. He wants better than 8-for-16 from the floor, though, and he knows 9-for-17 at the line is unsightly, not to mention unacceptable.

Early in the game, that was Eleby grimacing hard after a referee blew a whistle, pressing the ball between his hands, elbows out, and yelling, "Make a layup!!"

He was reaming out himself, not a teammate.

And later, before an Overbrook player shot free throws, that was Eleby who quickly strode to the line, sans ball, of course, and pantomimed the free-throw motion.

The look on his face said, "Man, this should be easy."

All game, Eleby held conversations with an FLC player wearing No. 20. A guy named Malcolm Eleby.

"Yeah, I'm always talking to myself," he said, smiling. "That helps me stay focused and knowing what I have to do. I usually make sure to mumble, though, so people can't tell what's coming out. A couple times, I did say things out loud."

His overall play spoke volumes. Eleby added eight rebounds, six assists and three steals, with nine points, four boards and two apiece of dishes/thefts coming in a 14-10 last quarter.

Ryan White (10) and Dante Wooten (nine) did strong work on the glass while White saved all 12 of his points for the second half. Kyle Sawyer hustled for 11 points, three assists and six steals while Khalief Trawick had seven boards and five assists.

"If we can get those kinds of contributions out of the other guys, when I have one of my games, we should be unbeatable," Eleby said. "Today, I was looking to get them involved early. By the end, they were looking to me to make the big play."

He responded, fitfully.

"I know," he said. "How 'bout that last part? At the line I kept making one, missing one. I don't know what that was about. They felt good."

When a guy signs early, he's usually affected one way or the other. For Eleby the immediate aftermath was much more tough tale than exhale.

"Coach [Cedric] Powell was saying it should have helped me because all the pressure was off," Eleby said. "But in the beginning, I wasn't having the season I felt I should have been having. Guess I was pressing a little. I still wanted to show people I was one of the best players in the city.

"Now it's all panning out. I'm getting back to my usual self."

For Overbrook, highly touted sophomore guard Nurideen Lindsey went for 20 points (and nine rebounds) while Kevin Leland (14 points, 13 boards) and Vernon Harris (14, 11) showed inside brass.

A few times, as he acknowledged, Eleby got into carried-away mode, trying to go great move for great move with Lindsey.

"I'm a competitor," he said simply. "If someone's gonna try to give it to me, I'm gonna try to give it back."

That's during games. Not way before them. *