Date: Fri 01-Mar-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: TOMW

Illustration: I

Quick Words:

Eric-Gingold-NBA-Future-Star

Full Text:

Eric Gingold Trains In Newtown

B Y T.W YATT

In the spring of 1960, the town was abuzz as boxing heavyweight champion,

Floyd Patterson, used a Newtown farm as his training complex for an upcoming

title fight.

Today, 36 years later, a heavyweight of another variety is training in town

for an pending fight of another kind, in a different sport.

Seven-foot-four-inch, 285-pound, Eric Gingold has been one of Newtown's best

kept secrets as he and his personal coach, Larry Gillman of Redding, have

spent countless hours over the past year working out for NBA scouts behind

closed doors in preparation for what they think will be early selection in the

upcoming NBA Draft Lottery.

If Gingold, who's Newtown training location is being kept quiet for privacy's

sake, is chosen and signed by an NBA team, his will be one of the all-time

great stories in professional sports.

Eric literally " grew up " in North Caldwell, New Jersey, where his studies

always meant more to him than playing basketball.

At a private high school, Gill St Bernard's, he played one year of varsity

before going off to one of the best academic schools in the country, Williams

College in Williamstown, Massachusetts.

At Williams, Gingold, then at 7-foot-3, went out for the Division III team and

spent three years riding the bench. In 30 career games played, he scored 31

points and pulled 36 rebounds.

" I've always loved the game, but I wasn't very good at all, " Gingold said of

his first years at Williams. " I wasn't in great shape, and didn't put much

time into playing basketball. By junior year I was getting myself together,

but I still didn't really know what I was doing out there. "

That was when his life changed.

Larry Gillman, who had been representing NBA players for the better part of

two decades, saw Gingold in a team photo appearing in a 1993 Sports

Illustrated issue.

" I called him and asked him how much he plays, " Gillman explained. " He

said, 'I don't.' I asked him if he wanted to. That was the key question, and

he said, 'yes.' "

Gillman gave Eric some footwork and ballhandling drills to practice, and his

new student complied.

" I was extremely skeptical when Larry first contacted me, " Gingold admitted.

" I entered into this, at first, purely out of curiosity. I was thirsty for

anyone to work with me, anyone at all. He gave me some things to work on, and

I did. Then I came down and worked out with Yinka Dare. That's when I knew it

was a legitimate thing. "

It was during that workout when Gillman first realized that it was a

legitimate thing as well.

" It was the first time I actually met him and I saw he could catch the ball

and shoot a hook shot, " Gillman said. " There are very few seven-foot guys

who have soft hands and can shoot. The second I saw him I knew he was going to

be good. But I didn't know he was going to be this good. "

Gillman arranged for Gingold to transfer to West Virginia and play his senior

year at the Division I level. Though WVU was a step backward academically,

professional basketball was the new goal.

" We decided that his going back to Williams College, from a career

standpoint, was useless so we went to West Virginia, " said Gillman. " We

picked them because they were a new Big EAST team who needed a center. "

But the Mountaineers never got their center.

Only two weeks into the school year there, Gingold was involved in a serious

automobile accident that left him with a cracked hip and a shattered left leg.

In the months that followed he underwent nine surgeries, several blood

transfusions, and postoperative complications which left him in critical

condition and caused him to miss the entire Fall 94 semester, let alone the

basketball season.

If not completely dashed, Gingold's NBA hoop dreams were on hold.

The Comeback Trail

Gingold was back on his feet by April of 1995, redeveloped his game during the

spring, and spent the summer working out with Gillman, in Newtown.

Eric went back to West Virginia in the fall, but began feeling severe pain in

his hip during basketball practices there.

It turned out that he had three bone spurs in the soft tissue in his hip that

were causing severe pain. It was back to the operating table.

At that point, Gingold didn't know what his basketball future would hold, so

he transferred back to Williams College to graduate. Instead of going back out

for the team there, though, he decided to instead continue his workouts with

Gillman. " We started working real hard after the bone spur surgery, " Gillman

said. " From Halloween until early December, Eric couldn't play because he had

to stay off the hip. But during that time he sat and dribbled a ball in a

chair. Since then, we've been coming down here and working our butts off four

days-a-week. And now we've got the whole NBA coming in here. "

NBA scouts from New Jersey, New York, Chicago, Cleveland, Boston, Houston,

Indiana, Minnesota, LA, Milwaukee, Phoenix, Toronto, and Atlanta have all come

to town to put Gingold through his paces. And the feedback has all been

positive. " The first guy to come see me play was Willis Reed, my childhood

idol, " Gingold said. " That was a big thrill. I thought it would be

intimidating, but after the first few shots I loosened up. After having a Hall

of Famer watch me play, the rest came pretty easy. "

Gingold has since been featured in Sports Illustrated, showcased in the NBA

Beat segment on ESPN Sports Center, and written about in USA Today, The Boston

Globe, and The New Haven Register.

And while the attention has been exciting for the 22-year old, his most

exciting moment came on December 10.

" That was the first time that I played without pain, " he said. " I could

jump again, and everything was fine. The physical problems are finally gone. "

Gingold has mixed it up with the likes of NBA players Yinka Dare, Cliff

Robinson, and Anthony Mason, and truly believes that he's ready to play in the

NBA himself.

" I'm not blind to what's out there, " he said. " I am sold at this point. I

really believe I can play in the NBA. "

Gillman is also sure.

" Every NBA team is interested in him, " Gillman said. " And it's not hard to

see why. You're not going to find anybody his size with the agility that he

has. He has such great soft hands and a great shooting touch. All he needs now

is experience. And would you rather pick a guy who has all this ability and

let him learn, or take a guy with experience and lesser ability? "

Gillman insists that Gingold has as much ability as most NBA centers playing

right now.

" He's got way way more strength and skill than, say, [New Jersey Nets] Shawn

Bradley, " Gillman promised. " Bradley only has more experience. And

experience will come fast for Eric. "

Despite his sudden popularity, Gingold hasn't been surrounded by much fanfare

as of yet. " I almost never leave the gym, so I haven't really been exposed to

any of the hype yet, " he said. " I'm either in Newtown or at Williams and

neither is a big media circus. So nobody really knows me in public right now.

My only exposure comes when I go home. After the SI [Sports Illustrated] came

out I had so many messages blinking on my answering machine that I couldn't

count them, so I went unlisted as of yesterday. I guess it won't be long

before malls are off limits (laugh). "

Gillman expects his center to be selected early in the first round of the June

NBA draft.

" We've been keeping this pretty quiet, " said Gillman, " But the whole thing

has been orchestrated. This month has been like Eric's coming out party. Only

now is the world learning what I've known for a long time. Eric's goal is to

make it in the NBA. And not just make it, but to do well. He won't be

satisfied just to be drafted. "

Until that day comes, though, Gingold's intense daily regimen will continue to

consist of two-a-day workouts on the court, followed by weight lifting,

running, strength-shoe workouts, and biking. On Tuesday and Thursday mornings

he goes to his classes from 8-to-1 pm and then its back on the hardwood.

If the whole NBA thing doesn't pan out, Gingold, an A-student, will graduate

in May with a degree in Economics and then look on towards law school - having

already taken his law boards.

But for now, the only boards in Eric Gingold's life are the ones that he's

dominating; the backboards.

Who said the road to the NBA doesn't run through Newtown?