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May 26



The 1984 U.S. Olympic basketball trials turned coach Bob Knight's Indiana gym into a spectacular showcase of talent. Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing, Chris Mullin, John Stockton, Chuck Person, Alvin Robertson, Wayman Tisdale, Joe Dumars, Terry Porter, Steve Alford, Roy Tarpley, Tyrone Corbin and Sam Perkins were among the college stars who dominated the 71-man roster Knight had to trim.

The undisputed star of the early workouts was Charles Barkley, a junior from Auburn whose 6-foot-6-inch, 284-pound body had earned him nicknames like "Boy Gorge," "The Leaning Tower of Pizza" and "The Round Mound of Rebound." It was soon apparent he was a fat Michael Jordan.

"Charles Barkley is standing out more than anyone," said Person, his teammate at Auburn.

"The one that sticks out is Charles Barkley," said Oklahoma's Tisdale. "The way he's able to move around 284 pounds like a guard is amazing."

"I went to guard him the first day and he grabbed my face, pushed me away and dunked with one hand," said Northeastern's Mark Halsel. "He didn't want me to interrupt him."

"If they cut Barkley, they better do it by mail," said Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim.

Knight did cut Barkley, ostensibly because of poor defense. Barkley accepted the snub with class, admitting his defense was "awful" and offering that the second 16 could win a gold medal.

Knight, reluctant to talk about any individuals during the process, said this about Barkley before the cut: "The word `interesting' is a good word to apply to Barkley. He's an extremely talented player. He's got to become a much better defensive player. He has to work at sharpening what he does. If he can, he has an excellent chance. If he can't, he's not going to make the team."

Barkley said Knight had talked to him about slimming down from 284 to 215.

"I'd be in bad shape," Barkley said.

Asked if he was fat or just built funny, Barkley replied: "Hard to say. If I peeled off the extra weight, I'd probably look like Hercules."

Knight backed off the 215 as soon as he saw him play, saying, "Barkley at 215 would be like asking Raquel Welch to undergo plastic surgery."

If Barkley's defensive shortcomings turned off Knight and his assistants, they were obscured by his sensational scrimmages. In the opening minutes of one, Barkley drove the baseline for a reverse left-handed layup, blocked a shot, stole a pass in the frontcourt and made a two-handed backward dunk. Then he snatched a rebound, dribbled the length of the court, avoided a defender with a behind-the-back dribble and banked a 15-footer.

The best was yet to come. Jordan, college player of the year, tried to bounce a pass in front of Barkley under the basket. Barkley stole it and dribbled downcourt. As if to show his playmaking skill, Barkley fired a cross-court bounce pass to Duke guard Johnny Dawkins. When Dawkins missed the layup, there was Barkley slamming the rebound home.

Barkley told the press: "If you all had a vote, I'd be on the team."

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