Coaches say Beasley character concerns overblown

A cloud seems to be hanging over power forward Michael Beasley.

And it grew stormier after the Bulls won the first pick in the NBA draft and the right to choose between Beasley and Memphis point guard Derrick Rose.

The whispers take on a negative tone. Beasley has character issues. He's immature. Bad behavior forced him to attend seven different schools in five years.

With the top pick certain to be a close call, some are speculating Beasley's background might convince the Bulls to go with Rose, the Chicago native with a clean history.

But Beasley, trying to put the innuendos to rest, made a legitimate point Thursday during a media availability session in Orlando for the projected top draft picks.

"I hear a lot about character issues," he said. "But I've yet to hear what those character issues are. Until I hear somebody tell me, I don't feel the need to change."

Reporters who have never met or barely know Beasley are most likely using the description based on a Sports Illustrated feature story that was published in January. In it, Beasley admitted to being a prankster. But the worst crime he confessed to was slashing some tires when he was younger.

The Sports Illustrated story, and one that ran last year in the Washington Post, suggested Beasley was dismissed from Oak Hill Academy in Virginia, the renowned basketball prep school, because of behavior issues, with the last straw a graffiti contest Beasley held with current North Carolina guard Ty Lawson.

Beasley's agent, Joel Bell, and his AAU coach, Curtis Malone, insist the reason for leaving Oak Hill was eligibility. Beasley spent the second semester of his eighth grade year at Laurinburg Academy in North Carolina and would have been considered a fifth-year player.

Since Oak Hill doesn't use fifth-year players, Beasley played his final high school season at Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg, Mass. Oak Hill coach Steve Smith was not in his office this week and therefore unavailable to corroborate the story.

Either way, Beasley's two most recent coaches consider the character allegations to be ridiculous.

"I had Michael at school here for one year and there was never one character issue or flaw," said Bill Barton, Beasley's coach at Notre Dame Prep. "He was a personable, well-mannered kid who showed up to school every day. All his teachers liked him. He was great to have around.

"There was nothing malicious in his personality or his behavior at all. I hope you guys get him out there, because he's a heck of a player."

Kansas State coach Frank Martin was also unavailable this week but had this to say when Beasley announced his departure for the NBA:

"I can tell you academically, Mike came in here and did everything that was asked of him, from going to class to meeting with tutors, and he did it at a pace where he was almost a 3.0 student," Martin said. "He has represented this school with as much class as any coach could beg any athlete to do."

Malone was not only Beasley's AAU coach with the D.C. Assault, but also a pseudo-stepfather, as Beasley often lived at his home in Maryland. Though Malone has every reason to be in Beasley's corner, his defense came with a spirited adamancy.

"He has never done anything, never been sent to jail, never stolen," Malone said. "He never has done anything to have these character questions hanging over his head. I think it's just being a normal kid, like everybody else in the draft.

"Somebody said one time he wrote on a guy's bumper at school with erasable magic marker. These stories are told because they're just funny stories. He didn't get kicked out of Oak Hill because of a magic marker. It's almost amazing that these are some of the things that people question about him."

One of ESPN's NBA experts went on the air this week and suggested the Bulls will avoid Beasley because he hangs around people of questionable character.

Of course, keep in mind Beasley has spent most of his time living in Manhattan, Kan.; Fitchburg, Mass.; and Mouth of Wilson, Va., the past three years. His best friends are Duke sophomore Nolan Smith, who is Malone's stepson, and Sonics rookie Kevin Durant.

"Mike doesn't have an entourage," Malone said. "Mike doesn't hang around nobody. Mike is close. He's in the house all the time. He doesn't go out with his boys. If he sees Kevin, they'll go hang out a little bit together. They'll go to the gym. All of this stuff is not even close to true. It's amazing. He doesn't hang out with a crew of guys. None of that."

The Bulls have already started building a wealth of research on Beasley and his background. He's expected to schedule a two-day visit to Deerfield in the coming weeks. The Bulls shouldn't have any trouble separating the serious from the nonsensical in Beasley's personal history.

"I promise you this kid will make you a believer," Malone vowed, "and anybody who disagrees, the kid will prove them wrong."