Hardwood rock star

The legend of Llewellyn Smalley grows by the year and the telling. There were the mano-a-mano duels with Anthony Carter. The time he dropped 58 — no, was it 60? How about when Smalley, still in the Army, walked into the gym in his early 20s with little basketball know-how and filled it up, anyway?

The question invariably arises with repeated viewings of College Summer League games: Did you see Llwellyn Smalley play? It’s usually said in hushed tones and hinted at as something of a religious experience.

The 6-foot-2 guard’s official accomplishments are impressive, true; he set all manner of career records at Hawaii Pacific University en route to NAIA All-America status and a successful European pro career. But here, he’s generally celebrated for another set of accolades.

Namely, getting buckets, and getting fans on their feet in a small Manoa gym. People haven’t forgotten his inspired, freewheeling play every summer from the mid-’90s through the 2000s.

"Llewellyn was one of the top fondly remembered players we’ve ever had," league P.A. man Robert Bethune said. "He was (routinely) dropping 38, 40 points. I’ve seen him score in the 50s numerous times. He’s just a spectacular player. He was really consistent, though. He had all the depth. He could shoot from range, and he could get to the rim, too. He had all the tools."

The man himself showed up this week at Manoa Valley District Park. Not to soak up his own legend — that makes Smalley laugh — but to share smiles and hugs with a community the Louisiana native considers home and people he considers true ohana.

On Thursday night, there Smalley was, rising impossibly high (especially for a 40-year-old) to catch an alley-oop and direct it home. The crowd of a few hundred ate it up.

"It’s amazing to see that it’s still going on and it’s still live like it is," Smalley said of the atmosphere. "It’s a beautiful feeling."

Smalley is in town to visit his son, Torrean, for a couple of weeks. Today, Smalley is a federal probation officer in Washington, D.C., working with the FBI and other branches of the government.

But hoops has never strayed far from his heart. He recently accepted a head coaching job with the Bay Area Shuckers, an American Professional Basketball League team in Maryland for which he was a player-coach last year.

He still has a way of being noticed. Smalley was recently hooping with an All-Army team when President Barack Obama — a big basketball fan who played at Punahou — and some of his staff arrived for a scrimmage. Their shared Hawaii background came up in conversation, and Smalley has since been regularly invited back to play pick-up games with the Commander-in-Chief.

"It’s just a blessing," Smalley said. "The President, he’s pretty good. He has a good game himself. Very good left-hander. Very crafty, very heady."

Smalley can only shake his head at that, the latest in a line of what he believes is God-given direction. It started in the early ’90s when then-HPU coach Tony Sellitto got a tip from one of his players, Tony Smalley, to go watch his cousin play at Tripler.

"I’m not kidding, I think he had 58 or something," Sellitto said. "I said, ‘Tell your cousin as soon as he gets out of the Army, play for me.’ "

"Smalls" had given no thought to college and had barely touched a basketball in his life until getting stationed in Hawaii. He was a football player. But he discovered he could be good on the hardwood — very good. He played for the Sea Warriors from 1994 to 1998, what he calls "the best time of my life." In 2011, he was inducted into the HPU Hall of Fame. His 1,808 points set the school’s career record.

The chance at glory on a national stage came tantalizingly close. He got a tryout with the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2005-06 season, but he was the last cut in favor of Smush Parker. He said his age (32) was cited as the reason.

Despite that, "He was about as successful as you could possibly get," Sellitto said. "I think it’s personality. Because everybody loved him, no matter where you go."

Without fail, whether he was on the U.S. mainland or playing in Europe, Smalley would come back every summer to where it all started. He still considers Sellitto and summer league director Pat Tanibe father figures.

At present, he returns once every few years. It takes him a long time to walk from one end of the gym to the other, as a steady stream of handshakes and greetings wash over the hardwood rock star.

"It’s a blessing and truly an honor to be appreciated and looked at that way," Smalley said. "But you know, these young kids in here now, they’re very good players and they’ll keep it going. There will be somebody who comes along who’s 10 times better than me, and that will be wonderful.

"As long as they represent Hawaii, I’m for it."

Smalley intends to play in summer league games today through Aug. 6 at the Manoa Valley District Park gym. Admission is free.