If Kevin Duckworth had not grown to seven feet tall, he might have been the next Bob Vila.

Instead, Duckworth played basketball, first at Eastern from 1982 to 1986 and then 11 more years in the National Basketball Association. A handful of former Panther basketball stars have played professionally, but Duckworth has by far had the most successful career.

He was named an NBA All-Star twice, and during one season, Duckworth’s $2 million salary equaled that of Michael Jordan’s.

Yet, Duckworth’s best attribute, friends and coaches say, is not his height or size but his hands.

“That’s the reason why I recruited him: his big, soft hands,” said Rick Samuels, the men’s basketball coach at Eastern since 1980.

Fans saw those two hands snare rebounds and swish jump shots, but few knew of his craftsmanship, similar to that of Vila, host of the television show, “This Old House.” Duckworth bought his mother a house, but he also built her furniture. He spent free time from Lantz Arena at the machine shop in Klehm Hall. He also lists welding as a hobby.

“I think they’re something God instilled upon me,” Duckworth said of his hands.

At Eastern, Duckworth was an industrial technology major, and if basketball didn’t pan out, Samuels said, he wanted to teach others how to build.

Now, the 39-year-old Duckworth wants to help build a basketball team. He said he desires to work in the front office of the Portland Trailblazers- the NBA team he played on for eight seasons- as a scout, public relations employee or assistant coach.

“I like to build because after we draw up the plans and we’re done, and it’s perfect,” Duckworth said. “The look on their faces afterwards makes it all rewarding for me.”

Smiles and perfection weren’t aplenty for much of Duckworth’s four years at Eastern. Some critics labeled him an underachiever who was too overweight and out of shape to reach his full potential.

Despite his large body, coaches said he played timid and teammates thought Duckworth was embarrassed of his height and size. Friends described him as quiet and shy, as the label of gentle giant was often tacked next to Duckworth’s name.

Then, during his senior year, the tables turned. CBS Sports came to Charleston and anointed Duckworth the nation’s most underrated player, broadcasting the news on a national telecast. Only a few months later, the San Antonio Spurs drafted Duckworth in the second round of the NBA Draft.

“My time at Eastern?” Duckworth asked. “I was like a timid puppy that came out a big dog.”

(subhead) An ugly duck to a swan (subhead)

Duckworth’s weight problems began shortly after he arrived at Eastern in the fall of 1982. He immediately befriended Kevin Jones, a senior forward that season, and many nights he would eat dinner with Jones and his wife because there wasn’t enough to eat in the dorms.

When asked his favorite place to eat while at Eastern, Duckworth responded, “Hardee’s.”

“Kevin was always the first one in the buffet line,” said Paul Neidig, Duckworth’s backup for three years.

When he gained the freshman 15, however, Samuels ordered him additional conditioning. During his prime, Duckworth weighed between 260 and 270 pounds, but his first years at Eastern his weight dangled around 330 pounds.

“He used to hate for me to say this, but I thought he developed from an ugly duckling to a swan,” Samuels said. “He became an athlete in the first two years he was here, which means he lost weight. I can remember early, he felt a little intimidated by me. That’s hard to imagine when he dwarfed the door when he walked in.”

Jones saw potential in the raw-talented freshman recalling an early conversation between the two in the lay-up line before a game. Jones, now the men’s basketball coach at Chicago State University, told Duckworth he could make the NBA.

Duckworth still tells that story.

While Duckworth’s eating habits were questionable, his work habits were not. He recalls playing late-night basketball games at the Student Recreation Center against Samuels’ wishes. It was not a question if Duckworth would run the wind sprints at full speed, but rather if the speed would make time. Later on, Duckworth discovered the coaches would tell him he made time – even if he didn’t – because they so believed in his work ethic.

Duckworth built himself into an NBA prospect. Drawing from those beginning years, Duckworth hopes he can connect with basketball players today by helping them overcome the same odds he did.

“You better believe it,” said Neidig when asked if he would make a good coach. “I just think when you play the game at the level that Kevin did, even at the collegiate level, you just learn so much about it, and you see things from a different perspective.”

In Duckworth’s final two years, Eastern won 39 games and twice advanced to the conference championship, winning it his junior year. Upon graduation, Duckworth was the school’s all-time leader in rebounding with 863 and blocked shots with 123.

(subhead) NBA career: ‘A blessing in disguise’ (subhead)

In his first season with the Spurs, Duckworth recalls reading an article that said he would eternally be a backup center. By his fifth season, however, he had built a successful NBA career. Duckworth was named the league’s Most Improved Player and twice was named to the NBA All-Star team, playing side by side with Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.

“Man, the first time playing against Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, someone I had watched on television as a kid,” said Duckworth of the Hall of Fame center who retired as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, “here I am guarding him on court. You can’t even imagine how great that felt.”

The Trailblazers emerged as one of the best teams in the league during Duckworth’s prime seasons, twice making it to the NBA Finals where they lost in 1990 and 1992, the latter time to the Chicago Bulls.

Jones remembers life as a professional athlete did not change Duckworth’s personality. His ego did not inflate, nor did he pick up an entourage.

“Even with the Trailblazers, when we’d go out after the game, I’d ask: ‘who we going out with?” Jones asked assuming a teammate or two would join. “And he’d say, ‘no one, just us.’ He still kind of kept to himself.”

In 1991, Eastern retired Duckworth’s No. 00 jersey; the only men’s basketball player to receive such an honor.

Duckworth’s career lost steam in the mid-1990s when weight again became a problem. He played his final season for the Los Angeles Clippers in 1997.

“Well, the NBA career was a blessing in disguise and it was very overwhelming; that’s how I’d sum it up,” Duckworth said. “Was I thinking about growing up and playing ball? No. I didn’t think I’d play NBA, but it was a blessing because I worked hard and did my best, and I got to the NBA.”

(subhead) Where is he now? (subhead)

Duckworth now resides in Oregon City, Ore., a suburb of Portland, in part because the many rivers and woods make for great fishing and hunting spots.

After his playing days, Duckworth owned a restaurant, a construction company and worked from his home as a carpenter. He now wishes to re-enter the basketball world.

“Basketball is a big part of my life,” Duckworth said. “It’s something I feel that I am deserving of and I like to do.”

Kevin Jones, the coach at Chicago State had offered Duckworth an assistant coach position on his staff, but salary details could not be worked out. If the opportunity knocks once more, Jones will again extend the offer.

This year, the Eastern men’s basketball team has struggled to match the success during Duckworth’s final seasons. Other coaches in the Ohio Valley Conference have said this Panther squad is going through a rebuilding year.

Samuels, in his 24th year as head coach, has the second longest tenure of any basketball coach in the country and with each passing year, talks of a possible retirement loom larger.

Would Duckworth consider returning to Lantz Arena and help rebuild the program?

“Oh, sure,” he said.