By Ken Ige, Star-Bulletin
Richard Strobel, 11, of Manoa, takes a long look at the
7-foot-2 Tony Maroney this week at the Rainbow
Summer Basketball camp.

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Tony Maroney
Still Walking Tall

The former Rainbow star
has played all over the world, but
remains focused on the NBA

By Cindy Luis
Star-Bulletin

THE questions are so innocent. Out of the mouths of babes, really.

"How tall ARE you?"

"What size shoes do you wear?"

"Are you in the NBA?"

Tony Maroney -- Coach Tony to the youngsters at the Rainbow Summer Basketball Camp -- answers every one with the same sweet smile.

"7-2."

"16."

"No."

The next question doesn't have Maroney shaking his head or shake the smile. It's the same one the former University of Hawaii center has heard ever since being cut by the Los Angeles Clippers right before the start of the 1995 NBA season.

"Why aren't you in The Show?"

Even when he gets down on his knees to talk to his young charges, Maroney is still a giant. A giant who pulled an amazing disappearing act from the NBA draft chart three years ago.

How could a 7-foot-2, 280-pound player get lost? He didn't, insists the Rainbows' all-time leading shot-blocker.

It's a big world and Maroney has seen quite a bit of it since leaving Hawaii. Greece. Portugal. Spain. China. Turkey.

And he has been paid to do it. Last stop was Cyprus, where he made $7,000 a month, with a new BMW, a six-bedroom apartment and a chance to get comfortable with being a professional basketball player.

"Everyone stresses out when they don't see me where they think they should be seeing me," said Maroney, who moved back to Hawaii in February. "They ask, 'Why aren't you here instead of being over there?' I'm not stressing. I go where I can be.

"As long as I can take care of myself and my family, can put food on the table, I'm fine with what I'm

doing."

Maroney hasn't given up on playing in the NBA. He's just taking a little longer than most people expected, with the same kind of loping approach he had when going to the basket as a Rainbow.

It may have looked slow but it was effective.

"He was such a big asset to our team and people didn't appreciate what he did," said Rainbow guard Alika Smith, a freshman during Maroney's last UH season. "Everyone said, 'Oh, he needs to do this. He needs to do that.' When he left, everyone was wondering when he was coming back. We missed him.

"He was such a presence as a shot-blocker, making people alter their shots, presenting problems just because of his size. What he needs to do is work at getting into better shape. He's got a good opportunity to still make it (in the NBA) because of his size."

Maroney is even bigger than he was in his last appearance in the Special Events Arena. He estimates he's gained 25 pounds when first moving to the Big Island five months ago and is over 300 pounds.

By Ken Ige, Star-Bulletin
Maroney leads dozens of kids in calesthenics
at the Rainbow basketball camp.

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"I think if he got into shape, he'd definitely be invited to some (NBA) camps," said UH assistant coach Jackson Wheeler. "The NBA is begging for big guys. I know the Clippers are still interested in him. People still talk about him because of his size.

"I think he has his mind right now. He has to get more focused. He has to get back into shape. If he does that, he still has a chance. It wouldn't take much but I don't know what it would take to motivate him."

Maybe just time.

Maroney turns 25 a week from tomorrow. He and longtime girlfriend Naomi Dunhour have a 9-month-old daughter, Natasha Noella, who hasn't learned to walk but is already bouncing a ball.

Daddy's been working on taking some first steps, too. Maroney's conditioning and work ethic -- or lack of it -- was his downfall, according to Marty Blake, the NBA's scouting coordinator.

But Maroney was back running and had daily workouts in the weight room. He has learned to trade elbows with the best in the European leagues, the quality of play he likens to the CBA.

He has a new agent in Rudy Jackson, who is aggressively shopping Maroney's skills in Italy, Greece and Spain. There is a $150,000 contract on the table from his former team in Cypress. And the Clippers have been in touch.

Perhaps most important of all, Maroney has grown up.

"I'm still paying for the mistakes I made my first year with the Clippers," Maroney said. "But what's good is I can afford to look around for the right situation now. I think I'm taking the better route to where I want to be."

For the moment, that's Hawaii.

"I'd like to thank all the people for their support and kindness," he said. "I was surprised how many remember me. I hope they don't look down on me because I'm not playing in the NBA right now. I hope they'll look ahead, like what I'm doing, and realize I'm going to be the best I can be wherever I am."

No questions asked.