PERKINS, Okla. -- Coaches and scouts -- heck, even journalists here and there -- tend to get all googly-eyed over long and lanky.

They'll focus too much on who looks like a player and too little on who actually is a player. They'll fixate a ton on those prospects with one P-word (potential) and not enough on those with another (production).

Not that there's anything wrong with running and jumping and dunking. And huge hands and large feet, of course, are plenty good. But there's something to be said for big numbers.

Obscene numbers.

Kevin Bookout numbers. The 6-foot-8 stud from tiny, 2,500-person Stroud, Okla., is averaging 31 points and 17 rebounds so far this year for coach Danny Morris' Class 3A SHS Tigers.

"There's no one in America Kevin can't score on in the post," Morris said this weekend out here in the Great Plains. "No one. They're just not strong enough.

"Kevin just does what he has to do. When it comes to getting the ball and putting it in the hole, his strength and athletic ability come through."

It certainly did Saturday night against Chandler during Stroud's 58-50 championship win over Chandler in the 66 Tournament at Perkins-Tryon High School.

The bruising (but bouncy) Oklahoma commitment tallied nine points and six rebounds in the first quarter. Then four and one in the second ... and four and one in the fourth ... and finally another four-and-one output in the fourth. He played all 32 minutes in the victory.

Twenty-one points and 10 rebounds, actually, made for Bookout's worst game since -- at least from a purely statistical standpoint -- since he scored only 18 in going up against Notre Dame-bound big man Torin Francis last month in Lewes, Del., at the prestigious Slam Dunk to the Beach tourney.

But the Norman-bound forward didn't seem too worried -- or even aware of his numbers -- after the fact.

Stroud is now 15-2 heading into the stretch run of his senior season. The Tigers are 14-0 against Oklahoma teams. Their two losses came at the Slam Dunk -- to Francis and Tabor Academy from Marion, Mass., and Villanova-bound post Jason Fraser and his Long Island team from Amityville.

They are ranked first in the state's 3A poll and No. 8 overall. And Bookout is doing his thing -- playing his familiar role -- and so are his teammates.

"It's a tribute to them as much as it is to Kevin," said TheInsidersHoops.com's Dave Telep, a national recruiting analyst who was courtside in Delaware to see Bookout in December.

"They understand that you get the ball to your horse when you have someone like Kevin. It's like depositing money at the bank."

And it goes something like this: Bookout positions himself on the block and seals his man.

Sub-six-foot guard gets Bookout the basketball. (Doesn't really matter how. He and his preposterously soft hands will catch just about anything.)

Bookout scores the basketball. Bookout turns and jogs back down to the defensive end.

He does this against man-to-man defense. He does this against triangle-and-two. He does this against diamond-and-one. It doesn't matter: Bookout is as guaranteed a two points as there is in amateur basketball in America.

"We usually work it inside-out like that," the big guy explained after Saturday night's tourney win. "They've been getting me the ball real good. They let me go to work."

He has been going to work for a while now -- as the superstar for Stroud and as one of a number of superstars on the summer circuit. Bookout was a regular on the AAU scene with Oklahoma's loaded Athlete's First squad.

That team's stars -- Midwest City duo Shelden Williams (committed to Duke) and De'Angelo Alexander (OU), Tulsa's Kelenna Azubuike (OU) and Oklahoma City's Julius Lamptey (undecided) -- made it easy to forget about Bookout.

But just being a part of this state's best hoops class since Mark Price and Wayman Tisdale emerged in 1982 has been enough.

"It's been a lot of fun getting to know those kids," Bookout said. "Hopefully a couple of us can make it to the NBA."

Bookout might be one of the few who makes it to the League. More likely, though, he'll choose the Olympics -- or the Olympics will choose him.

All that stuff about basketball? About overpowering people on the block? About scoring at will? It's not what he does best. Not even close.

Bookout is a world-class track and field competitor. His best heave of the shot put last year -- more than 71 feet -- was tops in the nation in high school competition last year. But Bookout claims -- without a trace of arrogance -- that he's better in the discus.

Who cares at this point? He's better than any of his peers in either. Going against a field of 2,500 at the USATF Youth Athletics National Championships last July in Decatur, Ill., Bookout won both events.

It's all in the family for the cross-trainer from Stroud. His oldest brother Casey, 25, is the all-time home run leader at OU and was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds coming out of Norman. The family's middle son, Kyle, 22, throws for the Sooner track and field team right now.

Yet the youngest Bookout might be the best all-around athlete of the trio. Basketball, track and field -- he also plays a little baseball, too, anchoring the corners of the infield at first and third. Major League scouts have been to Stroud to watch him pitch. He has been clocked at 93.

But track is likely his ticket to the Olympics. He's got his eye on Athens 2004 or Beijing 2008. Or both. First, though, it's down to Norman.

"I'd say I'm best in track," Bookout said before leaving the gym with his girlfriend Saturday night. "I love all of the sports, but if I put all my heart and soul into basketball, I think I could be really good."

Sooners coach Kelvin Sampson can only hope.

Nothing Minny about these hoops

Looks like Minnesota basketball is more than just Kevin Garnett.

Three teams from the North Star State used the high-profile setting at the Gatorade Timberwolves Shootout to knock off three out-of-state teams Saturday at the Target Center.

And the scores weren't even close.

Minneapolis Henry beat sophomore point guard phenom Sebastian Telfair and Brooklyn Lincoln 69-52, fellow city power Hopkins topped elite junior wing Ndi Ebi and Houston Westbury Christian 60-45, and Litchfield took care of Portland (Ore.) Jefferson 65-48.

"Teams think they can just come in here and win because we're from Minnesota," Henry coach Larry McKenzie told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "We beat teams from the East, the West and the Southwest today. People are going to have to start respecting us."

People have been respecting Kris Humphries for quite some time.

The junior combo forward from Hopkins bested Ebi in their individual matchup by netting 29 points. Ebi took 25 shots to finish with his 20.

"It's not like all of a sudden we have good basketball in this state," Humphries said. "It's been good for a long time. We just haven't been getting the recognition."

News and notes

• Fairfax blew out Venice 123-47 and Westchester killed Hamilton 107-56 in preparation for their Los Angeles showdown this weekend against each other. And lo and behold: Evan Burns and 21-3 Fairfax exacted some revenge -- they lost by 30-plus earlier this month -- in a 66-52 win over 19-2 Westchester. Burns, horrendous Jan. 8 against the Comets, finished with 19.
• LeBron James has played with the best and against the best. He is the best. Think he was going to let St. Vincent-St. Mary's Akron, Ohio, rivals beat his team at the James A. Rhodes Arena this Sunday? Nah. The 6-foot-8 junior prodigy tallied 33 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in St. V's' 91-66 victory over local foe Buchtel.
• Don't make St. Anthony's angry. Coach Bob Hurley and his Jersey City juggernaut bounced back from their first and only loss of the season -- a two-point setback against in-state opponent Neptune -- with wins over Linden and Elizabeth this week. St. John's-bound point guard Elijah Ingram and St. Joseph's signee Dwayne Lee each scored 15 for 11-1 St. Anthony.
• Rice continued its impressive run in New York City's Catholic "A" league with gutsy weekend wins against Bronx All Hallows and Brooklyn Bishop Loughlin. Coach Maurice Hicks' Raiders are now 14-1 and 9-0 in conference play. Mighty mite Keydren Clark was the hero against Loughlin with a game-winning 3-pointer at the 4.8-second mark. Villanova-bound swingman Curtis Sumpter hit for 30 points for Loughlin in the losing effort.
• Coach Jamie Arsenault's boys from the New Hampton (N.H.) School are on a roll. Coming off wins last week against Connecticut's St. Thomas More and Massachusetts' Worcester Academy -- two of the top teams in New England's prep ranks -- the 16-1 Huskies are ready for their Tuesday night showdown with coach Mike Byrnes and the Winchendon (Mass.) School. North Carolina signee Rashad McCants had 21 points in the Worcester win.
• Mater Dei's certainly hot at the right time. The Monarchs from Santa Ana, Calif., 19-4 overall, have won 12 straight now -- just in time for top-ranked Oak Hill Academy to show up for this weekend's Nike Extravaganza date at the Long Beach Pyramid.
• Sean May -- another UNC recruit -- put up 26 points and 10 boards in leading Bloomington North to a Friday night win over Martinsville. May and Mike Davis, Jr., have North at 16-0.

Michael Kruse writes for Basketball America and BasketballAmerica.com.