Artist Angel Ott is a model

THE ANGEL OF NEW ORLEANS may be playing his final game on Worthing wood in the second leg of their Play-off Championship semi-final this Saturday.

We may not see a player quite like him again. Alfredo Ott has been Supporters Club player of the year both his seasons here and he will probably add this time the League MVP. He was close last year but has improved further since then.

His game is like lyrical silent movie '” except it's in colour. His jump shot is poetry, its accuracy noiselessly lethal. Likewise his free throws. Little hits metal on its drop down into net. If he wasn't such a good basketball player his stealing would earn him a living in marketplace pickpocketing or handbag snatching.

His passing has improved since having had to play point-guard since the departure of Steve Vear at Christmas. It was good before. At times it looks almost masterly now. Likewise his sleight of hand.

He has even started dunking. He's leaping higher, hanging longer, whether rising for a defensive rebound or driving to the hoop through the defence. It's a form of elation of how he has come to feel about his own game and his team's success.

What does Ott say about his three-pointers? "I've always taken a pride in my shooting. I can dunk but it wasn't my main thing. It's always a good back-up, being able to shoot if you can't do anything else. Then if you're open, you're a threat."

And about playing point-guard? "Last year we had a lot of people who could play the point. This year started off, I was scoring a lot while playing at the shooting-guard (No 2] spot. Then I had to do a job instead of Steve (Vear] when James (Brame] was injured.

"But I don't mind getting everybody involved. I'm happy to do whatever the team needs to win games. And I'm always looking for things that can help my game. So at the moment I take a tennis ball around with me and dribble with it."

And steals? "I like anticipating. I always try to get people to relax and I can then take advantage. It's just knowing when to go for the ball and when not to."

Worthing has had more outwardly authorative point-guards and quicker ones. But find me one with the temperament combined with the apparent composure of Ott, for that is what already singles him out in Worthing basketball history, and what got him his nickname. He doesn't argue or bitch at referees, never gets technical fouls. He just smiles, or looks dreamily away. And gets on with his job. How come?

He reveals: "My high school coach at St Augustin, Bernard Griffin, he's now a development coach for Dallas Mavericks in the NBA, was really strict and disciplined. He wouldn't let any of the team lose control. His teams just played basketball and left all the rest, the stuff with referees, to the coach.

"Arguing to refs, it doesn't make any sense to make it worse than it is. I'm not saying I'm happy with every call they make. I do get mad '” you just don't know. But I don't want to go out and showboat or brag. Just do my job and what I need to do.

"What would I say to young players who would like to get at refs? Just get ready for the next play. I doesn't make any sense to hurt your team by getting technical fouls.

Alfredo Ott's style and method of basketball has an artistic content. Surprise, surprise, he is a painter: "Unfortunately, I have no canvas but I draw, I sketch portraits and do caricatures. I've done portraits from photos. At college I did a visual arts degree. We did figure drawing, painting, ceramics, print-making, sculpture. I like to draw, paint and sketch.

"My grandfather made me want to try it out but I didn't have any formal training at high school. I'm almost self-taught. His name was Lucien Barbarin. He has paintings up on his wall and I learned from watching him. He also paints floats for the Mardi Gras parade. He's in his 80s now."

So clean-living, non-smoking Alfredo Ott III ("My father is Alfredo II") '” or should it be Alfredo The Three? '” has a natural eye for beauty. So, therefore, why should his basketball be any different?

Thunder fans will be resigned to the fact that, one day, some other set of fans, somewhere else in the world, will have the joy of watching him next. If only it didn't have to be so inevitable.

He will need to know Thunder's competitive plans for next season before deciding his future.

EBL Div 1 stats (at March 19)

Points per game: 1st, EJ Harrison (Tees Valley) 31.00; 5th, Ott 24.76.

Three-pointers: 1st, Nicholson (Leopards) 57.14% (9 out of 16); 2nd, Ott 50.47% (63 out of 125)

Assists: 1st, Vear (Reading) 8.35pg (10 games); 2nd, Ott 5.50 (17). Steals: 1st, Ott 4.63pg; 2nd, Oharabe (Solent) 3.80.

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