Michael Stockton kind of misses the advantages he used to enjoy when his dad was an NBA star. Having basically an all-access pass at the Delta Center was a young boy's dream. Not only could he and his siblings shoot around on the court before and after Utah Jazz games, but he also got to wander through locker rooms and chat with the players.
Coaches at Westminster College are just happy their freshman point guard didn't heed the advice he received in one of those conversations.
During one of Michael's memorable trips to the visitors locker room, Charles Barkley got John Stockton's second-oldest child to admit in front of reporters that the Phoenix Suns would "probably" beat the Jazz in the playoffs. The Round Mound also coerced the 6-year-old to claim he was his favorite NBA player (after his dad, of course) and joked that Utah's point guard went to "Gargonzola Cheese College."
Then came some friendly/frightening college advice: "Get 20 points and 10 rebounds (and) pass the ball like your dad and you won't have to worry about your education." And, Barkley counseled, forget following dad to Gonzaga.
"Go to Auburn," he said. "They paid very well."
Twelve years later, Michael Stockton didn't pursue the big bucks in Alabama — despite Barkley's plea. The 6-foot point guard (what else?) didn't follow his father's famous footsteps to the private college in Spokane, Wash., either. Instead, he followed them back to Salt Lake City to play at the campus where his dad practiced with the Jazz and to the city where his old man became a basketball legend.
Playing in familiar surroundings in Utah and at Westminster — where the Stockton boys often tagged along with dad at the old Payne Gymnasium — factored into Michael's decision to attend this private liberal arts college. He was also impressed by coach Tommy Connor, the players and the school.
It all "seemed to be a decent fit," he said. "It's great to be back. It's like another home."
Utah was, of course, Stockton's home until his dad retired 4 1/2 years ago. The family moved back to Spokane, where Michael began high school and John began retirement. The new kid in town didn't exactly go unnoticed by opposing fans. Michael constantly heard trash-talk and chants about how he would never be as good as his dad.
"Which is partially true," he admitted. "It's a tough reputation to live up to."
It's also a reputation he's not trying to live up to, though it probably doesn't help that he plays the same position.
"I just always tried to accept that I had to play my own game," Michael said. "I couldn't try to be like him. Obviously, we've all seen him. That's impossible."
Connor doesn't expect Michael to be John Stockton, the Next Generation. For now, he simply wants Michael Stockton, who wasn't heavily recruited out of Gonzaga Preparatory School, to provide a few quality minutes when spelling senior Danny Reeder, one of the nation's best small-college point guards.
Kinda like what his old man did for Ricky Green as a rookie — only, likely, without the Hall-of-Fame career on the horizon.
"I think he understands the deal. He's aware. There's no comparison," Connor said. "His family has handled it and brought him up in a terrific way. He's very grounded.
"I think he and his dad both know that this is the right level for him and this is who he is. He's going to be a good small college basketball player. And I think he has a chance to be very good as he continues to get better, but he's his own guy."
Stockton plays sparingly on 24th-ranked Westminster's team, but he does play — and hard. He is the only freshman who travels with the team. He also has shooting percentages that would make even his sharpshooting father envious, hitting 64 percent of his shots, including all of his 3-point attempts.
Now before calling the Jazz with a draft tip, keep in mind that Michael only averages 7.1 minutes and has taken just two 3-pointers and 22 shots overall (making 14). Still, Connor says he takes advantage of his limited action.
"He's done a terrific job backing (Reeder) up," Connor said. "When he's gotten a chance, he's been very good."
Stockton says being the understudy to Reeder — the NAIA national assists leader — has been "one of the greater basketball experiences in my life."
"He's taken me under his wing," Stockton said. "I'm still not there yet, but I'm trying to learn from him."
With a passed-down competitive spirit that even emerges when he golfs or goes bowling with teammates — "I inherited something at least," he joked — Stockton says he will work to get better. The dangling carrot is not doing the family name proud, it is the Griffins' opening point guard spot next season.
"There's always room for improvement everywhere," Michael said. "Always, always shooting. You can always be a better dribbler, passer, everything."
Connor lauds his work ethic. Stockton fills up and cleans water bottles at practices. He carries the team's projector and film bag on road trips. You'd never know his dad is a multimillionaire and car-dealership owner, either. He doesn't have a car, so he usually walks or rides his Schwinn bike. He lives in the campus dorms, and he is a penny-pincher with the travel per diem.
He also dishes out compliments about teammates like his dad threw out assists to Karl Malone.
"He's really a neat kid," Connor said. "Our guys like him. He's doing very well here."
Dad has attended a few Westminster games, but he mostly keeps busily retired by helping coach soccer and basketball teams for the youngest of his six kids. He usually offers tips to his son only when asked, but a lot of the schooling sessions happen at the Warehouse gym in Spokane where the family, cousins and uncles included, play pickup games with local players after church on Sundays.
"He plays, and it's a nightmare to guard him, I'll tell you that. If you get matched up against him, you're gonna be sore the next day," Michael Stockton said of his 45-year-old dad. "(He's) not a dirty player at all. He's just smart, and very good and physical. Very physical."
One of the first things you notice about the younger Stockton — aside from the physical similarities — is his jersey number. Seems like a no-brainer. Twelve, right?
Nope. That was great for his dad — and older brother, Houston, who is a safety on the University of Montana's football team — but the No. 12 was "bad luck" for Michael. He only wore it for one year.
"It was a football season and we lost every game," he said.
Since then, he's tried 14 (Barkley's number), 21 and 20, which is the number he wears for Westminster because it is "comfortable."
Another difference: His shot kind of looks like his dad's, but this guard is left-handed.
And, no, this Stockton doesn't have a teammate with the last name "Malone" yet, either.
E-mail: jody@desnews.com