Sports

Norfolk State’s O’Quinn almost didn’t take up basketball

Kyle O’Quinn didn’t want to play basketball. He just felt like he had to.

Long before the senior center helped 15th-seeded Norfolk State to one of the biggest upsets in NCAA tournament history, putting up 26 points and 14 rebounds in Friday’s win over second-seeded Missouri, the Queens product indifferently joined Campus Magnet’s High School team in 11th grade, having never played organized basketball before.

“Being the tallest kid in the school, it’s kind of like you have to play basketball or everybody looks at your like you’re the crazy guy,” O’Quinn told The Post before the tournament. “I would’ve played earlier, but I didn’t have a passion for the game.”

COMPLETE NCAA COVERAGE

NCAA TOURNAMENT BRACKET

VIDEO: COACH, PLAYER REACTIONS

O’Quinn, whose Norfolk State team plays Florida today in a second-round West Regional game, hardly played his junior year, often joking around in practice. High school coach Charles Granby seethed at the wasted potential of a 6-foot-10 bench-warmer, prompting the coach to have a long talk with O’Quinn before his senior season.

“He was having fun, just enjoying himself, thinking nothing of it and I told him he could earn from this money if he started working hard,” Granby said. “He looked at me like I was crazy, like, coach, what is wrong with you? I said, ‘You just don’t get it.’ ”

He soon did. Even though O’Quinn admitted he was “scared to get embarrassed because [he] never played that much,” the Jamaica, Queens, native became a dominant force. Even after Granby contacted the local Division I colleges about recruiting his star, none followed up.

O’Quinn prepared to attend a nearby school such as Queens College, York College or Nassau Community College because, he said, “that’s where everybody goes.”

Three-hundred and sixty miles away, Norfolk State’s coaching staff was watching tape on O’Quinn’s teammate, Nathaniel Wilson, when the big man stole their attention. O’Quinn was brought down to Virginia and handed the only scholarship offer he received. O’Quinn signed immediately.

“My whole family just jumped for joy and we all just ran here,” O’Quinn said. “Basketball wasn’t something I had a big plan on doing because nobody brought it up. Other than that senior year, you had nothing else to go by. Four years ago, you couldn’t tell me that I’d be sitting on the phone talking with you about this.”

Arriving on campus, O’Quinn’s physical talent was evident, but his game still was raw. He averaged 5.3 points and 3.4 rebounds his freshman year, but steadily evolved, and averaged a double-double for the second straight season this year, with 16.2 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.7 blocks, while leading the Spartans to their first appearance in the NCAA tournament.

“He had some natural gifts, but he had to develop maturity and consistency,” Norfolk State coach Anthony Evans, a Brooklyn native who has eight New York players on his team, said. “We realize the challenge of getting someone like Kyle to grow and watching him develop has been a pleasure. Everything that’s happened is because of all the hard work he’s put in.”

Granby talked to O’Quinn before the historic win over Missouri, telling him, “if you have a good game on national TV, people are going to take notice.

“People are going to know who you are.”