I never knew Miles Dabord, but I did know Kevin Williams.

	Miles Dabord on the beach on Moorea island on July 12.

I remember it like it was yesterday, although it was 12 years ago. I was an 18-year-old freshman forward-center for a Juco called Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, Calif., when then-coach Eric Vollmers caused a stir by saying a star college player's brother has decided to try out for the team. The newcomer's name was Kevin Williams, the elder brother of Arizona's All-America center Brian Williams, who later changed his name to Bison Dele.

When Kevin Williams walked into the gym, it wasn't hard to see the resemblance to his more famous kin.

"He and his brother looked just alike," former Foothill guard Ahaseem Patterson said. "For a while, I thought they were twins."

While Kevin looked like his brother and had a similar build, his hoop game was nowhere near close.

Kevin stood about 6-foot-8, about three inches shorter than his brother. Coordination, general basketball skills and athletic ability were definitely not things associated with Kevin. His nickname on the court maybe should have been "Way" because he was always in the way.

"He was terrible, he had no athleticism or nothing," former Foothill forward Metise Moore said. "He wasn't really as gifted as his brother. He was big, that was all he had to offer. He was just someone out there playing ball. He would have been a better intramural player.

"I think our coach wanted him on the team because he had a good grade point average. He definitely would have boosted that."

After several weeks of working out with the Owls basketball team, Kevin came to the realization that basketball was probably best for his brother to play and him to watch. So before Vollmers could even decide on the final roster, Kevin had already unlaced his orange Converse weapons and decided to concentrate on books.

"I think he just played because his brother played," ex-Foothill swingman Troy McCoy said.

While I didn't see Kevin on the court any more, I did bump into him often on campus.

What he lacked on the hardwood, he definitely made up for in the classroom. In the classes I attended with him, he was always one of the premier students and seemed destined to go to school nearby at heralded Stanford University. The teachers loved him and so did his classmates, too. Kevin was always friendly, often sported a smile and open for deep conversations.

"I thought he was the nicest guy in the world," McCoy said. "He seemed incapable of hurting anyone on and off the court."

In June of 1991, Kevin's brother was drafted with the 10th pick in the first round of the NBA draft by the Orlando Magic. Several Foothill basketball players, including myself, regularly asked Kevin about his NBA brother. With each question about his big little brother, Kevin stuck out his chest and raised his chin before speaking in proud tones. Never any animosity.

"He seemed proud of his brother's success," Moore said.

In July, Dabord had sailed with Dele, Dele's girlfriend, Serena Karlan, and French skipper Bertrand Saldo in the South Pacific when the three vanished. Authorities in French Polynesia have implicated Dabord, who died last week at a California hospital, in the disappearances.

When I got the news about Dele's story, I thought to myself, who is Miles Dabord? Couldn't be Kevin. Kevin wouldn't hurt a fly. Dele must have another brother named Miles.

To my and my former Foothill teammates dismay, we learned that Miles was actually Kevin. How could this gentle giant even consider doing such a thing? A guy that seemed to so proud of his brother. It's still hard for me to believe.

I did know Kevin Williams. I just wish Miles Dabord was more like the Kevin Williams I knew.

Marc J. Spears covers the Denver Nuggets and the NBA for The Denver Post.