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Wednesday, April 4, 2001
Hicks to show off skills to scouts
Former Islanders' star heading to Portsmouth Invitational Tournament
By Darrin Scheid
Caller-Times
This week, former Texas A&M-Corpus Christi forward Michael Hicks is hoping to be like another Michael.
   Michael Smith.
   Smith is a 6-foot-8 forward from unheralded, low-major Louisiana-Monroe who went to the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament last year and turned his performance into an NBA contract.
   After earning Player of the Year honors in the 64-player, invitee-only event in Portsmouth, Va., Smith was the 35th overall pick in the NBA draft by the Washington Wizards.
   Smith wasn't even the Southland Conference Player of the Year at the season's end, and his team didn't go to the NCAA Tournament. But he had received a few looks from NBA scouts.
   This year, Hicks wants to make it his turn.
   Hicks and Islanders coach Ronnie Arrow left Tuesday for the tournament, which begins today and runs through Saturday. Invited players are split into teams, and they play each other in front of professional scouts.
   Hicks, who has already signed with an agent, said he's a little nervous, but he has been working out the past few weeks in preparation for his chance to shine.
   "I'm very excited about it," Hicks said. "I just don't want to go over there and feel all tense and pressured. I'm going to do what I know how to do and play the game. If I do well in the tournament, I know it will be good for me even if I don't get drafted. The main this is that I don't want to go over there and play bad in front of all those NBA scouts."
   Hicks earned the invitation to the tournament by scoring 26.7 points and pulling down 7.2 rebounds last season for the Islanders. Baylor forward Terry Black is the only other player from Texas invited.
   Centenary forward Ronnie McCollum, who battled Hicks head-to-head twice last season, also is scheduled to compete.
   Previous tournaments show that, although everybody in the 64-team field can't earn an NBA deal, players from the Portsmouth Invitational can turn the tournament into a proving ground.
   Not only did Smith earn a roster spot last season with the NBA, four other players were drafted in the second round after competing in Portsmouth: St. John's forward Lavor Postell (New York Knicks), Purdue forward Brian Cardinal (Detroit Pistons), North Arizona center Daniel McClintock (Denver Nuggets) and Colorado guard Jaquay Walls (Indiana Pacers).
   "It's all up to Mike now," Arrow said. "The only thing I wasn't so sure about was whether we could get him into NBA camps because of the newness of our program. But because of what he did and some of the things we were able to do as a team, some of those doors opened."
   Hicks said it's time to go out and prove he can play against the best-of-the-rest in the country. The NBA draft is scheduled June 27.
   This isn't the final chance for Hicks, a Panama native who transferred to A&M-CC from Bacone (Okla.) Community College. After this tournament, he could be invited to several NBA camps leading up to draft day.
   "This is one of the biggest opportunities of my life," Hicks said.


Staff writer Darrin Scheid can be reached at 886-3747 or scheidd@caller.com

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