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Saturday, June 9, 2001
Pre-draft camps let small-school standouts shine
Former A&M-CC star Hicks among NBA hopefuls at Chicago combine
By Jason L. Young
Scripps Howard News Service

Hicks

CHICAGO - With the NBA draft less than three weeks away, little time remains for players to make their point.
   Those who are assured of being drafted in the first round of the two-round June 27 draft and getting the guaranteed three-year contract that comes with it do not need to worry. Those who are definite lottery picks have even less to concern themselves with.
   But those who have no such certainty - such as Texas A&M-Corpus Christi forward Michael Hicks - have one final chance of improving their stock in front of a group of NBA head coaches, general managers and scouts. That's exactly what the 67 players at the league's pre-draft camp at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago are trying to do.
   "Then again, a lot of people don't want to come because they don't want to hurt themselves," Auburn guard Jamison Brewer said.
   For players like Hicks, Brewer and Jamario Moon, who is attempting to make the jump to the NBA directly from Meridian (Miss.) Community College, the Chicago camp is tailor-fit for their needs. The four-day camp is a perfect opportunity for them to prove they are capable of leaving college and playing professionally.
   Hicks, who averaged 26.7 points and 7.2 rebounds a game his senior season for the Islanders, has continued to shine so far in Chicago.
   In his first three games at the camp, Hicks has averaged 12 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. He is playing on the same camp team as Keith Bogans (Kentucky), Michael Wright (Arizona), Jason Gardner (Arizona), Keith Johnson (Ohio State), Troy Ostler (Hawaii) and Robb Dryden (Georgia).
   Hicks, a two-time Independent Player of the Year, scored 15 points in his first game, which was the third-best point total among all players at the camp.
   "He is representing himself very well," said Islanders coach Ronnie Arrow, who accompanied Hicks to Chicago. "His stock is going up. People are now projecting Michael to go anywhere from early to middle second round of the upcoming draft."
   Brewer, who just finished his sophomore season at Auburn, has until June 20 to decide if he wants to stay in the draft and sign with an agent or if he wants to remove his name from the draft pool and return to the Tigers.
   Making the final list for the Chicago camp is far from automatic. Marty Blake, NBA director of scouting services and founder of the pre-draft camp, creates a list of approximately 260 players that he deems worthy of a closer look. He sends the list to each team and the National Association of Basketball Coaches board; each group selects 60 players they would like to see at the Chicago camp. Blake and a committee of six team officials from around the league then decide who gets invited to the camp.
   Invitations are sent out and those who participate are displayed in front of up to 10 representatives from each team - Blake said camp officials were forced to put a limit on the number of people teams bring - and journalists from all over the world.
   "There are some guys, 10 or 12 just top guys, that don't want to play so we bring them in for physicals," Blake said. "But there are guys, who if they don't want to play, we leave them home. I think it's very important (that players come). I think we have the right to ask these guys to come here. What do they want, a free lunch? There is no free lunch.
   "Our people need to see them. How often do you see (Alabama forward) Gerald Wallace play against anybody good?"
   Wallace and Ousmane Cisse of Montgomery, Ala. were both invited but both decided not to participate.
   The setup of the camp has few frills. The players are split into six teams - Brewer's teammates include Adam Allenspach (center, Clemson), Gilbert Arenas (guard, Arizona), Sam Clancy (forward, Southern California) and Damien Wilkins (forward, North Carolina State) - and are taught four basic plays.
   They reported to Moody Bible Institute for the first time Tuesday evening and worked out for 2¤ hours, running half-court set plays and full-court fast-break drills. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are each split into a morning and evening session, with basic skill drills followed by one game in the morning and then two games at night. The exercises include a five-spot-shooting drill, one-on-one and two-on-two drills and ball-handling drills.
   Each player is also measured, weighed and tested for strength, but that is done either after the Thursday or Friday night sessions. In the past, players were measured when they reported to the camp but too often they would not stick around to play.
   "We're not going to evaluate these players on their ability," Blake said. "What our coaches are going to do is to give their opinion on how the guys are acting here - were they late for the bus? I think it's ridiculous for our coaches to comment on the players' ability."
   On Saturday, teams' medical staffs and strength coaches will test prospects they are interested in.
   The Chicago camp is the third of three summer stops for NBA hopefuls. The Portsmouth (Va.) Invitational Tournament and the Nike Desert Classic in Phoenix are not run by the NBA but do give players a chance of making a name for themselves before invitations are sent out for Chicago. The Portsmouth tournament is mostly for marginal players, though some legitimate prospects participate, while the Phoenix tournament is mostly filled with top prospects.
   Though it is not a prerequisite that a player plays well in either of the first two tournaments to earn an invitation to Chicago, it could be the difference between being included or not getting an invitation.
   "They hold about the same importance," Los Angles Clippers Coach Alvin Gentry said. "The only thing about this camp is that this is kind of the last impression that you leave with the scouts and the coaches. (Players) can really help themselves here. There have been guys that have come here who have started off late first round, second round and moved themselves up to middle first-round picks."


Sports Editor Richard Tijerina contributed to this report.

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