Chicago Pre-Draft Camp – Day 2 Dispatch
by Jed Tai
CHICAGO – Day Two of the NBA Pre-Draft Camp in Chicago saw games get underway for the
hordes of NBA personnel and media on hand.
Before the three games between the six teams started however (games consisting
of two halves of 20 minutes each), the teams went through a morning session of
shooting drills where each player shot a number of mid-range, college
three-point, and NBA three-point range shots. They all also did a variety of
one-on-one, two-on-two, and full scrimmage drills.
In the first game of the day, Team 6 built an early lead and held on to defeat
Team 5, 70-61. For Team 6, Jermaine Boyette (Weber State) led the way with 17
points as he made the fast break a personal layup drill. Carl English (Hawaii)
played both the point and shooting guard effectively, and shot the ball well on
his way to 13 points. Joel Cornette (Butler) hustled inside and scrapped his
way to 10 points and six rebounds. Kyle Korver (Creighton) didn’t make any
highlight reels, but had a solid overall effort with four points, four
rebounds, five assists, and three steals.
Team 5 was led by Robert Jackson (Marquette), who bulled his way inside for 12
points and nine rebounds. Britton Johnson (Utah) showed off his Keith Van
Horn-like inside/outside skills in scoring 10 points. Marcus Moore (Washington
State) had a solid game at the point with eight points, utilizing his height to
shoot over his defender. Tommy Smith (Arizona State) was active in the paint,
scoring four points and grabbing eight rebounds.
In the day’s second contest, Team 2 fired away from three-point range to get
past Team 1, 84-74. Troy Bell (Boston College) led the way for Team 2 with 17
points while dishing out seven assists, but still seemed to look for his own
offense rather than set up his teammates. Luke Walton (Arizona) was a
triple-double threat with 14 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists, and
dazzled the crowd with his pinpoint passing. Travis Hansen (Brigham Young)
continued to impress by finding different ways to score on his way to 11
points. Derrick Zimmerman (Mississippi State) garnered oohs and aahs from all
in attendance with two spectacular dunks, scoring eight points and also dishing
out five assists.
For Team 1, Chris Massie (Memphis) was a beast in the paint, shoving defenders
out of the way with his Anthony Mason-like physique, scoring 14 points and
grabbing 14 rebounds. Wayne Wallace (Virginia Union), a nephew of Detroit
Pistons star Ben Wallace, acted like his uncle and was active on both sides of
the floor, posting 13 points, seven rebounds, and four blocked shots. Jason
Kapono (UCLA) showed off his soft touch from the perimeter and registered 12
points. Maurice Williams (Alabama) settled a bit for the outside shot which
wasn’t falling, but did dish out five assists.
The night’s final affair was a run-n-gun shootout, as Team 3 scorched the nets
at 54.4 percent in a 109-90 victory. Keith Bogans (Kentucky) especially set
the nets ablaze, hitting 8-for-10 from the field and all three three-point
attempts in scoring a team-high 19 points. Theron Smith (Ball State) did
damage in the interior, but also showed off a three-point shot, hitting two
while posting 18 points. Jerome Beasley (North Dakota) ran the court like a
small forward and finished on the break while scoring 12 points and grabbing
five rebounds. Jameer Nelson (St. Joseph’s) took more steps towards staying in
the draft, flawlessly leading the team with seven assists (and no turnovers)
while scoring 13 points on his own.
Team 4 was paced by Matt Bonner (Florida), who might as well have changed his
last name to Bullard the way he shot the ball from the outside. He scored 17
points on 6-for-9 shooting. James Lang (Central Park Christian (AL) HS) shook
off a shaky first night and rebounded with 15 points, six rebounds, and two
blocked shots. Willie Green (Detroit) found his groove on the perimeter and
shot 5-for-7 from the field to score 13 points. Dahntay Jones (Duke) was
explosive to the rack and posted 11 points. Josh Powell (North Carolina State)
continued to be active, but was a bit out of control at times in managing five
points and two rebounds.
During the games, the official measurements of all players participating were
taken. Players heights (taken with shoes and without shoes), weights,
wingspan, and standing reach were all measured. The tallest player at camp?
Wesley Wilson (Georgetown), who came in at 6-10.25 in stocking feet. James
Lang (Central Park Christian (AL) HS) came in at 316 pounds and also measured
in with the longest wingspan of 7 feet, 6.25 inches.
On Thursday, three more games will be played, and players will continue to
perform in drills and scrimmages for all the talent evaluators.
Seen in the crowd: Some of the college coaches here in Chicago to support
their players participating include Craig Escherick (Georgetown), Tom Crean
(Marquette), Kyle Macy (Morehead State), Herb Sendek (North Carolina State),
Tim Buckley (Ball State), and John Calipari (Memphis). Also spotted was former
Georgia head coach Jim Harrick.
Injury report: Sam Hoskin (DePaul) pulled a hamstring during Wednesday
morning’s drills and will be out of action the rest of the camp. Sprained
ankles have also been a problem as Brandin Knight (Pittsburgh), Maurice
Williams (Alabama), and Ricky Minard (Morehead State) may be limited the rest
of camp due to sore ankles.
