Friday, February 19, 1999Area senior stars invited to NBA camps
BY MICHAEL PERRY
The Cincinnati EnquirerXavier's Lenny Brown, Gary Lumpkin and James Posey and Miami guard Damon Frierson are among 64 seniors who have been invited to participate in the Portsmouth (Va.) Invitational on March 31-April 3, said PIT director Mike Morris.
Posey, Cincinnati's Melvin Levett and Miami's Wally Szczerbiak have been invited to the Nike Desert Classic in Phoenix (April 13-18), NBA director of scouting Marty Blake said, adding that Levett was the first to accept.
The Phoenix camp is for those considered among the top 40 players. Blake said Szczerbiak is not expected to attend because his status for the draft is so solid.
Also invited to both camps: Kentucky's Scott Padgett, Heshimu Evans and Wayne Turner.
Morris said Brown and Lumpkin have accepted the invitation to play in Portsmouth. Frierson said he will attend. Morris was not expecting the UK players to attend.
Players who perform well at Portsmouth can get invited to Phoenix.
That's what happened last year with Xavier's Torraye Braggs. He was named most valuable player at Portsmouth, earned an invitation to Phoenix and became a second-round draft pick of the Utah Jazz.
Portsmouth and Phoenix are two of the three NBA predraft camps. Both give college seniors an opportunity to practice and play in front of NBA scouts and officials.
A third predraft camp is run by the NBA in Chicago June8-13.
The NBA draft is June 30.
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