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Miles to go? Prep star to announce Friday; others could follow
Posted: Tuesday May 02, 2000 01:06 PM
By Stewart Mandel, CNNSI.com With less than two weeks remaining before the May 14 underclass deadline to enter the NBA Draft, no one has yet to attempt a Kevin Garnett-Kobe Bryant-Jonathan Bender jump from high school to the pros. Indications are, that will soon change, much to the chagrin of some major college programs. Darius Miles, widely regarded as one of the top five high school basketball players in America, will hold a news conference Friday, most likely to announce his decision to turn pro. As many as two more might follow. Miles' mother, Ethel, said a news conference is set for Friday afternoon at the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Youth Center in East St. Louis.Miles, a 6-foot-8 senior at East St. Louis High School in Illinois, signed a letter of intent last fall with St. John's but did not score high enough on the ACT test in his most recent attempt to qualify, his high school coach told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "I'm figuring he's probably going in the draft," coach Bennie Lewis said. "He didn't make the test, so I'm thinking that's why. I think that's what he's going to do. I think he's ready." Miles, one of the stars of last month's McDonald's All-American Game, is sure to be a lottery pick in what this year is perceived as a weak draft class, perhaps going as high as the top five. He averaged 22.1 points and 12.1 rebounds last season for a team that reached the Illinois state semifinals. Another standout from the McDonald's game, Fresno, Calif., shooting guard DeShawn Stevenson, is in a similar situation. The 6-5 Stevenson, known for his acrobatic dunks, signed with Kansas in the fall but has yet to qualify on either the ACT or SAT. A likely first-round pick, Stevenson told the Fresno Bee last weekend he wants to go to the NBA, but his mother would like to see him at KU."My choice is to leave for the NBA right now, but my mom wants me to go to college, and I will because I want to make her happy," Stevenson said of an issue that would only seem relevant if his latest test score comes through.
Since Garnett jumped to the Minnesota Timberwolves straight out of high school in 1995, later to become the NBA's richest player, 10 others have tried, with various degrees of success. The Lakers' Bryant, Raptors' Tracy McGrady and Sonics' Rashard Lewis have starred for their teams in the 2000 playoffs. But Taj McDavid, Korleone Young and Ellis Richardson are where? Such disparities bring to issue how 17- and 18-year olds could possibly know their true draft stock. Miles had asked his summer league coach Larry Butler, the former AAU coach for players like DePaul's Quentin Richardson and Orlando Magic rookie Corey Maggette, to help him explore his NBA possibilities. "He'll be top five," Butler told the Chicago Tribune. "He is on a weight-training program with Bob Kersee, the husband of Jackie Joyner-Kersee, to build himself up. He won't be attending any of the NBA pre-draft camps, but will hold private workouts for scouts and general managers." A third candidate for turning pro is Mississippi State signee Mario Austin. Again, it would be an instance of a player opting out of possible Prop 48 status, but the 6-9 center from York, Ala., is no guarantee to be drafted. Other names were rumored at one point to be mulling the draft but appear to be sticking to their commitments are: Seton Hall's Eddie Griffin, Alabama's Gerald Wallace and UConn's Caron Butler. Among other McDonald's All-Americans, Mississippi native Darius Rice has yet to pick a college but has apparently ruled out the NBA, and after being dropped by Cincinnati, troubled Jerome Harper decided against the draft and will enter junior college. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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