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Turning heads DePaul's Hunter shows up on NBA radar screens
Updated: Wednesday June 20, 2001 9:12 PM
By Mark Button, CNNSI.com ATLANTA -- Every so often, the NBA draft produces someone like Steven Hunter. Last year, it was Jamal Crawford. Before Crawford, there was Vitaly Potapenko. Lindsey Hunter was another one. Those players were completely off NBA scouting radar screens but sprung up like hailstorms at the Chicago pre-draft camp, the premier venue for player evaluation by NBA coaches and scouts. There are two other important camps -- one in Phoenix and one in Portsmouth, Va. -- but the Chicago camp is the only one run by the NBA and serves as its official combine. Hidden in obscurity as a sophomore center for the mediocre DePaul Blue Demons (12-18) last season, the 7-foot Hunter splashed onto the scene in Chicago the first week of June and turned heads -- literally. "What surprised people most was his ability to put the ball on the floor and go by people," draft analyst Chris Monter said. "He went right by bigger players." Like Crawford and Potapenko before him, Hunter's life may change dramatically because of one week in Chicago. Experts such as Monter say because of his strong showing at the camp, Hunter went from a second-round afterthought to a possible late lottery pick -- which could mean a difference of millions of dollars in his first contract. Though virtually unknown before Chicago, Hunter did not transform into a coveted commodity overnight. He came into the camp in shape, thanks in large part to Michael Jordan's trainer, Tim Grover. Hunter weighed only 205 pounds at the end of his sophomore season at DePaul. By early June, he had added 20 pounds and hopes to gain another 20 to 30. "This is the NBA; it's very rigorous," Hunter said. "You have to be in shape. [Grover] is the best trainer in the world, and he got me in tip-top shape." While Monter and other draft experts, such as Ryan Blake (son and colleague of NBA director of scouting Marty Blake), say Hunter must improve his rebounding skills, one thing he doesn't need help with is confidence. "I think I'm the best player in the draft," he said. "I think I've got the most potential; just get me in the right system." The best player in the draft? "OK, whatever," Monter said. "I give the kid credit, because you have to be confident to succeed at anything in life, but that's kind of comical." Blake agreed, but he did say Hunter has some advantages over top-five prospects Eddy Curry, Kwame Brown and Tyson Chandler -- all of whom elected to bypass college for the NBA. "He's played two years in college, and he's only 19," Blake said. "So the high school kids are about the same age with less experience. That's a plus for Hunter." Besides his uncanny ball-handling skills for a player his size, Hunter's strengths lie in his quickness, leaping ability, shooting accuracy and shot-blocking skills. He led Conference USA in field-goal percentage last season at 59.2 percent, and his 2.4 blocks per game ranked 33rd in the nation. Though he was proud of his strides in Chicago, Hunter thinks he would have been more widely known had he played his college basketball outside of the Windy City. "[The DePaul system] didn't showcase my game," he said. "I wasn't a part of the plays." Monter sympathized. "To me, DePaul is not a very well-coached team, so I would agree with that," he said. "You look at what they had talent-wise, and there's no excuse for a 12-18 record. They were never on the same page." Hunter has several private workouts scheduled before the June 27 draft, including Washington, Boston, Charlotte, Seattle, Toronto and Philadelphia, but he feels his performance in Chicago put him in a good position. "I knew if I got in front of the right people, they'd see my style of play, what I can do," Hunter said. "We'll see how I feel on draft night."
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