For some NBA Draft hopefuls, their dreams of hearing their name called out on draft night were not fulfilled. This doesn’t mean their dreams of playing in the NBA are over, though.
Former Ute standout Luke Nevill was one of those who didn’t hear his name called. Fortunately for Nevill, the New Orleans Hornets had their eye on the 7-foot-2-inch center before the draft was over.
Nevill’s agent, Keith Glass, said the Hornets were hoping they would have the opportunity to invite him to play on their summer league team.
“We’ve committed to New Orleans to give them the first look at Luke,” Glass said. “They called during the draft, hoping he wasn’t drafted.”
Utah head coach, Jim Boylen, was disappointed to hear Nevill wasn’t drafted, but knows summer league is a good opportunity.
“I think he’s an NBA player, he’s accomplished enough to be an NBA player,” Boylen said.
Nevill averaged 17 points and nine rebounds per game in his final season at Utah and was named Mountain West Conference Player of the Year. The Associated Press also named him an Honorable Mention All-American.
“He’ll report to summer league and they’ll evaluate him,” Boylen said. “If they like him enough, they could sign him.”
Nevill will be one of 14 players on the Hornets’ summer league roster this year. He will be playing alongside the Hornets No. 1 selection (21st overall) in the draft, Darren Collison from UCLA.
The NBA Summer League, which will be played in Las Vegas, consists of 21 teams, including 10 that appeared in the 2009 playoffs.
Games will be held at the Thomas and Mack Center and the Cox Pavilion on the UNLV campus and run from July 10-19. Players who have three years or less of NBA experience are eligible to participate. The rules are generally the same in summer league, except for a foul-out rule that allows 10 fouls instead of the NBA’s 6.
The league played its inaugural summer season in 2004 with just six NBA teams. During the past few years, the NBA Summer League has grown in popularity and now includes 55 games.
Summer league could give Nevill a chance to show he can compete against some of the NBA’s brightest stars.
The No. 1 overall pick, Blake Griffin, will be participating in the summer league, along with other top picks in the draft.
Nevill and the rest of the Hornets will face Blake Griffin and the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday.
Not only will Nevill be among the top young talent in the NBA, but he will also have coaches and team officials evaluating his play. If Nevill performs to their expectations, the next level would be training camp.
“He (Nevill) needs to prove to them he’s good enough to play in that league,” Boylen said.
With no guaranteed contract on the table Nevill will have to prove to the Hornets and the rest of the NBA that he is worthy of being there.
“Luke has to grit his teeth and play competitive basketball,” Boylen said. “This is the hardest level of competition.”
For more information on the summer league in Las Vegas, go to http://www.nba.com/summerleague2009/.