Sting
Well-Known Member
By Jay G. Tate
Montgomery Advertiser
Former Alabama State forward Tyrone Levett didn?t know much about professional basketball two weeks ago.
But he?s quickly catching on.
Levett, a 2002 graduate, has earned a spot at the Miami Pro Summer Camp, a league run by Miami Heat scout Ed Pinckney. Though most players are only a few years out of college, the stakes are quite high.
Play well and a promotion to a showcase summer league awaits. Play poorly and go home.
?There?s a lot of pressure to play well and show off your skills, but I don?t think about that,? said Levett, a native of Notasulga. ?I?ve opened a lot of eyes. I work hard, and the scouts notice that.?
Levett was working out at Alabama State last week plotting a strategy to earn notice from professional organizations. While Levett was playing some one-on-one, former Fresno State point guard Dominick Young took notice of Levett and contacted Pinckney.
The phone rang a short time later.
?(Pinckney) offered and I was down there within two days,? Levett said. ?He didn?t have to ask me twice.?
Levett isn?t a prototypical NBA prospect.
He spent four years as a power forward for the Hornets despite standing 6-foot-5. He was named to all-conference teams three times, using his quickness and strong conditioning to overcome his lack of size.
In Miami, Levett is splitting time between small forward and shooting guard.
The idea isn?t as strange as it sounds.
Levett shoots well from outside. He hit 35 percent of his shots from 3-point range while at ASU, and figures to become more accurate with additional instruction and repetition.
?I?m a ?tweener,? but I can play different positions,? he said.
The Miami camp is a minor-league summer camp of sorts. NBA rookies and first-year players like Mike Dunleavy and Kwame Brown play in advanced summer leagues, which are being held in Orlando and Los Angeles this week.
Another round of advanced leagues in Utah and Boston begin in a few weeks. That?s where Levett hopes to play.
?That?s the goal,? he said. ?That?s where you can really make a name. But I?m not thinking about that. I?m concentrating on my business in Miami.?
Montgomery Advertiser
Former Alabama State forward Tyrone Levett didn?t know much about professional basketball two weeks ago.
But he?s quickly catching on.
Levett, a 2002 graduate, has earned a spot at the Miami Pro Summer Camp, a league run by Miami Heat scout Ed Pinckney. Though most players are only a few years out of college, the stakes are quite high.
Play well and a promotion to a showcase summer league awaits. Play poorly and go home.
?There?s a lot of pressure to play well and show off your skills, but I don?t think about that,? said Levett, a native of Notasulga. ?I?ve opened a lot of eyes. I work hard, and the scouts notice that.?
Levett was working out at Alabama State last week plotting a strategy to earn notice from professional organizations. While Levett was playing some one-on-one, former Fresno State point guard Dominick Young took notice of Levett and contacted Pinckney.
The phone rang a short time later.
?(Pinckney) offered and I was down there within two days,? Levett said. ?He didn?t have to ask me twice.?
Levett isn?t a prototypical NBA prospect.
He spent four years as a power forward for the Hornets despite standing 6-foot-5. He was named to all-conference teams three times, using his quickness and strong conditioning to overcome his lack of size.
In Miami, Levett is splitting time between small forward and shooting guard.
The idea isn?t as strange as it sounds.
Levett shoots well from outside. He hit 35 percent of his shots from 3-point range while at ASU, and figures to become more accurate with additional instruction and repetition.
?I?m a ?tweener,? but I can play different positions,? he said.
The Miami camp is a minor-league summer camp of sorts. NBA rookies and first-year players like Mike Dunleavy and Kwame Brown play in advanced summer leagues, which are being held in Orlando and Los Angeles this week.
Another round of advanced leagues in Utah and Boston begin in a few weeks. That?s where Levett hopes to play.
?That?s the goal,? he said. ?That?s where you can really make a name. But I?m not thinking about that. I?m concentrating on my business in Miami.?