D-LEAGUE DRAFT CAMP DIARY
Wide-eyed PG makes run at D-League.
BY SAMMY NEWMAN-BECK
This past weekend in Suwanne, Georgia, 200 of the best players not already in the league came out to take their chance at the next step towards the NBA. With the NBA draft only a week old and the summer league only a week away, the NBA D-League held it’s one and only Pre-Draft camp this past weekend. Players who have been hooping in leagues like the ABA, NPBL, CBA and overseas, came from all over the country to try for a place in the NBA’s minor league.
Luckily enough SLAM had former Mississippi Valley State point guard Tychicus “Tyc” Snow given is the low-down on the down-low’s draft camp. Snow, whose short season with the Elmira Bulldogs of the National Pro Basketball League just wrapped, kept notes while taking part in the two-day event.
SATURDAY - DAY 1 D-LEAGUE PRE-DRAFT CAMP:
This pre-draft camp has been great for me. I play in the NPBL league right now but I was fortunate enough to get invited to this two day draft camp this past weekend. I am actually missing my championship game in the NPBL to be here, with the support of my team of course. They’re really supporting me to be here. So, I have to thank our owners and our head coach James Shutz for that.
But today went well. I have been injured though. I sprained my wrist not too long ago so I am still in a lot of pain and can’t really shoot the ball. But I think I do the other things really well. Even though I wasn’t able to really score today I think that I ran the team well and that the coaches and scouts noticed that. I am a point guard and my job is to run the team and win and that’s what I tried to do.
The competition here is definitely a lot tougher than the NPBL. I mean I have a great NPBL team but this competition is definitely tough. We also have NBA Coaches - which is great. My coach is Grant Long, but there are other guys here that played in the league like Tracey Murray and Robert Pack coaching too.
Tomorrow I look forward to playing again. I hope to keep winning. That is most important to me…I want to win and I think the coaches here see that.
SUNDAY- DAY 2 D-LEAGUE PRE-DRAFT CAMP:
I got up this morning, got some breakfast and headed to the gym around 10 am. We played our first game and we won. I had to ice my wrist after that. Two hours later we lost our last game and that unfortunate but overall the weekend was definitely a great experience. My coach, Grant Long, was really great as a coach too.
My wrist is still hurting though. My coach told me that even though I wasn’t able to shoot the ball I still played very well. Coaches were also very impressed with our team. We actually ran a triangle offense and that impressed a lot of the other coaches. We were the only team really executing such a difficult offense.
You know I play ball everyday but it was great to be here playing against the great competition and learning from a bunch of former NBA guys. I’m really looking forward to playing in the D-League and I think I have a pretty good shot. I think my chances are good. They knew about me before the camp and they also want to get to know you as a person as well as a player and I think that they liked me.
My NPBL team lost last night in the Championship game. One of our main players dislocated his knee in the game. It was definitely a tough lost. I really love that team. My NPBL team in Elmira really supported me to come down here to the camp and that was great, I really appreciated that.
Now that the camp is over I am going to go home and take a couple weeks to rehab my shooting wrist. I want to get healthy so I can be ready to tryout for these teams. I want to be in the best shape so I can prepare myself to get drafted.
Everyone knows the money is overseas but I don’t really want to do that. That’s not my dream or my goal right now. I am trying to make the D-League because that is the closest thing to the NBA. And I think I can make the NBA and I think I will do it one day. I’m taking baby steps right now but I know that when I’m ready mentally, God will bless me with that chance. I love my chances. I showed my leadership this weekend, I was vocal and I had a lot of fun it was really a great experience.
PHOTO: JOE MURPHY
30 Responses to “D-LEAGUE DRAFT CAMP DIARY”
Jul.2 at 11:21 am
Hursty says:
the photo of the blue guys leg is gross. Its seems unnatural that the tibia can bend that much.
Jul.2 at 11:23 am
Hursty says:
good luck with your future career Tyc, best of luck
Jul.2 at 11:24 am
Hursty says:
How do you learn to run a triangle offence in the space of well, less than a day?
Jul.2 at 11:26 am
Hursty says:
maybe the photo distorts it a bit. his gastrocnemius is just flaring way out. my bad.
Jul.2 at 11:31 am
Matt Caputo says:
Where is your mind?
Jul.2 at 11:37 am
Hursty says:
mind? speak clearly Matt?
Jul.2 at 11:38 am
Hursty says:
what do you mean Matt? I do this all the time. (if you mean my stream of thought on the comments that is).
Jul.2 at 11:47 am
Eboy says:
LMAO @ Caputo.
Jul.2 at 11:49 am
DP says:
Miss. Valley State…we always do represent. Shout out Snow, Monta, Al Jefferson, Jonathan Bender, Jamont Gordon, and Tyler Hansborough’s littel brother. The little bastard transferred from Miss. State to Norte Dame. what a douche.
Jul.2 at 11:56 am
Matt Caputo says:
I mean - that was the first thing that came to mind when you saw a photo of two dudes playing basketball?
Jul.2 at 11:59 am
Eboy says:
Caputo, Hursty is Australian and a youngster, forgive him, he means well. To be honest, the first thing I thought when looking at the pic was “what the fu*k is Paul Pierce doing playing D-League ball.”
Jul.2 at 12:01 pm
Matt Caputo says:
Australian folks are cool.
Jul.2 at 12:03 pm
Eboy says:
So are kangaroos, but I ain’t trusting them with a basketball in their hands unless their name is Shane Heal.
Jul.2 at 1:31 pm
Matt Caputo says:
CJ Bruton is nice too!
Jul.2 at 8:39 pm
Tai TURNER says:
www
Jul.2 at 8:42 pm
Tai TURNER says:
I was at that camp too Hooping… you’ll be writing about me later… tai turner #145,team16 ask Mississippi Valley State point guard Tychicus “Tyc” Snow if i was hooping and see for your self… www.wise100world.com
Jul.3 at 9:03 am
Hursty says:
kangaroos are cool. Bruton is cool, nice hair as well. Heal= dagger 3 balls. What about Nathan Jawai E?
Jul.3 at 9:11 am
Matt Caputo says:
Bruton is a killer and so is the dude Pat Mills. Homicide is my man,, HURSTY you will love what I have coming in the way of Homicide Williams.
Jul.3 at 9:12 am
Matt Caputo says:
How’d you do down there Tai?
Jul.3 at 9:45 am
Hursty says:
ok, ok. Corey was the highlight of the season in upper Queensland ( a state). When the Crocs came down to play in Syd (mwa) he lit it up. Dude was AMAZING. I really wanna see whats in the pipline. Oh, I can speak proper english its just that I can get in a hurry to write stuff and make a complete @ss of myself in the process.
Jul.3 at 10:24 am
Matt Caputo says:
I hear the NBL is a mess. I’m friends with the dude who Edits handle magazine. He’s actually coming by for lunch today.
Jul.3 at 2:31 pm
Cub Buenning says:
Patty Mills is the truth and future. These D-League dreamers are probably still smarting from last year’s camp.
Jul.3 at 9:18 pm
Lelo24 says:
TYC is a hard working guard shout outs on the D League Dream Bro you going to make it from yah teammate #24
Jul.4 at 9:47 pm
Hursty says:
my mate did work experience at Handle and met the ed. NBL is taking a pounding man, really not looking good at the moment. Patty Mills… I have nothing to say about the kid, just never been another player like him from AUS. First Indigenous player on national team for 30 years, uber quick and amazing personality. Gaels are lucky to have him
Jul.5 at 6:33 am
Willie Smith says:
THAT KID TURNER REALLY WAS SOMETHING ELSE! THE KID CAN REALLY PALY
Jul.6 at 10:54 pm
todd says:
AND WILLIE SMITH ISNT THE SAME GUY RIGHT?
Jul.7 at 11:30 am
Cub Buenning says:
Hursty, more on Patty in the upcoming issue…..
Believe me, the Gaels and coach Bennett know how lucky they are.
Jul.8 at 5:31 pm
Willie Smith says:
best wings 2003 Tai Turner 6′-3″ Verbum Dei Wai John Wai 6′-6″ La Jolla Jacob Wild 6′-5″ Reedley Immanuel Jonathan Wiley 6′-4″ Westlake Derrick Williams 6′-4″ Price …
www.socalhoops.com/prep02/0902/wings2003.htm - 14k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this
Jul.10 at 6:49 am
Bruce says:
Way to go Tyc! Looking forward to seeing you when you swing by NOVA!
Jul.10 at 7:20 am
Hursty says:
Thanks Cub. I’ll be sure to check definetely get the magazine. ( I always do, but just extra sure