Former Ohio basketball forward Brandon Hunter rarely has trouble standing out, and that trait worked in his favor this past weekend at the first National Basketball Association pre-draft camp.
Hunter averaged 9.7 points per game and 5.3 rebounds per game at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament in Portsmouth, Va. The camp totaled 64 players - all seniors - and is the first of two prior to the June 26 NBA Draft.
Hunter's trademark one-handed dunk from a standstill position underneath the hoop, which so many Ohio fans now consider routine, drew "oohs and ahs," said ESPN.com Senior College Basketball Writer Andy Katz.
"He scored and passed the ball well," Katz said. "He had a couple of those typical Brandon kind of dunks that I think distinguished him. Those are the kind of things you've got to do to stand out."
Hunter, unlike others, said he did not think the dunk was a big deal.
"I do it all the time and everyone was talking about it the next day," Hunter said. "I think I'll be in Chicago."
It was important for Hunter to impress the audience at Portsmouth, because that same audience will write the list of 60 players invited to the Chicago Pre-Draft camp June 4-6.
Hunter said teams showing interest in him include Chicago, Detroit, Indiana, New York, Memphis and the Los Angeles Clippers.
While Katz agreed Hunter should be in Chicago, he said he is not a "slam dunk" to be drafted.
"Certain scouts I talked to just don't like a linebacker body," Katz said. "Some people look at that as being like (Milwaukee Bucks forward) Anthony Mason; some guys like that and some don't.
"Someone is going to have to fall in love with his type of game and his style of play. He'll have to be a controlled power player on both ends."
Hunter, who said he has yet to sign with an agent, posted camp statistics below his typical Mid-American Conference numbers, but Milwaukee Bucks Director of Player Personnel Dave Babcock said the awards and statistics are not all that matters.
"It's all about seeing what a guy can do and upside," Babcock said. "(North Dakota forward and Portsmouth Invitational Tournament Most Valuable Player) Jerome Beasley made a name for himself and he will be drafted, but I didn't think he was the best guy there."
Hunter said there was no nervousness on his part, despite the fact the play at the camp was better than he expected.
"I'm more confident than I was before," he said. "I've been through too much to be nervous. I just played - I didn't try to show everyone that I could do anything special - I just played the game."
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Chris Littmann
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Ohio forward Brandon Hunter attempts a lay-up in a game against Eastern Michigan February 19,2003. The Bobcats lost in overtime 76-73.
