Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, June 24, 1995 TAG: 9506260052
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Medium
Neither of the Virginia stars is exactly going in feet first.
Alexander is spending the last week before Wednesday's 58-player draft trying to convince NBA executives that his well-chronicled, twice-broken right ankle doesn't diminish his potential. The point guard returned Friday morning from a visit to Phoenix and San Antonio, then left a few hours later for Indiana, Chicago, Charlotte and Boston.
So, Burrough went solo in a UVa news conference Friday and revealed he hasn't been able to make similar trips because he's been on campus rehabilitating the right ankle he sprained three weeks ago in the last game of a Billy Packer-organized hoops tour of Europe for NBA prospects.
Appropriately, the session was held in the UVa wrestling room of Onesty Hall. Burrough was grappling with his feelings about a two-round draft he will watch at his Charlotte, N.C., home with his father, after turning down an NBA offer to join other prospective first-rounders at the draft site, Toronto's SkyDome.
``I don't think [the lack of personal workouts] will hurt me,'' said the power forward whose draft stock went from likely nowhere to late first-round status in a stellar senior season. ``I've still been talking to teams. ... I am concerned about it though.''
The power forward figures to be UVa's seventh first-round choice and one of seven or eight 1995 first-rounders for the ACC, which probably will have three of the first four picks in North Carolina's Jerry Stackhouse and Rasheed Wallace and Maryland's Joe Smith - although not likely in that order.
Duke's Cherokee Parks, Bob Sura of Florida State, Wake Forest's Randolph Childress, Burrough and perhaps even Georgia Tech point guard Travis Best could go in the first 29 picks, too.
The clubs that have visited personally with Burrough are Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Charlotte, Boston and Phoenix, and the first four of those have shown the most interest. Burrough is intrigued by the Suns, and not just because Charles Barkley is his favorite NBA player.
``Barkley is talking about leaving, and Wayman Tisdale is a free agent,'' said Burrough, 22. ``A place like that, I'd be part of a winning team and have an opportunity for more chances to play.''
Burrough figures the best he could go in the draft is No.12, because Dallas is the highest-picking team that has been in contact. More likely, he's a candidate between Nos.15 and 25, and probably closer to the latter number.
``That's good,'' said the 6-foot-8 Burrough. ``Twelve and up means you're usually going to go to a winning team. That's what I want. I'm really not into numbers so much, but I am expecting to be a first-round pick. I just want an opportunity to play.''
He said playing in his hometown for the Hornets would be ``special, but the biggest problem would be trying to find enough tickets for every game.''
That isn't likely. Charlotte has discussed using its No.22 pick to take a player of Toronto's choice, then packaging that player and forward Darrin Hancock for point guard B.J. Armstrong, whom the Raptors plan to take from Chicago as the first choice in today's expansion draft.
UVa coach Jeff Jones said Burrough's senior surge - he finished his career ranked second in rebounding, fourth in blocks and fifth in scoring in Cavalier history - sold more than the NBA on Burrough's pro prospects.
``We [the coaches] always felt Junior could be a very good offensive player,'' Jones said. ``We saw that in flashes over the years, but we never saw it on a consistent basis. There were games, honestly, when Junior was just awful offensively. Fortunately for us and Junior, those were much fewer this year.''
At the start of the 1994-95 season, Alexander's NBA prospects were a subject of much debate, but when Alexander broke right ankle for the second straight season, Burrough took UVa to the NCAA's final eight with a late-season exclamation point.
``I hope how I played this season means a lot,'' Burrough said of his larger NBA profile. ``That's playing as part of a team, not like trying to go out in these tryout camps and showboating. When people were paying attention to Cory, that gave me a chance to relax and play my game. There were no worries.
``Then when he got hurt, I knew what I could do because I'd been doing it. I just went out and played. I did what I was supposed to do. I hope it matters. I've heard of people getting drafted on less.''
Keywords:
BASEBALL
by CNB