THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, June 30, 1995 TAG: 9506300603
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ED MILLER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 51 lines
A day after he failed to go in the NBA draft, former ODU star Petey Sessoms was on the phone with his agent, Robert Williams, sorting through a half-dozen invitations to free agent camps.
``We're talking about which way we're going to go,'' Williams said. ``When you're going through these teams, you want to look at a team based on who they currently have, who they've drafted, and what the potential of making their team is.''
After the initial shock of not being drafted wore off, Williams said Sessoms - who could not be reached for comment Thursday - was eager to move on with his fledgling professional career.
``You can go one of two routes: You can say, `Wow, they really stuck it to me' and you can pout and whine,'' Williams said. ``Or you can say: `I've got something left to prove, and I'm going to go out and continue to improve.
``Petey was obviously disappointed, but went from disappointment to, `What do we do next? How do we keep going?' ''
Sessoms, after strong performances in three pre-draft camps, was expected to be picked in the second round Wednesday. At least, that was the prediction offered by several general managers and by experts like Chris Monter of the Monter Draft News.
``I had him going 47th,'' Monter said. ``But after number 40, you could probably take the bottom 18, throw in another 18, and not have much difference.
``I think that maybe what hurt Petey was his (lack of) strength, at 188 pounds,'' Monter said.
The next step for Sessoms is to pick one or two free agent camps to attend. The camps begin July 9.
After the free agent camps, which typically last a few days, Sessoms could also play in one or both of the NBA's summer leagues, in New York or Salt Lake City. He would sign a free agent contract and play for a team for the duration of the league.
Williams would not disclose which teams are interested in Sessoms, but a source said Vancouver is one of them.
The final step for Sessoms would be winning an invitation to an NBA pre-season camp in September.
Former Norfolk State forward Corey Williams was also receiving free agent feelers Thursday. By early afternoon, the Lakers and the Sacramento Kings had called the NSU basketball office trying to get in touch with Williams, the CIAA player of the year. by CNB