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With Trent Plaisted officially among the 64 players playing at the invitation-only NBA Pre-Draft Camp in Orlando this week, some notes about his participation:
-he is one of only 12 D-1 underclassmen to play in the camp, and one of only four underclassmen playing who have signed with agents.
-15 players (almost certain lottery pick-types) are on hand for skills, strength, agility and medical testing only (no games).
-by Tuesday evening, rosters for camp games will be unveiled. The website insidehoops.com is a good one for coverage.
the schedule for the camp is as follows (all times Eastern):
Tuesday, May 27: 6:00 PM Drills
Wednesday, May 28: 9:00 AM Drills, 11:00 AM Games, 5:00 PM Games, 6:30 PM Games
Thursday, May 29: 9:00 AM Drills, 11:00 AM Games, 5:00 PM Games, 6:30 PM Games
Friday, May 30: 9:15 AM Games, 11:15 AM Games, 1:15 PM Games
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BYU's Lee Cummard is not on the list of 64 players attending the camp-- I would infer that this all but cements his decision to return to BYU for his senior season. No word on whether Lee has any individual NBA team workouts scheduled yet.
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Riley Nelson's decision to transfer to BYU upon return from his LDS mission to Spain is another windfall for the Cougars, and a stroke of good fortune comparable to the one that led Max Hall to transfer to BYU. Like Nelson, Hall attended one school pre-mission (Arizona State), then switched schools upon his return. Similarly, Ben Olson did the same thing in reverse, transferring from BYU to UCLA. In all instances, time away from a program changed perspectives of the players involved, and none are to be faulted or otherwise criticized for their decisions.
Changes of heart during mission service, if not common, should be reasonably expected, considering the nature of the service and the ability to weigh all options (by virtue of the "re-recuitability" of the athletes after a certain period of time away from their respective schools).
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Bronco Mendenhall may not have served a full-time LDS mission, but no one at BYU embraces the missionary program, its intrinsic challenges AND benefits more than the Cougars' head coach. As such, he would be foolish to turn a blind eye to players from other schools who, while serving, express an interest in attending BYU upon their return.
In the aftermath of Nevada's decision to pull out of a scheduled game with BYU, Bronco was up front saying he considers contracts to be "your word, and you should honor your word." But unlike such a contract, a letter of intent or scholarship commitment between player and school is essentially time-sensitive and renewable, and comes with "outs" or "expiration dates"--and the NCAA transfer rules are written to reflect such clauses. A player who leaves to serve a mission has to essentially re-sign to play for the school he left, as Jackson Emery recently did for Dave Rose and the basketball Cougars. Unless the NCAA re-writes its rules, LDS missionaries are essentially "on the market," if they choose to be.
By every indication, BYU has operated "above board" with Riley Nelson, and with Bronco in charge, expect the protocol for such transfgers to be rigid and within the rules.
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The competition to replace Max Hall in 2010 will be interesting indeed, with Nelson, Jason Munns, James Lark and Sean Covey all conceivably in the mix. Nelson and Munns could be considered "inside track" guys at this early stage, with a stark contrast in styles between the tall, pocket presence of Munns and the smaller, shiftier and grittier style of Nelson. Lark will also certainly be heard from, since he and Nelson were the top high school QBs in the state during their senior seasons. Enjoy the next two years, but look forward to "life after Max" with a little more excitement today.
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