Injury hinders Dickel at NBA camp

Steve Addy

Tuesday, April 11, 2000 | 11:02 a.m.

Mark Dickel's quest for the hearts and minds of NBA scouts suffered a setback over the weekend, but the Rebels' erstwhile point guard is hoping for another chance.

At the Portsmouth (Va.) Invitational Tournament, the first of three NBA camps to evaluate draft prospects, Dickel suffered a sprained foot in his first game, which hampered his performance in front of general managers and scouts from around the league.

Reviews of Dickel's three-game output were not flattering. Turner Sports analyst John Thompson, the former Georgetown coach, named Dickel among players whose stock is "dropping fast," and a scout from an Eastern Conference team had similar views.

"He shot the ball poorly," the scout said of Dickel. "He had a few airballs, and a couple of his shots almost broke the backboard. He didn't help himself. He handled the ball all right and pushed it up the floor well, but he didn't knock down open shots when he had the opportunity."

Dickel pleads guilty, with an explanation.

"I hurt my foot in the first game. Somebody stepped on it. I was still able to play, but I wasn't able to run the way I wanted. I couldn't push off," Dickel said. "I definitely didn't do as well as I'd hoped to. I didn't shoot like I wanted. But I don't think I played overly bad."

The Portsmouth tournament has been a starmaking camp for much of its 48-year history, helping to uncover players who might have been underappreciated as seniors. That profile fits Dickel, UNLV's floor general who led the nation in assists (246), yet did not make the all-Mountain West first team.

However, a poor Portsmouth camp can wreck a player's chances of being invited to later camps, like this week's Desert Classic at Phoenix and the Chicago camp that begins June 6.

Dickel wasn't slated to go to Phoenix, but is confident he'll be invited to Chicago.

"Even if it doesn't get me (drafted), I hope I can go to Chicago and do better," he said. "I have to rest my foot for a while. I've got six weeks (before Chicago) and I want to get back to 100 percent and stay in good shape."

At Portsmouth, where the 64-player field is divided into eight teams, Dickel started the opener for the Norfolk Sports Club. He shot 0-for-3 with five assists and one turnover. He was a substitute in the second game, shooting 1-for-4, and barely played the third game. His team won twice.

"It was a good learning experience," Dickel said. "I had never been to a camp before. Now I know what the atmosphere is like. I'll be more relaxed next time."

The Eastern Conference scout said Dickel remains a long shot to be drafted, "but somebody might bring him to (training camp) as a free agent."