Columnist Ron Kantowski: Banks wooing scouts to make him early pick

Tuesday, April 15, 2003 | 10:01 a.m.

Ron Kantowski is a Las Vegas Sun sports writer. Reach him at ron@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4088.

At least one source -- but not one that matters -- said UNLV's Marcus Banks did nothing to hurt his NBA draft status at the recent Portsmouth Invitational in Virginia, a pre-draft workout for college seniors.

According to an informal ESPN.com poll of NBA scouts who attended, Banks remains "on the bubble" as far as being a first-round pick. He is among an updated group of 52 players who will be considered for the 29 coveted first-round spots at the NBA Draft June 26.

Others in the "bubble category" are Kyle Korver of Creighton, Marcus Hatten of St. John's, Troy Bell of Boston College, Hollis Price of Oklahoma, Chris Marcus of Western Kentucky, Luke Walton of Arizona and Jason Kapono of UCLA.

One player familiar to UNLV fans who wasn't on the NBA radar before Portsmouth but improved his status is Travis Hansen, the Eminem look-alike who was the heart and soul of a Brigham Young team that dropped a close NCAA tournament game to Connecticut.

Based on the way he shot the ball from 8-mile range and closer in Virginia, Hansen will get a second look at the second major pre-draft camp in Chicago June 4-6.

One would only surmise that the Krzyzewskis already have seen "Mystere." Or for that matter, Cook E. Jarr.

When faced with the same exact choice, the man who was to be his coach went the other way.

It's a good thing Williams stands about a foot shorter than Padgett, because surely it would be difficult looking him in the eye today.

"Your story about these phenomenal women was great," Mayer wrote. "I'm a pre-Title IX baby, and I never thought I'd see a sports cover story about women who were not wearing bikinis."

Of course, the dinosaur precinct also was heard from.

"Better to write up March Madness or spring training than female athletes," wrote Chuck Cote of Biddeford, Maine. "Women on the cover of a sports mag should be half-naked."

As we used to say whenever Robert Goulet would call when he needed help translating the tennis scores on the Scoreboard page, "Only in Las Vegas."

Malarchuk, one of the most popular players to lace up the skates during the Thunder's six-year existence, recently finished his first season as goaltender coach for the NHL's Florida Panthers.

The Rebels do not appear on the all sports network's early 2003 college football schedule, whereas Mountain West Conference brethren Utah, Colorado State, Brigham Young will each appear twice and Air Force once.

More games will be added between now and fall, however.