Savovic hoping for NBA

By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

Imagine Predrag Savovic walking up to a stage in New York on Wednesday as a first-round selection in the NBA Draft, shaking NBA Commissioner David Stern's hand, and then announcing to the world: "I am Savo."

Ex-UH star Predrag Savovic, a 6-foot-6 shooting guard originally from Yugoslavia, has been projected in some mock NBA drafts to go in the first round. Photo illustration by Martha Hernandez • The Honolulu Advertiser

For the first time since Anthony Carter in 1998, the University of Hawai'i men's basketball program has a legitimate candidate for the NBA Draft in Savovic. For the first time since Tom Henderson in 1974, UH could have a first-round selection in Savovic.

"It's something I try not to think about," said Savovic, the star on last season's record-setting 27-6 UH team. "Everybody asks me where do I think I will go and what round. I don't know. I just want to go (to the NBA)."

The NBA Draft, which consists of just two rounds (58 total selections), is scheduled to begin around 3 p.m. (Hawai'i time) on Wednesday.

Savovic, a 6-foot-6 shooting guard originally from Yugoslavia, has been projected in some mock drafts to go in the first round. In others, he is not predicted to go at all in the two rounds of the draft.

He has already attended private workouts for 16 of the 29 NBA teams. He was also one of the leading scorers at the NBA Pre-Draft Camp in Chicago, June 4-7.

"Everybody I've talked to so far loves him," said UH head coach Riley Wallace. "I've said all along that he's a special player. There's no question he's first-round material."

Marc Cornstein, Savovic's New York-based agent, said NBA scouts have been inquiring about Savovic virtually every day this month.

"I can't single any team out as far as one favoring him more than the others," Cornstein said. "They don't want to tip their hands right now. But judging from the calls, I can almost guarantee that Predrag will get drafted. The only question is where."

Even though he has trimmed 15 pounds and is down to 212, Savovic is still considered a "big" guard with long-range shooting skills.

After watching Savovic in the Pre-Draft Camp, ESPN college basketball analyst Andy Katz said: "I think he showed that he's capable of shooting the ball from NBA range. I think he helped himself. He definitely didn't hurt himself."

However, Katz also said that some NBA scouts expressed concern about Savovic's "one-dimensional" game and his age (26).

"He probably needs to work on quickness the most," Katz said. "But all it's going to take is for one team to believe in him."

If Savovic is selected in the first round, he would become just the third player in history from UH to go that high. Bob Nash (ninth overall pick by Detroit in 1972) and Henderson (seventh overall by Atlanta in 1974) are the others.

"If you're taken in the first round, there's a little less pressure on you after that," said Nash, who is now UH's associate head coach. "You still have to prove yourself and everybody will be watching you. But you're also likely to get a guaranteed contract."

The last UH player drafted at all was Reggie Cross in 1989 (second round by Philadelphia).

Carter, who is in his third season with the Miami Heat, and Trevor Ruffin, who played on four different NBA teams in the mid-1990s, went undrafted and then signed as free agents.

"Of course there's pressure," Savovic said. "But there's always pressure. It's something I'm used to dealing with already."

Savovic was an honorable mention All-America selection last season, when he averaged 20.3 points per game as a senior at UH. He also became the first player in UH history to be named to the All-Western Athletic Conference first team twice.

After three seasons at UH, Savovic finished fourth in all-time scoring (1,414 points) and first in 3-pointers (178). He was also an academic All-American, and earned his degree in finance and international business last month

"Whichever team takes him will get a good one," Wallace said. "The thing that's hard to measure is that he's a winner."

HOOP DREAMS

• Sensley, too: Former Kalaheo High standout Julian Sensley is also a candidate for Wednesday's NBA Draft, although his prospects appear slim.

The 6-8 forward is not projected to be selected in any of the mock drafts across the Internet.

Sensley participated in the NBA Pre-Draft Camp, where he averaged around 8 points and 4 rebounds in three scrimmages.

After three years at Kalaheo, Sensley graduated from St. Thomas More, a prep school in Connecticut, in 2001. However, he did not play college basketball last season because of academic reasons.

Sensley said that he would try to return to college if he is not drafted. He has not hired an agent, so his college eligibility has not been jeopardized.

If Sensley is drafted, he would be the first Hawai'i-raised player to be selected by an NBA team since Richard Haenisch in 1984.

• Savo II: Predrag Savovic's younger brother, Slobodan Savovic, already has signed a contract with a professional team in France.

He is still eligible to be drafted by an NBA team on Wednesday, but he is not expected to be selected.