Kevin Steenberge sat calmly in his room at the Hotel Monaco on Tuesday. Across the street was the Verizon Center, home of the Washington Wizards.
The River Hill High and recent University of Richmond graduate was going to work out with the NBA?s Wizards the next day. He refused to get nervous.
“I?m not really that worried,” the 6-foot-11 basketball center said. “It?s not going to help. I learned through college, there?s no sense in worrying. There?s so many big games that you just have to move on to the next one.”
Following the workout the next day, he sounded positive, realizing this is the first of many steps to establishing his professional career.
Steenberge, a Howard County resident, is virtually guaranteed to play the sport somewhere.
He?ll participate in the three-day VCU SportsCenter Invitational Showcase at Virginia Commonwealth University, starting Tuesday, in front of NBA, NBDL and European professional scouts.
“It?s pretty good. I know of a lot of guys have gotten job opportunities out of it,” Steenberge said. Among the former Richmond players who have gone overseas to play are Scott Ungerer (Germany) and Tony Dobbins (Italy), both of whom took part in the VCU event following their senior season.
The showcase?s tournament director, Joe Cantafio, said Steenberge should impress scouts.
“He can play in Europe. They?d love him over there. He can shoot. He?s such a long kid,” said Cantafio, a former Division I coach. “I think he can make some money.”
The emergence of the NBA?s development league, the NBDL, is of interest to Steenberge.
“I think the development league has certainly stepped up. Those types of things are the reason I hired an agent,” Steenberge said. “He knows what?s best. Either way it?s a great opportunity. It?s a great situation to get paid to play basketball.”
Steenberge is coming off a senior season that saw him average 10.2 points and four rebounds for new coach Chris Mooney?s Princeton-style offense. Steenberge wound up taking a whopping 83 three-pointers, making 27. In his previous three seasons, he had only attempted two three-pointers.
His overall numbers were a step down from his junior season, a break-out campaign in which he averaged 12.6 points and six rebounds.
Steenberge committed to Richmond before coach John Beilein left for the same job at West Virginia University. His coach of three years, Jerry Wainwright, left before last season and went to DePaul. Mooney stepped in.
“The poor kid has played for what, three or four coaches? He?s really adapted,” Cantafio said.
Now, Steenberge is back home in Clarksville with his family, enjoying his last remaining care-free moments before his pro career begins.
“It?s exciting,” Steenberge?s father, Michael, said. “His dream was first to play college basketball, which he did well, and he always said he wanted a chance to work out with an NBA team, and he?s getting it.”
THE STEENBERGE FILE
Hometown: Clarksville (Howard County)
High School: River Hill
College: Richmond
Did You Know? During his senior season at the River Hill, Steenberge averaged 24.8 points, 17.2 rebounds, 7.5 blocks and 1.6 steals to lead the Hawks to their only county championship.
