Baltimore may not have an NBA team, but that does not mean there won?t be a lot of local interest when the professional basketball league holds its annual draft Wednesday.
Small forward Rudy Gay (Spalding High) and power forward Josh Boone (South Carroll High), who played together at Connecticut, are both expected to be drafted. Gayis a first-round lock who may go as high as third to the Charlotte Bobcats, while Boone is projected as a late first round to early second-round selection.
Gay, an All-American this past year, declared for the draft in April following a sophomore campaign where he averaged 15.2 points and 6.4 rebounds. The Baltimore County native is also one of 15 players invited to attend the draft at Madison Square Garden.
Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun said Gay?s game translates well to the professional level and disagrees with assessments that he lacks assertiveness.
“I think some of us sometimes didn?t recognize how young Rudy is,” said Calhoun of Gay, who turns 20 on Aug. 17.
On Boone, Calhoun said the junior has the physical tools to be an NBA player, but needs to believe in himself more. He added that a large reason for Boone?s diminished statistics came from playing on a team with six potential draft picks. Boone averaged 10.3 points and seven rebounds last year after averaging 12.4 points and 8.4 rebounds as a sophomore.
“The only thing Josh has to do is develop more self belief,” Calhoun said. “He has to believe in Josh Boone as much as we do.”
One person who shares a similar belief in Gay and Boone?s NBA potential is Gwynn Park coach Mike Glick. Glick coached Gay at Spalding and has observed Boone play since he was an eighth grader.
“By the time Rudy grows into his body at 24 or 25 years old, he will be an elite NBA player,” Glick said. “Josh is a kid that does a lot of dirty work underneath the basket. He?ll develop into a solid pro as he improves on finishing his shots and his free throw shooting.”
UCONN NOTES
» Gay was named the 2004-05 Big East Rookie of the Year after averaging 11.8 points and 5.4 rebounds. He also competed last summer with the U.S. under-21 World Championship team.
» Boone appeared in 103 games in his three seasons with the Huskies and averaged 9.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.2 blocked shots in that time. Boone was the 2004-05 Big East Defensive Player of the Year and a freshman on the 2004 national championship team.
