Portsmouth tournament gives Miller a shot

The Journal Sentinel staff

Tony Miller's journey to the National Basketball Association begins in a small town in eastern Virginia.

It's a place where former Marquette star Tony Smith raised some eyebrows five years ago on his way to being a second-round selection for the Los Angeles Lakers, his current team.

The place is Portsmouth, Va., site of the 43rd annual Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, a four-day event for 64 college players who recently ended their college careers. All have earned a chance to show their talents in front of dozens of NBA scouts and executives searching for potential draft picks or free agents.

Miller, the superb point guard who helped lead Marquette to a second-place finish in the National Invitation Tournament last Wednesday, has tweaked the interest of NBA scouts all season with his ability to run a team, find the open man and play tough defense.

This tournament gives him another opportunity to make a favorable impression.

"I'm eager but I'm nervous," said Miller, who will begin play for one of the eight teams Wednesday night. "I'm nervous like I would be before a game. This has a little bearing on my future but it won't totally decide my future."

If Miller does well in Portsmouth, he could be one of a handful of players who earn invitations to other camps for NBA hopefuls in Phoenix or Chicago. If he doesn't, Miller will continue to work out, stay in shape and hope he's either drafted or at least earns a tryout to some NBA minicamp after the draft.

Miller started all 123 games he played in his four years at Marquette. The Cleveland native averaged 10.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 7.5 assists this season, and his 956 career assists rank him fifth on the all-time National Collegiate Athletic Association list.

If there's one main weakness for the 5-foot-11-inch guard, it's his shooting ability or lack there Bob Berghausof. He made just 33.2% of his field-goal attempts this past season.

"I told him to go down there and not listen to anyone else who tells him how to play," said Marquette coach Mike Deane. "I told him to go down there and do what he does best, which is run the team, defend and get the ball to guys in the right place at the right time.

"I told him if he tries to prove he can shoot the ball he'll hurt himself more than he helps himself. I told him to take the open shots when they're there but not to force the ball. He just needs to concentrate on what he does best."

In Portsmouth, Miller will be compete with solid players such as Ray Jackson and Jimmy King from Michigan; Erik Meek of Duke; John Otnjes of Oklahoma; and Arkansas' Corey Beck and Dwight Stewart. They're not likely first-round picks, but like Miller, all have shown enough skills to warrant consideration from NBA folks.

The 64 invitees, who are divided into teams of eight, also can take heart in the fact that 23 players currently in the NBA Dennis Rodman, John Stockton and Dan Majerle to name a few got their start at Portsmouth.

"What I've heard (from scouts) is that I'll be given a chance," Miller said. "I can get other guys the ball and I can play defense. There's definitely a spot in the NBA for guys to come in a do those kind of things."

What Miller is looking for is the opportunity to be a third or fourth guard, the kind of guy who could come in and play 10 or 15 minutes a game and also push the regulars during practice.

"With his toughness and defensive ability he might be viewed as a capable backup," Deane said. "That might be a starting point if things break right for him."

Copyright 1995
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.