Kansas Notebook: NBA scouts flock to Champions Classic
The Champions Classic was the equivalent of a one-night NBA scouting combine on Tuesday.
Dozens of NBA scouts and executives were inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, getting an up-close look at a collection of possible lottery picks and future.
Among those top NBA prospects: Kansas freshmen swingman Kelly Oubre and power forward Cliff Alexander.
Entering Tuesday, Oubre was projected to be the fourth pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, according to DraftExpress.com, and Alexander was projected as the fifth pick. ESPN Draft analyst Chad Ford also has both players ranked among his top-10 draft prospects.
Sophomore guard Wayne Selden is projected among the top 30 prospects, according to Draft Express and Ford.
Duke freshman center Jahlil Okafor, who had 17 points and five rebounds in the Blue Devils’ victory over Michigan State, is the consensus top prospect in the 2015 NBA Draft.
Kentucky freshman big man Karl-Anthony Towns is slated as a potential top-five selection, while junior center Willie Cauley-Stein, a graduate of Olathe Northwest, is pegged as possible first-round pick.
Among the general managers reportedly in attendance were Milwaukee;s John Hammond, Philadelphia’s Sam Hinkie, Utah’s Dennis Lindsey, Houston’s Daryl Morey, Golden State’s Bob Myers and Washington’s Ernie Grunfeld.
▪ Former Kansas All-American Clyde Lovellette was in Indianapolis for Kansas’ game against Kentucky.
Lovellette, who was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012, averaged 28.6 points per game and was selected the Most Outstanding Player in the 1952 NCAA Tournament.
A native of Terre Haute, Ind., Lovellette left the Hoosier State for college. He settled in North Manchester, Ind., following his playing days.
▪ The Champions Classic is set to conclude another three-year rotation over the next two seasons.
Kansas will face Michigan State at the United Center in Chicago in 2015 and Duke at Madison Square Garden in New York in 2016.
The Jayhawks entered Tuesday with a 1-2 record in the Champions Classic. They lost to Kentucky in 2012 and fell to Michigan State in 2013 before defeating Duke last year.
To reach Rustin Dodd, call 816-234-4937 or send email to rdodd@kcstar.com. Follow him on Twitter: @rustindodd.
This story was originally published November 18, 2014 at 11:39 PM with the headline "Kansas Notebook: NBA scouts flock to Champions Classic."