Kris Clack article from Austin-American Statesman

["Ozersky, Joshua A" <OzerskyJA@corning.com>]

High-flying Clack thinks he can break pattern of UT's pro failures but must turn NBA doubters into believers



By Randy Riggs
Austin American-Statesman

Published: June 29, 1999



His impressive vertical leap, reported at anywhere from 37 to 42 inches, might help Kris Clack jump over the obstacles standing in his way of joining a shockingly elite club. 

On Wednesday, Clack hopes to become what is thought to be only the fourth Austin high school product to have his name called in the NBA draft. But for it to happen, the former Anderson High and University of Texas basketball star will have had to overcome several concerns by NBA scouts, some self-inflicted and others totally out of his control. 

Clack, UT's only McDonald's All-American, has been projected as a late-first to mid-second round pick in the two-round draft. He would be the first Longhorn drafted since Terrence Rencher was a second-round selection of Washington in 1995. 

Clack is regarded by most draft services as the sixth-ranked prospect in a weak class of shooting guards -- "The twos (shooting guards) are terrible this year," said Phoenix Suns scout Dick Percudani. 

No records are kept, but several longtime local observers think the only other Austin high school players to be drafted are McCallum's Jay Arnette in 1960, Westlake's Bill Wendlandt in 1984 and Lanier's Albert Burditt in 1994 -- all of whom attended UT. Only Arnette, an Austin orthodontist who was a point guard on the United States' great 1960 Olympic team that included Jerry West, Oscar Robertson and Jerry Lucas, spent any time on an active NBA roster, three seasons with the Cincinnati Royals. 

"It would mean a lot to me to represent Austin in the league. The teams aren't telling me anything, though, so it's pretty nerve-wracking," Clack said. "You feel like you're kind of left hanging out there. I just want to hear my name. I'm confident I'll get drafted. It's just a matter of when and where." 

Clack is a puzzle to NBA scouts. They love his athleticism but worry about his ability to consistently shoot. That would seem to be a fairly necessary requirement for a shooting guard whose field-goal percentage at Texas dipped to .409 as a senior (.319 behind the three-point arc). 

They also love his defense but worry about his weight. According to NBA figures, he now weighs 236 pounds, adding 13 pounds to his 6-foot-5-inch frame (with shoes) between the mid-April Nike Desert Classic, where he was named the most valuable player, and the mid-June pre-draft camp in Chicago. 

"I was disappointed. He looked a little heavy in Chicago," said Dave Babcock, director of scouting for the Milwaukee Bucks. "But I still think that he's got an NBA-type body. He knows how to defend and can really get after you. I still see him as a late first-round pick." 

Neither Clack nor his agent, Dallas-based lawyer Randy Bowman, think Clack's weight is a crucial factor to his future. And Rick Barnes, Clack's coach at Texas his senior season, noted, "It's amazing the way his weight fluctuates, but he does some freaky things with the way he can jump and get to places." 

Added Bowman: "I think he needs to lose some weight but he doesn't have a weight problem, so I'm not worried about it. For longevity purposes, keeping his weight between 225 and 230 would be good, and that won't be a problem. It's mainly a question of weight distribution rather than actual weight." 

Clack listed his ideal weight as 230 pounds -- "No more, no less." He said he weighed 239 pounds on a recent personal workout for Miami, "but I had a 37-inch vertical (leap) for them and that's the highest they've ever had. So I don't think weight is a factor." 

Several mock drafts have Pat Riley's Heat taking Clack with the 25th pick of the first round. Other teams Clack has visited for workouts are Houston, Minnesota, Atlanta and Orlando, and Bowman said the Utah Jazz, with picks 19, 24 and 28 in the first round, also has expressed interest. 

Shooting concerns 

NBA scouts have never questioned Clack's ability to muscle his way to the basket and use his astounding leaping ability to go up and over defenders. However, his perimeter shooting has long been a concern, although he allayed those fears somewhat with a good showing at the Phoenix camp. 

"I knew I could shoot and I wanted to show them I could shoot," said Clack, a left-hander. "I've been working on it. I'm not taking five million shots a day or anything, but I've been shooting some." 

Marty Blake, the NBA's director of scouting, said Clack's shooting is comparable to that of most prospects, which isn't necessarily a total compliment. 

"Who says he can't shoot? I thought he shot pretty well," Blake said. "Of course, how many good shooters are there out there? He's a pretty good athlete. He needs to lose some weight, but he's going to get picked." 

Added Sam Schuler, director of player personnel for the San Antonio Spurs: "He's a streaky shooter, but like all shooters he has streaks of consistency. He showed in Phoenix, probably the best of the camps, that he's an NBA athlete. He certainly helped himself there." 

Clack's weight and shooting skills are the aspects of his ultimate fate that he can control. The legacy he's inherited isn't. 

Under former UT coach Tom Penders, the Longhorns produced several outstanding college guards over the past 10 seasons who were drafted. But for whatever reasons, Rencher, Travis Mays, Lance Blanks and B.J. Tyler never panned out in the NBA, and Reggie Freeman was not even drafted despite leaving UT in 1997 as the school's No. 3 career scorer. 

"I think maybe some NBA guys have that in the back of their minds," Clack acknowledged. "But if I show them otherwise, it'll get erased." 

Texas' lack of success at providing players, especially guards, who have made a significant contribution in the NBA hasn't gone unnoticed. Scouting expert George Rodecker, writing for CBS SportsLine on the Internet, noted that, "Most of Clack's more recent predecessors never lasted past a cup of coffee in the NBA. What makes anyone think this guard will be any different? 

"Clack is a typical Texas guard," Rodecker added. "He runs the floor, brings the ball inside and has a variety of moves to allow him to drive the lane. What you haven't heard mentioned is his perimeter game, because quite frankly Clack hasn't ever shown it off to anyone. If in fact he can display consistent range on his jumper, then an NBA career may be in his future. But with such a legacy to overcome, and being yet another guard from a cookie-cutter mold, Kris Clack's work is certainly cut out for him." 

But all Clack wants is a chance, and he should get that. His agent, Bowman, noted that, "The bottom line on the league's view of Kris is that his upside is ridiculously high." University of New Mexico Coach Fran Fraschilla, evaluating draft prospects for Fox Sports, described Clack as a "Mario Elie type." 

"A lot of guys from Texas have been able to get drafted but haven't been able to stay in the league. I want to stay," Clack said. "Unlike most of them who were kind of `tweeners' between the point and shooting guard, I've got a position." 

But will he get a chance to play it in the NBA? 

"Those camps let me know I can play at this level," he said. "I've had a lot of general managers tell me I can play here, too, and those guys don't have their jobs for nothing. I'm confident I can do it." 
Joshua Ozersky
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