nba.com article on Clack's MVP performance at Phoenix

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

Texas' Clack Leads Selections

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<Picture>TEMPE, Arizona, April 17 - Everyone who saw Kris Clack play for the University of Texas knew he could defend anyone in college basketball at any position except center. The questions about him have always revolved around his perimeter shooting, a fact he doesn't shy away from.

"That's been the question since I was a freshman, and throughout my career, and I wanted to come out here and show those guys (NBA scouts) what I could do," Clack said Saturday night. "It worked out good for me."

The 6-5, 225-pound Clack, who took home Most Valuable Player honors at this year's Nike Desert Classic, played his trademark physical defense at both small forward and shooting guard, grabbed six steals and blocked a tournament-high six shots in his three games. None of this much surprised NBA scouts, who knew that Clack was the first player in Texas history to record 200 steals and 100 blocked shots in his college career. He did that matching up against much bigger power forwards and much quicker guards. Clack has no fear as a defender, and regards every matchup as a challenge. 

What did surprise NBA scouts was Clack's improved shooting stroke from the perimeter. He hit 13 of 28 shots for the tournament, scoring 41 points in three games, just one point behind tournament leader and teammate Melvin Levett of Cincinnati. Many of his shots were in the 15 to 20 foot range, and Clack shot the ball with ease and confidence. He tallied 18 and 16 points in his first two games before closing out with seven in the championship game as Lee Nailon of Texas Christian (tournament-high 23 points) assumed the scoring mantle. Clack hopes his performance in the desert merits him an invitation to the NBA's Pre-Draft Camp in Chicago this June, which would provide him one more chance to win over NBA scouts.

"My hopes are to go to Chicago and do the things I did here: go out, perform, have fun, improve and continue to work out and stay level-headed," Clack said. "I need to do the things that got me here. There's no big secrets to what I did: just work hard and believe in God, that's the main thing."

Clack, who averaged 13.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, two blocks and two steals, leads the seven-man all-tournament team at the Nike Desert Classic. Here's a capsule look at the other six honorees: 
Joshua Ozersky
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