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Who is better, Alexander or Johnson?
NBA draft: Johnson, Alexander top list of shooting guards
06/23/00
By Don Burke
STAFF WRITER
Second in a series previewing this year's NBA draft. Today: Shooting guards.
At times, Courtney Alexander has shown himself to be a bit of a knucklehead.
And that is a concern for some NBA teams. Just not enough to scare them away
from the former Fresno State star.
Alexander's attitude has been described as suspect. He was dismissed from the
University of Virginia after a dispute with his girlfriend and he was held
out of a game during his junior season at Fresno State because of his
attitude.
But what has never been suspect is his ability to put the ball in the basket.
Alexander, who was the nation's top scorer at 24.8, is expected to be the
first shooting guard selected in the NBA draft Wednesday.
"He's incredible," Fresno State coach Jerry Tarkanian said. "He's more than
just a great shooter. He may be the best player I have ever coached."
And Tarkanian, who spent much of his coaching life trying to keep the UNLV
program one step ahead of the sheriff, has had his share of great college
players.
Most scouts believe that Alexander, who played his first two college seasons
at Virginia before transferring to Fresno State and becoming that school's
first basketball All-American, will be among the top 10 picks -- just ahead
of DerMarr Johnson, Kenyon Martin's teammate at Cincinnati, and A.J. Guyton
of Indiana.
In recent weeks, the 6-8 Johnson has talked about wanting to play point guard
in the NBA while the 6-1 Guyton, recognized as the best pure shooter
available in the draft, will be forced to play the point in the pros after
having been an off-guard for the Hoosiers.
"Alexander and Johnson are No. 1 and No. 2 or No. 2 and No. 1," said one NBA
scout. "You can make an argument for either one of them."
According to Boston Celtics general manager Chris Wallace, the delineation
between the two may be a little more pronounced.
"(Alexander) is the most offensively gifted and athletic (shooting) guard
prospect in the draft," Wallace said. "He can create a shot off the dribble,
get in the lane and make things happen."
High school phenom DeShawn Stevenson, Lavar Postell of St. John's and Ohio
State's Michael Redd, whose stock has fallen in recent weeks, also will get
consideration on draft day.
Alexander, who was a 46 percent field-goal shooter for the Bulldogs last
season, twice led the Western Athletic Conference in scoring and was twice
named WAC Player of the Year. Not even WAC-alum Keith Van Horn can make that
claim. Alexander is an outstanding one-on-one player who can get his shot off
against anyone. The knocks against him, however, are that he often takes bad
shots and doesn't play defense.
"If Courtney could play defense, he would be drafted No. 1," said Indiana
Pacers scout Nedjeljko Ostarcevic. "There is a difference between knowing how
to play defense and wanting to play defense. He's going to find that out in a
hurry."
Johnson, who played just one season and averaged 12.6 points for the
Bearcats, believes no one has seen all that he can do on the basketball
court. Scouts say the game comes too easy to him that, at times, he doesn't
appear to be working hard.
His size will pose problems for other shooting guards and he's versatile and
athletic enough to slide into the front court at times, like a Jalen Rose.
"A lot of it didn't show at Cincinnati, but with me being able to pass the
ball so well, I think they may end up sticking me at the point eventually,"
Johnson said. "I'm comfortable in any role I'm stuck with, but I would have
liked to do more. But if a team doesn't need me to do more then that's fine."
"He has great athleticism for a man his size," Nets general manager John Nash
said. "He probably will have the ability to play two positions. ... To have a
two-guard with that size is a major advantage. But like a lot of the young
players, he will need to develop some strength."