Eurocamp getting better each year

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Eurocamp getting better each year
 
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By Fran Fraschilla
Special to  ESPN.com




    
This is the third year I've been a part of the Reebok  Eurocamp, an NBA 
evaluation camp for some of Europe's best young  players. 
Held in Treviso, Italy, home of the Benetton company, this  camp invites 48 
of the best young players in Europe. 
It's a little different than the NBA predraft camp in  Orlando. While there 
are a number of draft-eligible players and  early-entry prospects, it also has 
a number of talented, young high  school- and college freshman-aged players 
who are now on many NBA teams'  radars. 
The coaching staff consists mainly of NBA coaches and  scouts as well as 
coaches from Europe's top professional clubs. The  opportunity for me to be a part 
of the staff gives me a unique perspective  to be able to compare college 
basketball with the international game; it  certainly helps me come the night of 
the draft each year in late June.   
Among the NBA luminaries here observing the camp are  _Los Angeles Clippers_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=lac)  coach  Mike Dunleavy, the 
_Houston Rockets_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=Hou) ' future  
general manager, Daryl Morey, and the _Toronto Raptor_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=tor) s' new general  manager, Bryan Colangelo, who 
enjoys the luxury of having the top pick in  this year's draft. 
The timing is good for NBA teams to be here, because the  Italian League 
finals start Wednesday with Benetton Treviso taking on  Climamio Bologna. Scouts 
can get another first-hand look at potential No.  1 pick _Andrea Bargnani_ 
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=1
8837)  of  Benetton. 
Another likely first-round pick in this year's draft is  6-9 Brazilian small 
forward _Marcus Vinicius_ 
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?playerId=18948&draftyear=2006) , who has  worked out for a number of NBA 
teams prior to the camp in half-court  situations. This camp will allow him 
to show his open-court skills in  five-on-five situations. He's being coached 
by one of the NBA's top  international scouts in Tony Ronzone of the _Detroit 
Pistons_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=Det) . 
Two intriguing Israeli players -- an Israeli has never  been selected in the 
NBA's first round -- are 6-4 guard _Yotam Halperin_ 
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18938)  and 6-8 small  
forward _Lior Eliyahu_ 
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18936) .  
Another interesting prospect is _Ali Traore_ 
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18998) , a 6-9 power  
forward from France by way of Mali. Traore started his career at the  College of 
Southern Idaho, a junior college, but he moved on to accept a  contract to play 
at Roanne in the French Pro A League. 
Both Traore and Eliyahu are looking for a first-round  commitment from NBA 
teams before June 18 or they will withdraw from the  draft and continue their 
professional careers in Europe.  
Among the bright young players in the camp are 6-10  English forward _Joel 
Freeland_ (http://inside
r.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=19010) , 5-10 point  guard Rudy Mbemba from Sweden and Vilmantas 
Dilys, a 6-9 Lithuanian player  who reminds me of _Tayshaun Prince_ 
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=17561)  
of the  Pistons.  
The beauty of NBA teams evaluating the young players in  this environment is 
that they can follow their progression more closely  over the next couple of 
years. With the amount of resources NBA teams are  pouring into international 
scouting, it's less and less likely that you  will see draft busts like 
_Nikoloz Tskitishvili_ (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3603) , 
who was  taken with the fifth overall pick in 2002 by the _Denver Nuggets_ 
(http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=Den) . 
The players and coaches are housed together at La Ghirada,  Benetton's 
sprawling sports complex. I have found there is a family  atmosphere at the camp 
because each of these young men shares a dream of  playing in the NBA. It 
manifests itself daily as the players look to  impress the NBA contingent on hand. 
There are very few entourages or  AAU-type coaches hanging around. While these 
players are young  professionals, there is still an innocence that goes 
hand-in-hand with  their dreams. 
This is a perfect place for me to be in the spring --  basketball in Italy. 
More to come after Monday's session.  
Fran Fraschilla is an analyst for  ESPN.