English makes
a point at
NBA campA shooting guard at UH last
season, he's trying a new position
Some habits are hard to break.
Case in point? Carl English trying to make the transition from shooting guard to point.
The Hawaii guard, who declared early for the NBA Draft, came off the bench Thursday night for Team 6 in a 76-73 victory over Team 3 at the Chicago Pre-Draft Camp. English took as many shots (10) as starting guards Andre Emmett and Marcus Hatten, and made as many (five) as Emmett (three) and Hatten (two) combined.
English finished with 12 points in 16 minutes, and added two assists, two steals and a blocked shot. Team 6 finished 2-0 in games at the Moody Bible Institute gym.
"Playing the point has gone well," said English, who set the UH single-season mark for 3-pointers this year (89) while averaging 19.3 points a game. "I've played well and improved my stock here. Everyone I've talked to thinks I'm doing good.
"Am I still thinking first round (in the draft)? Of course. Even more so after being here and playing with these guys."
Last night, English celebrated the end of the Chicago camp with former Rainbow teammate Predrag Savovic. Savovic, a rookie guard with the Denver Nuggets, has been hired by the NBA as an interpreter for the June 26 draft in New York; the Yugoslavian speaks several languages.
English has one year of eligibility remaining with the Rainbows and has until June 19 to remove his name from the draft. He has not signed with an agent -- which would preclude him from returning to UH -- but said he intends to sign with someone "soon."
"I have several (agents) in mind," he said.
English will be leaving for Toronto after the weekend for the first of several individual workouts with NBA teams. After the Raptors' session on Tuesday, he'll be traveling to work out for Indiana, Memphis, Minnesota, Los Angeles and Atlanta.
"I'm pretty booked up through draft day," he said.