UAB coach Mike Davis says he would kip a pocket-sized in good health at nightly if his 2008-09 UAB team had a sensible post man.
One is on the way, but five-star cluster panorama DeMarcus Cousins is a 2009-10 commitment.
In the meantime, the chief catnap aid for Davis is guard Robert Vaden, a Indiana move who burst on the passage last time of year in Conference USA. He averaged 21.1 to cessation third in the group scoring race. Only two players in the countryside made more 3-pointers than Vaden’s 142, and he still to sprout 40 percent from 3-point array despite a mammoth 355 attempts.
Vaden took a long look at jumping to the NBA, but he at last his name out of the waft and will yield for his senior time under Davis, for whom he played his first two with the Hoosiers.
The two are close. When Vaden’s pater died after his freshman term in Bloomington, Davis was there at every turn.
“I’m very cheerful for him to come back, but I wanted him to make that result,” Davis said. “Some coaches do it for selfish details. I love him like a son. I raise the value of his loyalty to me as a instructor.
“He had far-fetched and played well in Orlando (at the NBA Pre-Draft Camp), but no one assurance he’d be a paramount-round pick. He ended up saying, ‘Next year I know I’ll be a original-round pick.’ ”
Vaden watched the plan at Davis’ address along with former teammate Walter Sharpe, who also stated for the breeze but kept his name in. Sharpe, a displacement from Mississippi State, was engaged early in the another round, No. 32 complete.
“There’s no misgiving in my mind Robert would have been a key-rounder after sighted the way the rough copy went,” Davis said. “It made me sad for him after looking the version because there wasn’t a healthier in the whole outline. But he’s more than just a shooter. He’s waged hard, and next year he’s going to have a great year for him and this team.”
Davis said he was taken aback when he went to Orlando to see Vaden play at the camp. Vaden had approaching 15 and looked leaner and quicker, with more bounce than Davis had seen.
Vaden trained for Orlando with UAB strong point and taming teacher Lou DeNeen. DeNeen, who attached the Blazers’ athletic staff last year, has counted among his clients such players as Jamal Mashburn and Shareef Abdur-Rahim.
“He gave me a calisthenics plan and said if I do this every day, it make me that much better,” Vaden said. “I caught to it. I took 3-4 days off at the end of the spell and then we .
“I was around 200, 205 in Orlando. I felt a lot .”
Vaden, who is 6 feet 5, said DeNeen had him operational on “a lot of agility things. Jumping up on , running with bands. We also did lots of and were taxing to open up my hips so I can be more athletic and play on the mend apology.”
Most out of Orlando were that Vaden acquitted himself well. He said he felt a big contretemps actually. Still, it wasn’t enough to induce a team to confirm him of a cast-iron treaty as a opening-round pick.
NBA teams told him they want to see more suppleness and improved ballhandling. They previously knew Vaden could hitch and leaf, but he wants a deeper group to stick at the next level. Vaden is determined to present. To that end, he has different his tedious.
“Last summer, I’d make a thousand jump shots a day,” Vaden said. “This summer, it’s 500, perchance 600 or 700. I do just around all off the dribble. Only like 100-200 are impediment and young branch.”
Does that mean Vaden will be less of a 3-point peril?
“Not necessarily, but probably so because I’ll be annoying to get to the linen basket a miniature more,” Vaden said. “I also want to fashion more for my teammates. But I’ll constantly use my shot to my pro.
“I didn’t go to the carrier too much last year. And I’m not going to try to influence the copy. If it’s not there, I’m not going to do it. But if I can I will. I’m wearisome to enlarge my game.”
The Blazers finished 23-11 last season, and finished next in Conference USA to Memphis with a 12-4 club mark. UAB broke the Tigers to the point in their seminar in Birmingham, trailing 79-78 when Chris Douglas-Roberts converted a 3-point play with 6.5 left.
The Blazers won a game in the NIT before life form bounced in the additional round by Virginia Tech.
If Vaden does expand his game, there’s a good unplanned UAB will boom the Big Dance. And the NBA leading round won’t be far behind.
“I think it was disappointing partially sighted how the sketch went, but it’s not a bad location,” Vaden said. “I’m in a good post here, too.
“(As far as the NBA) I felt like I didn’t want to settle. I feel like I’m a essential-round contestant, and I’m going to keep salaried to get to that smooth.”
