[Sly Fox]

One of the guys over on the CCU board claims he has reliable sources that LB is looking to making himself eligible for the NBA Draft:

CoastalFans.com Thread on Larry

I agree that it is possible he could make himself eligible for the draft without an agent in order to get himself into the Draft Camp and to measure his game against other prospects, I sincerely doubt there is any real chance Larry passes on his junior season.

[kel varson]

I think Blair playing in the NBA sometime down the road is not out of the question. I think people would have said the same thing at some point about Western Carolina's Kevin Martin. Both Blair and Martin have been and were outstanding college scorers. Martin, a little more prolific with a distinct height advantage (6'7) now averages 10.7 for the Sac Kings.

[LUconn]

Senior season

[TIMSCAR20]

I have had frequent conversations with Larry Blair Sr. and he has told me of interest of a few teams which shall remain nameless. It would not surprise me if he put his name in to test the waters but I don't think he would get drafted at this point. It would be more to assess the level of interest and then to see what needs to be done to raise his stock in his senior year. At 6-0 Blair is special but it is going to be tough for him to make it to the NBA but it is not beyond the realm of possibility especially if he gets better like he seems to have done in each of his 3 seasons at Liberty.

[LUconn]

I don't even know who that is. Hey, I'll hire an agent and declare for the draft. Anyone interested?

Who the freak is this guy? Has he ever heard of basketball?

[SuperJon]

I'm taking Larry's side on this one. He's good, if anyone denies that then they're idiots. He's probably the best player in the league. NBA is a stretch but he could just be seeing how everyone thinks he is.

[TIMSCAR20]

Larry has a lot to offer an NBA team and I know there is some interest like I said. Stranger things have happened. His size is the only reason why he is not a shoe in IMHO. However Earl Boykins, the Dunk Champion from U of Wash that plays with the Knicks and others say that size doesn't matter. Leaving early to go pro is a bit of a stretch but if he can put together a big time campaign next season, it could happen.

[LUconn]

ha, I thought you were calling Earl Boykins the dunk champion of UW (Nate Robinson). IF this is true, Larry's just getting professional opinions on his status not to mention getting his name out there. Seems smart to me. The only downside to his size is that he can't pass as well as most shorter guys can. But he can pass and dribble in addition to his shooting and body control which some NBAers can't.

[TDDance234]

I could see LB in a Nate Washington kind of role. He'd have to get a little stronger but he can score in lots of ways and every team needs that.

[Hold My Own]

Scar and I were talking about this while taking in a ball game but we were talking about Bassy Telfare....it's VERY VERY hard for a guard under 6 foot and I'm still saying he's just about 5'10" regardless of what the media guide says....you have to be one special player to make this transition and to be honest I'm not sure he'd even be a role player in the NBADL and we all know how much worse the players are in that league....here's the problem, look at the NBA rosters and look at the players that get NO playing time and count how many of them are under 6 foot.....their are a lot.....after one more year we'll see and nobody knows how much he'll improve from now to then but whatever, we'll see

We'll be hearing the same thing about Brew this time next year regardless of what type of season he has....it's something that he says he wants to explore and already has an....how should I say it....."Adviser" (like all the Baseball players call it)....word is he just wants to prove that he can play the point and after one year (in his mind) that should be all that it takes.....but if I had a dollar for every time I've heard this with different athletes on campus, then I'd be in Mexico...although I must say Brew is a different story, there have been articles about him saying he has NEAR NBA talent and that was a year ago

[TDDance234]

Scar and I were talking about this while taking in a ball game but we were talking about Bassy Telfare....it's VERY VERY hard for a guard under 6 foot and I'm still saying he's just about 5'10" regardless of what the media guide says....you have to be one special player to make this transition and to be honest I'm not sure he'd even be a role player in the NBADL and we all know how much worse the players are in that league....here's the problem, look at the NBA rosters and look at the players that get NO playing time and count how many of them are under 6 foot.....their are a lot.....after one more year we'll see and nobody knows how much he'll improve from now to then but whatever, we'll see

I'm not sure those players are comparable to LB. Maybe I'm watching through Red, White and Blue glasses -- but not many guys LB's size has the athletecism that he has. At times this season, he was simply ungaurdable. He scores in so many ways -- driving to the lane, drawing the foul, hitting the long shot, etc. He certaintly can hold his own playing 1 on 1 defense. My only question is can he play point gaurd? Because thats where he'd most likely end up in the League.

LB reminds me a lot of Memphis' Bobby Jackson, even though BJ is listed at 6'1 -- I have doubts he's over 5'9. I think LB could carve himself a nice nitch out for some team, serving as the backup PG. I don't think anyone is expecting him to be a star but I think he could make some team very happy and provide some scoring and tough defense off the bench.

But then again, maybe I'm looking through my Liberty-shaded glasses again.

[Sly Fox]

LB will have to improve his handle to play the point on the next level. But seeing how his overall game continues to develop I wouldn't put it past him.

[Hold My Own]

I would never compare him to Telfare, that's not fair b/c nobody at that age & size was as good as he is....I'm saying in general he being 5'10" and being able to play in the league, being un-guardable in the BS is night and day from being un-guardable in the ACC and being un-guardable in the ACC is night and day different then the NBA....I mean there's a reason there aren't to many players in the ACC under 6 feet and even less in the NBA, I'm not saying he wont ever play Pro basketball, b/c I think he will....but right now NBA is out of the question but hopefully after he leads the nation in scoring then we'll re-evaluate the situation....believe me, I'd love to eat some crow on this b/c I truly believe he's one of the best players we've even seen

[Chris Lang]

Rumor is true ... story tomorrow.

[Guest]

Watch game tapes from NC state, maryland, or kentucky...none of those teams had anybody that could shut down LB

[Hold My Own]

I figured it to be true since I havent seen him in class for a few days

[Sly Fox]

I hope he learns plenty from the process and is able to show some scouts from around the Association that he will be worth their time a year from now.

[LUby45]

I think it's a great idea for LB to declare for the draft this year and not sign an agent. Sure he might not be ready, but atleast he'll get to work out against the best and also be able to be seen by actual NBA scouts. So when/if he decides to return for his senior year, his name will be "out there" among NBA types. This way he may get more attention next year, thus having a more realistic shot at the league after next season.

[givemethemic]

I saw Larry this morning in passing, so he is back in town now...

[Chris Lang]

He was home in Charlotte getting some dental work done ... anyway, our Web site strikes again. I'll post the story here when I get into the office around 2. Ridiculous that we can't get our stories up there.

[jcmanson]

I'm looking forward to reading the article Chris. I doubt he would skip his senior season as many of you have said. If by some mere chance, he had a team that liked him, and told him they would sign him to a temporary contract and he could prove himself to see if he belongs. Would he go?

[TDDance234]

I'm looking forward to reading the article Chris. I doubt he would skip his senior season as many of you have said. If by some mere chance, he had a team that liked him, and told him they would sign him to a temporary contract and he could prove himself to see if he belongs. Would he go?

That's a tough question.

LB's stock can't go anywhere, but up, barring injury. I think by declaring and allowing himself to go to some of the Pre-Draft camps, he could get his name out there and then allow them to follow him this season where he should be among the top 15-20 scores in the nation.

On the other hand, he goes to these camps and a team promises to take him -- it's going to be awful tough to not take the chance. I don't know if money is a factor, or if LB's family needs him to earn some dough, but that is also a factor that often comes in to play with players declaring for the draft.

Lots of factors. Tough call.

[LUconn]

I agree that his stock will only go up, but I believe that's because it's probably as low as possible right now. He's really not well known right now because of our crappy season. But we're going to have a lot more scorers and the ball is going to get distributed to more and more people next year. While I agree that LB will be better than he was last year, his stats may not reflect that, simply because he's not going to be the ONLY option. That said, it is good to guage himself and it definatly gets his name out there which is exactly what he needs since our conference/program is so poor at doing that for him.

[Hold My Own]

nah, we pay his family enough


nah but really like it's been said before he'll have to run the point which could host a problem, but that's what he'll set out to prove next year

[Chris Lang]

Here it is ...

By Chris Lang
clang@newsadvance.com
(434) 385-5529
There was no question Larry Blair’s play transcended that of his Liberty University teammates and just about everyone else in the Big South Conference this season.
Now, Blair wants to see how he stacks up against the best college talent in the country.
Monday, Blair declared his intentions to test the NBA Draft waters, announcing well ahead of the April 28 dead-line for underclassmen to declare for the draft.
Blair said he would not hire an agent, leaving open the possibility that he could return to LU for his senior sea-son.
“We felt this was a good opportunity, and that I was prepared for it,” Blair said.
Blair said his hope to gain an invite to June’s NBA pre-draft camp in Orlando. It’s one of two pre-draft camps, and it’s the only one in which Blair would be eligible to participate. The Portsmouth Invitational, which was held in late March, is for college seniors.
Most of the participants in the Orlando camp (formerly held in Chicago) are not draft locks and need to impress scouts and coaches in order to move into draft consideration.
Many pre-draft camp players are college juniors who are looking for evaluations from NBA scouts and general managers.
“That’s pretty much the goal of the process,” Blair said. “That’s the primary thing I’m trying to gain by doing this.”
If NBA executives don’t warm to Blair, he can withdraw his name from the draft before June 21, one week be-fore the draft. If he hires an agent, he will not be allowed to return to Liberty.
Larry Blair, Sr., Larry’s father, said the player has not spoken to an agent.
Last year, several high-profile juniors declared for the draft and participated in the Chicago camp then withdrew from the draft, including Illinois’ Dee Brown, Pittsburgh’s Carl Krauser, George Washington’s Pops Mensah-Bonsu and West Virginia’s Kevin Pittsnogle.
Liberty coach Randy Dunton, who is in Texas recruiting, said Blair Sr. approached the Flames coaching staff in the last couple of weeks to discuss his son’s intent to declare.
Blair Jr., a 6-foot-1, 185-pounder, is smaller than most prototypical NBA two-guards, so he said one of his priori-ties in the next two months is to work on his ballhandling so he can sell himself as a point guard.
He averaged 22.9 points per game, second in the Big South to Radford’s Whit Holcomb-Faye. Blair was one of the Big South’s most complete guards, able to take opponents off the dribble, penetrate and dish, and score from behind the 3-point line.
How will those abilities translate from the Big South to the eyes of NBA executives?
Blair is ready to find out.