Nesby, Clark will find out their future at the NBA draft

Before this past season, it had been seven years since UNLV's basketball team made it to the NCAA Tournament. That also was the last time the Rebels had more than one player selected in the NBA draft.

Coincidence? Maybe. But the late-season success of the 1997-98 Rebels may be the reason more than one of Bill Bayno's players gets his name called by NBA commissioner David Stern Wednesday, when the league's draft is held at General Motors Place in Vancouver, B.C.

Keon Clark played in just 10 games his senior year. But his 6-foot-11 frame, leaping ability and performance at the pre-draft camp in Phoenix combined with his individual workouts may make him a late lottery pick.

Tyrone Nesby, who played in all 33 games and led the team in scoring, played some of his best basketball down the stretch to help the Rebels win the WAC tournament and get to the NCAAs.

He played at the NABC All-Star Game in San Antonio and had an eye-popping performance at the Nike Desert Classic in Phoenix. He also made a favorable impression earlier this month at the final pre-draft camp in Chicago.

Both players are looking ahead to Wednesday. Where each will go has been a matter of considerable debate, especially in Clark's case.

"I've heard as high as sixth and as low as 15th," Tony Dutt, Clark's agent, said from Houston. "The key isn't how high you go, but where you go."

Dutt said the Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics are very interested in his client. Either would be a good fit. Sacramento, Toronto, Milwaukee and Houston also are said to be interested.

"I think he would be happy playing for Rick Pitino or Chuck Daly," Dutt said. "Orlando is very high on him and they have three picks right now. He's had two workouts with Boston and they like him."

From the teams' perspective, it's a question of whether or not Clark has turned the corner off the court. He admitted to testing positive for marijuana in February.

On the upside, he's whistle-clean and has put on 20 pounds of muscle. Those who know him say he has never looked better.

"Keon has matured a lot," Dutt said. "I've put him to the test and he has proven to me that he's willing to pay the price.

"I've dealt with a lot of kids and he's far ahead of the game. But that has to continue."

Nesby's situation is different. Many teams are looking at his offensive skills as a way to boost their scoring. And in a league where offense has taken somewhat of a hiatus the past few years, scorers are a valued commodity.

"We had him in here recently and he shot the ball very well and he competed well," Atlanta Hawks general manager Pete Babcock said. "In the short amount of time we spent with him, we liked him.

"But the thing about this draft is there's so much uncertainty. He's one of those 20 guys who fall in that 12 to 32 range. That's a big range, but he's in there."

The Indiana Pacers, who pick 25th, had Nesby in for a workout late last week and were impressed. Utah interviewed Nesby in April at Phoenix and the Jazz liked him.

"I feel he's going to be in the middle-to-late first round," Cedric Smith, Nesby's New Orleans-based agent, said. "It's hard to tell with Tyrone. There are some teams between 10 and 15 that like him. Then there are those between 20-29 that really like him.

"All I know is he's a kid who can bring instant offense to a team."

Neither Clark nor Nesby are going to attend the proceedings in Canada. Both will be in Illinois -- Clark at his Danville home, Nesby at a hotel in Bloomington -- where they will watch things unfold among family and friends.

But it appears UNLV will have two players drafted Wednesday. Maybe it's another sign the program is headed back in the right direction.

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