Tuesday, June 24, 2003 | 9:54 a.m.
You won't find Marcus Banks nervously sitting by a phone and biting his fingernails when the NBA Draft begins on Thursday night.
Far from it, in fact.
A 6-foot-1 point guard who starred at UNLV each of the past two seasons after prepping at Cimarron-Memorial High School, Banks will be hanging out with about 300 of his closest friends and fans at a North Las Vegas establishment called Kerry's Sports Pub and Grille.
It's his party and you're welcome to it.
"Get there early," Banks warned. "It's a day my folks (Arthur and Sabrina Banks) and I kind of wanted to give back to the city of Las Vegas. We wanted to invite everyone to watch the draft with us there and also thank them for all their support over the years."
The NBA Draft begins at 4 p.m. and Banks figures to have his named called sometime in the middle of the first round, perhaps as high as the 14th pick by the point guard-hungry Seattle SuperSonics. If Seattle passes, he is expected to go to the Boston Celtics with the 16th pick.
Rumors of a Banks-to-Celtics deal have been floating around the NBA since Banks skipped the NBA Pre-Draft Camp in Chicago this month with what was called a strained hip muscle. Fueling those rumors was the fact Banks traveled to just one team -- Boston -- for an individual workout for new Celtics GM Danny Ainge before shutting down.
Other NBA teams, however, have watched Banks during the season and also during workouts the past two months at St. Monica High School in Santa Monica, Calif., where SFX Sports Group clients including T.J. Ford, Jason Gardner, Derrick Zimmerman and Jamal Crawford have also been working out.
"There's all kinds of rumors flying around out there," Banks chuckled when asked if he already had loaded up on his Boston Celtics garb. "According to my agent (Mike Higgins), there's a pretty good chance I could be picked in that range. But I'm not making any predictions because anything can still happen. We're just waiting to see what happens."
The Boston Globe, after surveying three NBA general managers, predicted that Banks could go to the Celtics with the 20th pick of the draft.
"He had a very good workout there," the Globe quoted one Eastern Conference general manager. "They liked his strength. He's explosive. He has a Robert Pack type of body."
But other sources familiar with the draft expect Banks to go to the Celtics, who have two first round picks, with their 16th selection because Phoenix, which picks 17th, may also have its eyes on Banks.
"It doesn't really matter who picks me," Banks said. "I just want to get a chance to show what I can do in the NBA."
Banks, who averaged 20.3 points and 2.8 steals per game for the Rebels last season en route to Mountain West Conference co-defensive player of the year honors, said the hip that forced him out of the Chicago Pre-Draft Camp is 100 percent again.
"I was disappointed in a way that I couldn't go (to Chicago) and show what I could do, but I wasn't 100 percent at the time," he said. "It's a situation that just happened. I made a sudden turn and I felt something. If I wasn't 100 percent, I wasn't going to go there. But I'm fine now. I'm working out and working on my shooting."
And waiting for Thursday night.
"Yeah, it is a little nerve-wracking waiting to see where you're going to be playing next season," Banks said. "But I believe good things come to those who wait. I'm excited more than anything."
Banks had one request for a reporter before hanging up the phone after a recent conversation.
"Do me a favor will you?" he said. "Please give accolades to the people at UNLV like Coach (Charlie Spoonhour), Carol Harter, John Robinson, Coach (David) Rice. They're a great organization over there that I've really been proud to be a part of especially having grown up in Las Vegas. Without a doubt, I owe them and that school and this town a whole lot for what is going to happen on Thursday night. Please make sure you mention that."
Consider it done, Marcus.
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