Posted on Sat, Jun. 28, 2008
The morning after their names were not called in the NBA draft, Temple's Mark Tyndale, Drexel's Frank Elegar and Niagara's Charron Fisher were on a plane to Cleveland yesterday for a weekend of workouts with the Cavaliers.
All three are represented by Philadelphia-based agent Andre Buck of CAA Sports in Pennsauken. Buck's goal now is to find a place for his players on an NBA summer-league team.
"Obviously, everybody gets caught up in the draft, but there are three more months to make your mark," said Buck, who also has former Strawberry Mansion High and George Washington guard Maureece Rice as a client. "I'm not sure they're going to make the NBA. But they will get a chance."
Buck said that Tyndale, a 6-foot-5 swingman who played at Simon Gratz High, received calls from eight NBA teams after the two-round draft was over. Tyndale, who averaged 15.9 points and led the Owls with 7.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game as a senior, was a big reason Temple won the Atlantic Ten Conference title on its way to a 21-13 record and a berth in NCAA Tournament.
"Mark was disappointed that he wasn't drafted," Buck said. "Several teams called and said they couldn't believe he wasn't picked. Those same teams said he just didn't fit in with them. But I think Mark is going to get a great opportunity."
The 6-4, 230-pound Fisher, a Pennsauken native who played at Roman Catholic High, led the nation in scoring last season with 27.8 points a game for the 19-10 Purple Eagles. When the swingman played in the NBA's three-day Portsmouth Invitational Tournament in April, he stood behind his reputation by leading all 64 players with a 22.3-point average.
"New York, New Jersey and Toronto also had interest in Charron before the draft," Buck said.
Elegar, who finished with 14.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game as a senior, was hindered by illness, injury and foul trouble as Drexel slipped to 12-20. But the 6-9 center from New York City showed enough to get seven invitations to work out for NBA squads after attending the predraft camps in Portsmouth, Va., and Orlando, Fla. - where Tyndale, Fisher and St. Joseph's Pat Calathes also landed.
"Frank will get a good opportunity," Buck said. "He'll have some options."
The 6-10 Calathes, a good ball handler who gave the 21-13 Hawks 17.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game last season, said that he is weighing offers from overseas while not ruling out taking advantage of an invitation to an NBA camp.
Calathes, who is from Casselberry, Fla., made the all-tournament team at Portsmouth after averaging 15.0 points and 8.3 rebounds.
"We have some really good offers from overseas, and right now I'm thinking about that," he said yesterday before meeting with his agent, Jason Levien. "Maybe an NBA team is willing to offer a guarantee."
Contact staff writer Kevin Tatum at 215-854-2583 or ktatum@phillynews.com.
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