North Carolina State University Athletics
Melvin Lands on Nuggets Summer League Roster
7/6/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
July 6, 2004
By Tony Haynes
NC State's Marcus Melvin, a second-team All-ACC selection last season, will be looking to impress NBA coaches and general managers starting next weekend when he begins play in the Rocky Mountain Revue NBA summer league in Salt Lake City, Utah. An undrafted free agent after being passed over in last month's NBA Draft, the 6-8 Melvin has caught on with a summer league squad that will represent the Denver Nuggets. In a career-best senior season with the Pack, the Fayetteville native averaged 14.3 points per game and a team-leading 8.1 rebounds per contest.
After flying out later today, Melvin will begin practice tomorrow in preparation for his squad's first game Saturday against Phoenix.
"Marcus is going to play on a summer league team and hopefully get involved with an organization this fall," said Wolfpack head coach Herb Sendek.
Having already participated in pre-draft camps held in Portsmouth, Va. and Chicago, Melvin will again have a chance to show off his skills during the summer leagues, which feature both undrafted free agents, recent draft picks and a handful of veterans.
Once the summer league season is over, Melvin will try to catch on with an NBA team for fall camp. But if a contract isn't offered, he will likely have opportunities available overseas. The same can be said for guard Scooter Sherrill, who is finally healthy after missing the last seven games of his career with an ankle injury. Sherrill was averaging 10.5 points per contest before rolling his ankle in the second half of a game against North Carolina on February 29.
"Both guys will have opportunities to continue their playing careers," Sendek said. "Most good players on [the college level] have an opportunity to continue to play when their eligibility expires and make comparatively good money, the type of money that would be hard to make in most entry-level jobs, even with the best degrees."
Former NC State center Josh Powell took advantage of the European option this past season following his decision to give up his final two years of college eligibility. He is now back in the United States and will be playing for the Miami Heat's summer league team for the next several weeks.
