Nailon is smart to continue his education

Sporting News, The, August 31, 1998 by Mike DeCourcy

The start of classes this month will not be traumatic for Lee Nailon because he already has crossed that threshold, having spent part of his summer in school where he "knocked off some hours." He has gotten over the attraction of dealing only with playbooks and checkbooks for the next several years.

Nailon is back for his senior year at TCU. A 6-9 power forward who averaged 24.9 points and 8.9 rebounds in 1997-98--his first season in Division I after transferring from junior college--Nailon is by far the most prominent player this year to enter the NBA draft and then retreat.

This is not an easy process. By heading back to the academic grind and postponing the pro experience, Nailon in a sense admitted defeat. But putting off the pros has rewarded players in the past, notably John Wallace of Syracuse, who led the Orangemen to the 1996 NCAA title game after ducking the draft the previous June.

"I got used to being around NBA people," Nailon says. "It was hard to make a decision on coming back, but after I made it, it was easier than I thought. Everybody loved for me to come back here."

TCU coach Billy Tubbs had planned for the Homed Frogs to play this season without Nation. Tubbs recruited in that direction, landing 6-9 lefty Marquise Gainous, who averaged 24.5 points at Jacksonville (Fla.) JC.

When Nailon went to Tubbs last spring for counsel on whether to turn professional, Tubbs checked with NBA personnel people, took a deep breath and told his star it would be best to enter the draft. "You have to take yourself as TCU out of the picture," Tubbs says, "because it's our job to give him the proper advice."

The result would have been relatively disastrous had Nailon not been flexible enough to recognize what transpired as he competed in the NBA pre-draft camp in Chicago.

A scoring machine whose greatest expertise at TCU was moving up and down the lane and firing hanging jumpers, Nation struggled to find open shots when placed at small forward in camp games.

Nailon is more a north-south player, lacking the lateral elusiveness of a Ruben Patterson. But Nation is not a pure post-up player, either, so his strength wasn't as much of an advantage over small forwards as it might have been.

He wasn't awful at the Chicago camp, but he wasn't good, and pro scouts began telling him it would be best to return to school.

Although Nailon could have stayed in the draft and probably been selected, returning meant not being crowded out of the top slots by the likes of Antawn Jamison, Raef LaFrentz and Dirk Nowitzki, as well as getting the chance to polish his for another year.

Nailon returns as the top-rated power forward in Division I. He could be an All-American and national player of the year, and it's hard for the NBA to ignore a guy with that on his resume.

Although TCU lost wings Mike Jones and Malcolm Johnson, who combined for 40 points a game last year, Tubbs believes this team could be more talented than last year's 27-6 unit that lost to Florida State in the first round of the NCAA tournament. He suggests the combination of Gainous and Nailon inside, and Prince Fowler's point-guard leadership and athleticism will allow the Horned Frogs to challenge for the WAC title.

The preamble to Nation's season will be spent trying to address weaknesses apparent in Chicago. In individual workouts with TCU coaches, Nailon will practice shooting jumpers in various situations and try to develop as a ballhandler. He is doing something productive with his game and, for that matter, with his mind, whereas those who stayed in the draft now are waiting for the NBA lockout to end. In an interesting twist, Nailon could end up playing more games this season than he would have in the NBA if the league severely truncates its season because of the lockout.

"That makes me feel a little better, because I'm working out and staying in shape," Nailon says. "And I know some guys that got drafted that are just sitting around, not really playing, just waiting until something happens."

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