June 9, 2005

By Adam Lucas

The life of Marvin Williams hasn't changed much since he declared for the NBA Draft on April 22. Sure, he's got an agent now, and even a media coordinator to help with the barrel of national media requests (he talked to The New York Times last week and Sports Illustrated this week). But he's still quick with a smile and a handshake, and he still absolutely refuses to call people older than him anything other than "sir."

Williams has been working out with Tar Heels assistant C.B. McGrath every day in Chapel Hill over the past month. The daily routine, which included a session with Sean May yesterday at the Smith Center, will be broken today when he journeys to Chicago to be measured and weighed at the NBA predraft camp. He won't play in the camp games, and instead will work out privately for teams expressing an interest in adding a versatile 6-foot-9 forward to their lineup. He'll be in Milwaukee on June 19 and Atlanta on June 22--not coincidentally, they happen to be the teams with the two top picks in the upcoming Draft.

Portland, which is just three hours from his hometown of Bremerton, Wash., has the third pick, but Williams doesn't express a preference for his future employer. "That would be nice," he says. "But honestly, I haven't paid any attention at all." Asked how many mock drafts he's read over the past three weeks, he smiles that familiar Marvin Williams grin and holds up his right hand in a "zero" sign. "Not a single one," he says.

Jackie Manuel: The news wasn't quite as good for Jackie Manuel this week. He earned an invitation to the Chicago camp with a strong showing at the Portsmouth Invitational, but a foot injury cut short his weekend.

Jawad Williams: Williams is also at the predraft camp in Chicago. The Cleveland native and recent UNC graduate is a camp teammate of Illinois guard Luther Head, Clemson post man Sharrod Ford, and former NC State player Michael Bell.

Sean May: The Final Four's Most Outstanding Player was briefly back in Chapel Hill this week. He'll have a Tar Heel reunion later this week in Chicago, where he'll have his official height and weight taken at the predraft camp. Unlike Marvin Williams, May has already gotten most of his individual workouts out of the way. He was in Charlotte earlier this week and thinks he'd be a good fit for the Bobcats. May has also worked out with the Clippers and says he wouldn't mind playing in Los Angeles.

Rashad McCants: The Asheville native was back in town this week to celebrate with his cousin, Cameron Maybin, who was picked 10th in this week's major league baseball draft. McCants has a visit scheduled with the Charlotte Bobcats and has already worked out with a handful of teams, including Toronto and Orlando.

Raymond Felton: Another Tar Heel who has been in Canada is Raymond Felton, who worked out with the Raptors on June 4. Felton has been busy--he also stopped by New Orleans to work out with the Hornets and had some quick words after his workout with the Clippers.

Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly and can be reached at alucas@tarheelmonthly.com. He is the coauthor of the official book of the 2005 championship season, Led By Their Dreams, and his book on Roy Williams's first season at Carolina, Going Home Again, is now available in bookstores. To subscribe to Tar Heel Monthly or learn more about Going Home Again, click here.