Post by griz on Jun 21, 2011 15:16:46 GMT -5
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Former Grizzly Brian Qvale rocks Cleveland
by: Bob Meseroll of The Missoulian
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Former Montana Grizzly basketball player Brian Qvale confirmed to the Missoulian on Monday that Cleveland does indeed rock.
And judging by how well Qvale performed in his workout for the NBA's Cavaliers, he might have rocked Cleveland as well.
Qvale was among more than a half-dozen players who worked out for the Cavaliers' brass - including head coach Byron Scott - ahead of Thursday's NBA draft.
"Cleveland's nice," Qvale said from the airport just before boarding a flight back to Las Vegas, where he's been working out for the last several weeks. "I've never been to this part of the country, but it's nice."
Qvale recently signed a contract to play in Turkey beginning in August. He doesn't expect Monday's workout will change that plan.
"They all had nice things to say," Qvale said. "They knew about Turkey and said they were going to follow me closely in Turkey. They said I did well, but I think it's more of a long-term thing, that I made connections with them in person. I think they're planning to watch how things go in Turkey."
On Monday, Qvale worked out with Kentucky star Brandon Knight, who is projected as the No. 3 pick in the draft. The Cavaliers own the No. 1 and No. 4 picks and are expected to select Kyrie Irving of Duke with their top pick.
"I was supposed to work out with the big guys, like Enes Kanter (from Turkey) and Gary McGhee (of Pittsburgh), but apparently Derrick Williams (of Arizona) called yesterday and said he was coming to the workout," Qvale said. "There's a limit of six guys per workout, so I worked out with just me and Brandon Knight, the potential No. 3 pick in the draft. I didn't go up against the big guys. I did pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop stuff and worked with him."
The Cavs took the standard measurements - wingspan, height, weight - and put the hopefuls through conditioning drills, Qvale said.
"We did a lot of spot shooting around the key, free-throw line to baseline, things I've done in college," Qvale said. "It was an hour and a half; it was a tough workout. It went well. It's humid here in Cleveland, that's for sure. I was really sweating."
The workout finished with a test. Qvale had to make three shots in a row from five positions around the key, and he had to do it in 90 seconds.
"I had like 10 seconds left," Qvale said. "And we had to do three suicides in two minutes and other things like that. I did it all successfully.
"It's definitely good that I've been staying in Vegas and getting in shape. It was not easy, though."
Once the workout was over, Qvale took a written test of some 200 questions.
"It had nothing to do with basketball," Qvale said. "If you're placed in a crowded situation, are you comfortable meeting new people, questions like that. At the end it had stuff like a calf is to a cow as a kitten is to ... Things like that."
Qvale said he doesn't expect any immediate results from his workout.
"It was a great experience," he said. "I don't anticipate (any changes), but you never know, I guess."
Sports editor Bob Meseroll can be reached at 523-5265 or at sportsdesk@missoulian.com.
Former Grizzly Brian Qvale rocks Cleveland
by: Bob Meseroll of The Missoulian
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Former Montana Grizzly basketball player Brian Qvale confirmed to the Missoulian on Monday that Cleveland does indeed rock.
And judging by how well Qvale performed in his workout for the NBA's Cavaliers, he might have rocked Cleveland as well.
Qvale was among more than a half-dozen players who worked out for the Cavaliers' brass - including head coach Byron Scott - ahead of Thursday's NBA draft.
"Cleveland's nice," Qvale said from the airport just before boarding a flight back to Las Vegas, where he's been working out for the last several weeks. "I've never been to this part of the country, but it's nice."
Qvale recently signed a contract to play in Turkey beginning in August. He doesn't expect Monday's workout will change that plan.
"They all had nice things to say," Qvale said. "They knew about Turkey and said they were going to follow me closely in Turkey. They said I did well, but I think it's more of a long-term thing, that I made connections with them in person. I think they're planning to watch how things go in Turkey."
On Monday, Qvale worked out with Kentucky star Brandon Knight, who is projected as the No. 3 pick in the draft. The Cavaliers own the No. 1 and No. 4 picks and are expected to select Kyrie Irving of Duke with their top pick.
"I was supposed to work out with the big guys, like Enes Kanter (from Turkey) and Gary McGhee (of Pittsburgh), but apparently Derrick Williams (of Arizona) called yesterday and said he was coming to the workout," Qvale said. "There's a limit of six guys per workout, so I worked out with just me and Brandon Knight, the potential No. 3 pick in the draft. I didn't go up against the big guys. I did pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop stuff and worked with him."
The Cavs took the standard measurements - wingspan, height, weight - and put the hopefuls through conditioning drills, Qvale said.
"We did a lot of spot shooting around the key, free-throw line to baseline, things I've done in college," Qvale said. "It was an hour and a half; it was a tough workout. It went well. It's humid here in Cleveland, that's for sure. I was really sweating."
The workout finished with a test. Qvale had to make three shots in a row from five positions around the key, and he had to do it in 90 seconds.
"I had like 10 seconds left," Qvale said. "And we had to do three suicides in two minutes and other things like that. I did it all successfully.
"It's definitely good that I've been staying in Vegas and getting in shape. It was not easy, though."
Once the workout was over, Qvale took a written test of some 200 questions.
"It had nothing to do with basketball," Qvale said. "If you're placed in a crowded situation, are you comfortable meeting new people, questions like that. At the end it had stuff like a calf is to a cow as a kitten is to ... Things like that."
Qvale said he doesn't expect any immediate results from his workout.
"It was a great experience," he said. "I don't anticipate (any changes), but you never know, I guess."
Sports editor Bob Meseroll can be reached at 523-5265 or at sportsdesk@missoulian.com.