European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 18, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday april 18,1990 the stars and stripes Page 23 pro draft projected no. 1 Mccants shrinking fast by Jim Utke a sports writer five reasons Why Keith Mccants is having a worse year thus far than you Are 1. The All american linebacker from Alabama began 1990 a lock to be the a Fly a no. 1 draft Choice and a certain millionaire. But now he is in free fall and May return to Earth Only a couple Hundred thou Sand Aire. 2. His future employers Arentt wild about his Choice of friends. 3. His Muscles still make for great pictures his knee does not. 4. He lost a step and found a few pounds. 5. He shrunk. And so Keith Mccants apparently is going to become the object lesson of this years nil draft. How far he tumbles if at All wont be known until sunday. But some league observers say if he gets past Tampa Bay where his College coach Ray Perkins will Wield the fourth pick or the Chicago bears no. 6 and in need of a linebacker it could be a Long drop. And keep in mind that the slide just from first to fourth could Cost him Between $2 million and $3 million Over the life of a four year contract. Mccants got off on the wrong foot by hiring an agent Lance Luchnick with a Check ered past and a cloudier future. Luchnick who admitted previously to paying College athletes and coaches in violation of Mcaa rules is even now the subject of a grand jury investigation to determine whether he violated an Alabama sports agent Law that carries a maximum 10-year jail sentence. Though he represents few football players some of Luchnick a basketball playing clients have been known to hold out a term that sends chills Down the spine of image conscious nil owners. Indeed if truth be told and few agents or league executives speak for the record on such matter some of the More conservative owners would rather bargain across a table with William Kintsler than Lance Luchnick. Mccants second step did no to go any better. When he deigned to hold a workout earlier this month for those teams fighting for the right to make him a millionaire his performance Wasny to Worth the Ante. He showed up overweight and did just nine repetitions in the 223-Pound Bench press compared to the average of 17 done by those line backing prospects who went through the a Fly a full scouting Combine in february. His fastest time Over 40 Yards was 4.68 seconds in april last year he covered the same distance in 4.45. Further an a Ray revealed a knee injury no one Ven knew Mccants had and most ignominiously perhaps he was measured at 6-foot-2 /2 inches though throughout his playing Days the Crimson tide Media Burton a Stock takes off after map performance by Jan Hubbard new Day Orlando Fla. A Willie Burton came to the Orlando classic last week As a 6-foot-7 Forward who some scouts pros a. Second round draft pick. Alter three impressive games at both guard positions he left As the most valuable player in the tournament primarily a scouting event for National basketball association teams. A Mark it Down a Miami heat director of player personnel Stu Inman said. Thing in a l0ttery cd a sure Burton who played at the University of Minnesota led the scoring with 27.3 Points a game and was one of three guards who dazzled the scouts. The others were Texas 6-2 Travis Mays 21.3 Points 8.0 assists and Jacksonville a 6-1 let be Brown 17.7 Points 7.3 assists 6.7 rebounds. Mays an outstanding Long Range Scooter proved that he had Point guard ski is and was such a Good All around a  scouts were comparing him o the Detroit pistons Joe Dumars. Brown is Skinny at 161 pounds but he s a surprisingly Tough defender and Keith Mccants pre draft behaviour gives scouts the jitters. Guide had him at 6-5. A a it was a Case a san Diego chargers general manager Bobby Beathard said a where the real work and evaluation Wasny to done until after word came out that this superhuman football player was making himself available for the draft. A now i still think he a a terrific football player and i done to think anybody questions How Good he was in College or How Good he could be in the pros. But from the workout you get the idea this kid is not coming into the nil saying a in a doing everything i can to be worthy of the no. 1  a actually it was almost the opposite like he was doing us a favor. He was under strength and out of condition. He Hasni to done the right things so far and that scares people. A and it makes them wonder a Beathard continued a a a what she going to do when he gets a few dollars in his pockets a a fair question and one that right about now is making the rounds of draft rooms All around the league. Because what is already known about Mccants one of almost three dozen underclassmen who renounced remaining College eligibility to take Pari in next weekends draft is not nearly As intriguing As what has yet to be discovered. A one phenomenon of draft Day and it happens every year is what can be called the plummeting draft pick Quot agent Leigh Steinberg said. A in that scenario a player generally projected to go at a certain spot is not taken there and then continues not to be taken because the clubs that select behind that club figure the first team must know something they did no to something detrimental in the player s background they should have found out but did t. A and so based on unfounded Rumor perception fear and the information vacuum that exists on draft Day a even if there a nothing to know about a a player s value can fall precipitously Quot Steinberg added. A not unlike what happens during a Stock Market  last years nosedive was performed by Louis Oliver the former Florida safety and current Miami Dolphin and was brought into your living room live by esp. Though there was never so much As a hint of drugs being involved when the dolphins passed on Oliver in the first round and took running Back Sammie Smith instead that was the first question that popped into the interviewers otherwise empty head. And Oliver a agent Steve Zucker. Is still scratching his head Over that one. A Louis was a National Merit scholar clean As could be Quot Zucker recalled. A the truth of the matter was that Only two teams were interested Miami and Denver. The dolphins gambled got him on the next round and looked like geniuses. Denver passed him and took Steve Atwater which turned out to be hard to argue with. A it made for great to kind of a what a wrong with him thing for the viewers to think about. But there was nothing to it Quot he said. A we tried to Check it out afterwards with some nil people but we never really could track it  to be fair Mccants is free of any taint of drugs though published reports have said he could soon be the target of at least one paternity suit and possibly several a the kind of distractions and publicity that no team wants. Attempts to reach Mccants on sunday at his Home in Alabama were unsuccessful and messages left on an answering machine in Luchnick a san Antonio office were not returned. Mccants however has talked at length about every aspect of his decision to turn pro and said he would go wherever a and whenever a he lands with no regrets. A it was time to leave and do  he said a a in be dreamed about since 1 was a Little  Keith Mccants is going to be a steal for some team some Day but because he squandered the Dow payment the Cost of the first lesson a that professional football is a business run by grownups who take it very seriously a is on him. Exhibited excellent offensive skills. Mays May be drafted As High As the no. 10 pick in the first round and Brown is a solid mid first Rounder. Joining Burton Mays and Brown on the six Man All tournament team were Loyola Mary mount so Kimble Cal state Fullerton a Cedric Ceballos and Louisville a 7-foot Felton Spencer the Best big Man in the tournament. Spencer averaged 18 Points 14.3 rebounds and 3.0 blocks. The biggest bust was former Florida Center Dwayne Schintzius who showed up 20 pounds overweight at 293 pounds. Schintzius had not played since leaving the gators in january and scouts could not understand Why Schintzius did not show up in shape since he had nothing else to prepare for except this tournament. Schintzius still will be a lottery selection in the draft but if he had played Well Here he would almost have guaranteed that he would have been the no. I pick. Some of the More notable players who did not attend the Camp were Syracuse a Derrick Coleman la Sallets Lionel Simmons Oregon states Gary Payton Illinois Kendall Gill and Michigan a Rumeal Robinson. Willie Burton moved from second round to a lottery pick with Eye opening tourney