The Journal Times Online - Racine, Wisconsin

BY GERY WOELFEL

ORLANDO, Fla. – In an interview with The Journal Times three weeks ago, new Milwaukee Bucks general manager John Hammond said it was his desire to shore up the small forward position.

Hammond will seriously begin addressing that situation soon. At Friday’s NBA pre-draft camp, two of the best small forwards in the June NBA draft – Donte Greene of Syracuse and Joe Alexander of West Virginia – both confirmed they’ll be working out for the Bucks on June 8.

Greene entered the draft after playing one season at Syracuse, where he averaged 17.7 points (fourth in the Big East) and 7.2 rebounds (second in the Big East) a game.

Greene, who was measured at the camp on Friday at 6-9 ½ with shoes and 6-9 without shoes, is projected to be chosen anywhere between the seventh and 14^th picks. The Bucks have the eighth overall selection.

“Milwaukee will be my first workout,’’ Greene said. “I’m pretty excited about it. I’m looking forward to showing people what I can do.’’

Greene, who earned all-Big East Conference second-team honors, is an explosive scorer with excellent range. He said he’s tried to pattern his game after two NBA standouts.

“It’s a little bit of Tracy McGrady and a little bit of Rashard Lewis,’’ said Greene, who was born in Munich, Germany and moved to the United States when he was three.

Alexander was also born in a foreign country, Taiwan, and has lived in various places. From age 10 to 16, Alexander and his family lived in Beijing, China, where he learned to speak Mandarin.

Alexander said he would welcome the opportunity to join the Bucks and converse in Mandarin with power forward Yi Jianlian, who hails from China.

“Yi and I would be tight,’’ Alexander said.

Alexander played three seasons at West Virginia and steadily improved each season. He averaged 16.9 points and 6.3 rebounds as a junior and has seen his draft stock soar.

Once considered a mid-to-late first-round pick, some NBA officials now project Alexander being a lottery selection.

Alexander, who shot 47 percent from the field last season, struggled with his perimeter shooting during drills Friday in front of a cordon of NBA general managers, coaches and player personnel people.

But Alexander also showed there are few more athletic players in the draft by exhibiting his remarkable leaping ability with several highlight film dunks.

Alexander, who was measured at 6-9 with shoes and 6-8 without shoes, will also work out for the New York Knicks, who have the sixth overall pick.

Besides becoming a teammate of Yi’s, Alexander said he would like playing for Bucks coach Scott Skiles. Alexander played for Bobby Huggins at West Virginia and credited the hard-driving Huggins for his development.

“I love playing for demanding coaches; I think I thrive under them because they bring the best out of me,’’ said Alexander who then smiled and said, “Go tell Scott Skiles that I want to play for him.’’

Butch finishes on high note

Wisconsin power forward Brian Butch played well in his final game, finishing with 10 points and five rebounds in 21 minutes.

While Butch struggled with his shooting in the previous two games, he said he was generally pleased by his showing.

“I wish I would have made more shots but, overall, I thought things went pretty well,’’ said Butch, who was measured at 6-11 in shoes and 6-10 out of them.

Butch, who led his Appleton West High School team to the state championship game his senior season and played a key role in helping Wisconsin become one of the best teams in the nation the last two years, helped his camp team go 3-0.

“That’s all I care about: winning,’’ said Butch, an all-Big Ten Conference first-team selection as a senior. “That’s what I’ve been all about and will continue to be all about.’’

Butch, by the way, is also one of the smartest players in the draft. He earned his master’s degree in life sciences communication from Wisconsin, getting an “A’’ in all five of the courses he took last semester.