BACK TO SCHOOL ISSUE

He's not in yet, but former Huskie basketball player Rodney Davis likes his chances of making the Chicago Bulls' training camp next October.

Davis, talking by phone from his Los Angeles hotel room on August 9, said he has "heard good things" about his play so far for the Bulls' summer league team.

Davis said it has been a grueling month playing almost every day, often more than one game per day. But his main complaint was of a much different nature.

"The hotel phone rates are terrible," he said. "I'm ready to get home."

Meanwhile, another former Huskie, center John Culbertson, has left DeKalb for the Netherlands, where he will play in a European pro league. NIU coach Jim Rosborough said he was "pleased" for Culbertson.

"That's all John wanted was a chance to continue playing somewhere after college," Rosborough said. "Someone saw enough of him in his junior and senior years to offer him a contract. Quite honestly, I don't think he gave us everything he could have his senior year. But I'm happy for him."

The 6-foot-8, 261-pound Culbertson lost his starting job his senior year as he posted scoring and rebounding averages below those of his junior year.

Davis, whose stats improved every year at NIU and who finished as the Huskies' ninth all-time leading scorer, began his quest to make the Bulls' roster over five weeks ago in Deerfield, Ill., where the Bulls held tryouts for free agents. He then traveled with the Bulls to Cleveland, where he participated in an NBA-sanctioned summer league.

The 6-foot-3 Davis played his "best game" in the team's first contest in Cleveland against the Detroit Pistons. Davis was assigned to guard Detroit's first-round draft choice Fennis Dembo of Wyoming.

"I did a pretty good job on him," Davis said. The former NIU guard also scored 17 points and contributed "five or six" assists against Detroit.

"He (Dembo) came up to me before the game and said, ‘Hi,' Davis said. "He remembered me from when we played them a couple of years ago."

After a week in Cleveland, Davis impressed the Bulls' coaches enough that he was asked to join the team in Los Angeles. Now, after two weeks of guarding the likes of rookie David Rivers of the L.A. Lakers and Seattle SuperSonics guard Sedale Threatt, all Davis can do is wait.

Bulls coach Doug Collins and General Manager Jerry Krause watched the free agents and rookies for two weeks before returning to Chicago to make their decisions on the players.

Among the free agents playing for the Bulls with Davis are former Minnesota center John Shasky and former Illinois-Chicago center Nate Chambers, Davis' roommate.

"They've given no indication as to who's going to make the team," Davis said. "Everyone's in the dark. All I can do is pray I'll be coming back in October."

Should the Bulls decide not to add Davis to their October roster, the former Huskie is prepared.

He has been in contact with the Rockford Lightning of the Continental Basketball Association. He also has received an offer to play in Europe, and he was drafted by the Chicago Express of the World Basketball League last May.

Davis said it would be a difficult decision between the CBA and Europe if the Bulls cut him.

"If you go overseas and play, there's no way you can come back without breaking a contract," Davis said. "In the CBA you can get picked up (by an NBA team) any time, but the pay isn't as good."

"For a 6-3 guard maybe he's better off in the CBA," Rosborough said. "The money's not going to be great, you're going to be riding around in buses everywhere. But it's like (Northern Iowa coach) Eldon Miller told him last year, ‘You're going to get knocked on your butt a couple of times, but don't give up.'"

Rosborough said he would be "ecstatic" if Davis made the Bulls, and he took some credit for Davis' development.

"I think (previous NIU coach) John McDougal recognized some qualities in him," Rosborough said of Davis. "He blossomed under us. I'm proud of what we've done for Rodney."

And so far, Davis is proud of what he has done for himself.

"The competition is real tough," he said. "But obviously I'm doing something right. I'm still here."