June 28, 2000

The high school players who were terrorized by DeShawn Stevenson last season can attest to the fact that the young basketball star is tough to cover.

	Stevenson wavered on his decision to enter the NBA Draft.

He was here, there and everywhere, sometimes all at once, while piling up statistics at Washington Union High (Fresno, Calif.). Stevenson, still as elusive as ever, is now just hours away from a moment that has danced through his dreams ever since he needed two hands to dribble a basketball.

The NBA Draft will be held tonight (June 28) in Minneapolis, and Stevenson, 19, is expected to be selected in the first round.

Stevenson - whose first taste of nationwide fame came when he won the slam-dunk contest and scored 25 points in the McDonald's All-American Game in late March - attracted national attention May 3 when, against his mother's wishes, he announced he would go straight to the NBA instead of attending Kansas.

Stevenson recanted a week later when he learned he had earned a qualifying score on his SAT, but he ultimately opted for the NBA after the Educational Testing Service red-flagged a 700-point improvement on his test score.

That was a hectic stretch for the teen, but things haven't slowed down since graduation. Stevenson packed up his favorite sneakers and took to the road, showing off the 44-inch vertical leap that has made him a tantalizing prospect.

Stevenson hasn't commented publicly in more than a month, and even those closest to him are having a tough time keeping tabs. "DeShawn is in Chicago. He'll be home this Thursday or Friday," said Genice Popps, Stevenson's mother, on June 13.

"Well, DeShawn is playing with a team on the East Coast now," said Terry Popps, Genice's husband, two days later. "He'll be home on June 27."

	Not even his family could keep up with Stevenson's whirlwind tour of NBA try-outs.

Later the same day, Stevenson's Fresno-based personal trainer said the shifty shooter was working on his endurance in Southern California and would be back by June 19. None of those homecoming dates held up, and Stevenson has yet to return to Fresno.

So where exactly is the explosive 6-foot-5 guard who averaged 28 points, 10.7 rebounds, seven assists and four steals per game in leading his high school team to a state championship as a junior?

Turns out Stevenson has been floating around the country, displaying his skills for NBA coaches, scouts and executives. The word from the pre-draft camp in Chicago was that Stevenson lacked experience, strength and poise but was fearless in driving to the basket. The high-flyer even earned praise from ESPN.com for his eye-popping ability to dunk over bigger players.

He has auditioned for Chicago (picks No. 4, 7 and 24), the Clippers (No. 3 and 18), Seattle (No. 17), Phoenix (No. 25), Charlotte (No. 19), Orlando (No. 5, 10 and 13), Sacramento (No. 16) and Boston (No. 11), reportedly with a cigar-smoking Red Auerbach sitting nearby. After missing a scheduled workout with Atlanta Friday, Stevenson was scheduled to visit Utah Monday.

Most media outlets foresee Stevenson being selected toward the end of the first round, but few are ruling out the possibility of upward movement - perhaps even as high as No. 10.

The Sacramento Kings were thrilled with Stevenson and even invited him back for a second workout June 19. General manager Geoff Petrie, head coach Rick Adelman and team owner Gavin Maloof all attended that session and were pleased with the way Stevenson interacted with the other players.

"We only bring in guys we like. We don't bring in guys just to bring in guys," Wayne Cooper, the Kings assistant vice president of basketball operations, told the Fresno Bee on Tuesday. "DeShawn is on our short list."