CHN)  Could you describe to fans, the daily tasks involved in representing professional or future professional basketball players?  What types of things will you be doing leading up the draft?

 

Ken) The complexity of representing the professional athlete has increased substantially over the past few years. I, fortunately, had the opportunity to learn from the best, Bill Duffy, in that I worked under Bill for the past seven years. [ed - Bill Duffy has represented over 75 athletes, including Yao Ming.  He runs BDA Sports Management.]  An agent's primary responsibility is to be an advocate for his athlete to the league and its teams. That advocacy requires the agent to stay in constant contact with the teams, their administrations and their scouts. Part of the process of educating the teams about a client includes the forwarding of bios and game and workout footage to the teams. Other critical issues deals with the release of information about the player's progress and workouts. Marketing is also critical in that positive visibility is always a plus in an agent's effort to keep a player in the forefront of the NBA's evaluation process. A player must be fully prepared for the evaluation process, which includes individual physical workouts and interviews. A good agent with arrange the best training environment for his client to achieve maximum preparation. I have found the experienced programs in Bradenton, Cleveland and Houston to be the best at preparing athletes for the NBA draft.

 

        CHN)  What career path resulted in your current position?

 

Ken)  I am a lawyer. I attended the University of North Carolina for undergraduate and law school. In addition to being an agent, I am a litigator. And, I have tried many cases before the various superior and appellate courts in North Carolina. My friendship with UNC great, Phil Ford, led to my interest in being an agent. My entrance into the business came through a relationship with Magic Johnson and Bill Duffy over seven years ago.

 

        CHN)  If possible, can you generally describe how players end up being your clients.  Do they come to you? Do you find them? Is there a lengthy courtship process?

 

        CHN)  How much do you pay attention to Mock Drafts in the months before the draft? Do you feel they have an influence over how GM's and fans perceive the quality of players?

 

Ken)  My belief is that mock drafts certainly have utility. Teams are in search of the best players. Any tool that adds to the pool of information in the evaluation process is useful. A good scout would scan any good resource, even mock drafts, to make sure that they have not missed a player or information.

 

        CHN)  How important are the Summer Camps for a players status?  Is the Chicago Pre-Draft Camp as important as it's cracked up to be?

 

Ken)  The Chicago Pre-Draft camp is a critical element of a player's draft progression. Many elite players, however, elect not to play in Chicago in an effort to "protect" their draft status. However, for many draft prospects, the Chicago Pre-Draft Camp is the only forum in which they can substantially improve their draft status.

 

        CHN)  What players that you represent are entered in the 2004 NBA Draft pool?  Could you tell us more about one or two of those players, and why you think they're deserved NBA Players?