Canadian/Russian prospect Ivan Chiriaev: "I can be better than Nowitzki"

[NYCdog]

Ladies and gentlemen......I present to you a lottery propsect who just might be the next big NBA trash-talker.........



High schooler from Canada to enter draft

March 22, 2004
OAKVILLE, Ontario (AP) -- If NBA teams picked players on confidence alone, Ivan Chiriaev would be a guaranteed lottery pick.

The 7-foot-1 high school star said Monday he will enter the 2004 NBA draft, skipping his college eligibility. And failure is not an option.

"The NBA wants and needs Ivan Chiriaev,'' the 19-year-old said at a news conference held in his school's library. I have a great opportunity right now and everybody from scouts to GMs to presidents of the clubs are saying I will go top five. And worst case, it will be a lottery pick.''

Chiriaev moved to Canada 16 months ago from Russia, to live with an uncle and pursue his basketball future. He has learned to speak English and put 70 pounds on what was a skin-and-bones 180-pound frame.

Over the past few months NBA and college scouts trekked to the gym for aglimpse at what they hope will be the next big international star.

"I was able to go from nowhere in Russia to this day and this press conference with hard work,'' said Chiriaev, who hopes to move his family from Russia if he is drafted. "This hard work will help me go from today and this press conference to the next level, NBA all-star.''

"Dirk Nowitzki at my age played in Germany in a league which was probably worse than Canadian high school basketball, and Yao Ming played professionally in the worst league in the world," argued Chiriaev, who played for Russia's junior team. "Those two players are all-stars."

Rather than play at centre or power forward, where Chiriaev believed he could have scored "50, 70, whatever" points a game this past high school season, he was the Raiders' starting point guard.

"That was pretty bizarre to see a seven-foot-one guy bringing up the ball," said Chiriaev, who averaged about 16 points, eight or nine assists, and in double digits in rebounding per game with the Raiders.

"I just tried to develop myself to be a better basketball player, not just a tall guy who can score under the hoop. Right now there are no players in the world who are 7-1 and can playing shooting guard and even point guard."

"The better the competition the better I play,"

Chiriaev will play for the 10-member World Select team against a top 10 prospects team from the United States in a high school all-star game April 4 in San Antonio during the Final Four.

More from Ivan.........