BY MIKE DeCOURCY
The Cincinnati Enquirer

All-America forward Danny Fortson, the second-leading career scorer in the history of Cincinnati Bearcats basketball, will announce at a news conference today he is passing up his senior season at UC to enter the National Basketball Association draft.

Sources close to Fortson said he had a strong desire to play another year of college basketball but could not ignore the economic opportunities and the chance to improve as a player.

A 6-foot-7, 265-pound forward who came to UC from Shaler Area High School in the Pittsburgh suburbs, Fortson became a two-time Conference USA player of the year and led the Bearcats to two conference regular-season and tournament championships. UC won an average of 25 games in his three seasons and reached the Southeast Regional final in his sophomore year, with a final record of 28-5.

Professional basketball scouts estimate Fortson will be chosen somewhere between the ninth and 14th selections in the June draft, despite his status as a first-team All-American. The lower the number of top underclassmen who join him, the higher Fortson could climb.

As a first-round selection, Fortson would receive a guaranteed three-year contract, his salary tied to his slot in the draft. The only way he may return to UC after formally declaring his intention to the NBA is to rescind his decision before the draft or to go unselected through two rounds. Neither is likely to occur.

Fortson becomes the second Bearcats player under Huggins to enter the draft as an underclassman, following forward Dontonio Wingfield, who left after his freshman year in 1994 and became a second-round choice of the Seattle Sonics.

NBA scouts list seniors Tim Duncan of Wake Forest and Keith Van Horn of Utah ahead of Fortson, along with underclassmen Ron Mercer of Kentucky, Tony Battie of Texas Tech, Chauncey Billups of Colorado, Antawn Jamison of North Carolina and Tim Thomas of Villanova.

Fortson is considered to be in a group with Stanford senior guard Brevin Knight, Durham (N.C.) high school star Tracy McGrady, Colgate forward Adonal Foyle, Kansas forwards Paul Pierce and Raef LaFrentz and Bowling Green point guard Antonio Daniels. Few of those underclassmen have made formal declarations as yet.

Every scout interviewed considers Fortson's height to be a significant issue in regard to the position he will have to play as a pro: power forward. One said, ''There's nothing that scares NBA scouts more than 6-2 shooting guards and 6-7 power forwards.''

Chris Monter, who publishes a Minneapolis-based draft newsletter called ''The Monter Draft Report,'' suggests Fortson is a definite top 10 selection but admits the height question could affect his status.

''He's not that great of a leaper, so I think he's going to end up eating his shot a lot more than he's used to,'' Monter said. ''Corliss Williamson had the same knock: lack of explosion and size. It's just because there are so few players, he'll have to get picked.''

Fortson is not expected to compete at the NBA Pre-Draft Camp in Chicago the first week of June. Most agents advise players projected for the top half of the first round not to expose themselves to the risk of performing poorly and perhaps falling in the scouts' estimation.

He will work out for teams privately, but the determining factor on when he is selected will be how comfortable teams are with choosing a 6-7 power forward. Respectful of his skills and competitiveness, no scouts doubt he will hold a job in the NBA; it is a question of whether they believe he can become a significant contributor on a winning team.

In some ways, Fortson had wanted to remain in college basketball, but the frustration of having to constantly concern himself with avoiding foul trouble and deal with double- and triple-teaming defense in the low post was slowing his progress as a player.

He averaged 21.4 points and 9.0 rebounds this season for the Bearcats, who finished with a 26-8 record and a second-round NCAA Tournament loss to Iowa State.

Previous story

BEST GUESS: FORTSON'S GONE, AND HUGGINS COULD GO, TOO March 17, 1997

NCAA Tournament stories

MARCH 16, 1997
IOWA STATE 67, UC 66
UC LOSS NOT ALL SURPRISING Daugherty column
BRANNEN BECOMES SCORER

MARCH 15, 1997
IDENTITY CHECK FOR UC
IOWA STATE GETS ASSISTS FROM HOLLOWAY

MARCH 14, 1997
UC 80, BUTLER 69
IOWA STATE IS TALL ORDER
20 MINUTES ENOUGH FOR UC THIS TIME Daugherty column

MARCH 13, 1997
UC'S FORTUNES HINGE ON FORTSON
NCAA LETTER LED TO WILLIAMS INQUIRY
WILLIAMS PUNISHED BEFORE TRIAL Daugherty column
HUGGINS TO OSU? A COMMON QUERY

MARCH 12,1997
GUARD PROBLEMS PLAGUE BEARCATS
HUGGINS QUOTES GILLEN ON OSU JOB

MARCH 11, 1997
FORTSON ALL-AMERICAN
WILLIAMS PREPARES TO START
MARSHALL HAS THE MUSCLE TO CHECK FORTSON

MARCH 10, 1997
UC, XU ON COLLISION COURSE IN SWEET 16
LET FORTSON PLAY, REFS - IT'S HIS TIME Daugherty column
OPPONENT DOESN'T MATTER TO BEARCATS
BUTLER ROSTER HAS LOCAL FLAVOR