By Bill Koch
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Former University of Cincinnati basketball player Donald Little was headed to Chicago and the NBA pre-draft camp Tuesday afternoon, saying he has straightened out his life and hopeful that he's on his way to a career in the NBA.

"I feel lucky," Little said. "I was kicked off the UC team, but I went overseas for four months and kept on playing."

Little, a 6-foot-11, 235-pound center from Augusta, Ga., was dismissed from the UC basketball program in April 2002 after he was arrested and charged with kidnapping, beating and burning his roommate. He awaits sentencing June 24 - two days before the NBA draft - after pleading guilty in October to a reduced charge of aggravated assault. He faces a maximum of 18 months in jail. Little also faces a civil suit in connection with the incident.

Little, 25, played professionally last season in Turkey, where he averaged 16 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots.

"My game changed," Little said. "I had to score more. At UC, I was more of a defensive player. When I went overseas, I had to shoot a lot more. They depended on me to score. If you're an American, you've got to score. They don't like defensive players."

Little says he also has changed off the court.

"It's been very stressful," he said of his legal problems. "I went through a lot. I thought I'd give up several times, but I couldn't. I'm trying to make it now. It's harder for me now. It was easier then.

"I've learned. I just cut back on a lot of things I used to do as far as going out. I watch who I hang around with. (UC coach Bob) Huggins told me all four years at UC, but I learned the hard way."

Little has received this chance to display his ability at the NBA camp thanks to the tenacity of his agent, Daniel Yost, who, along with Little, went to the Portsmouth Invitational in April to let NBA scouts and personnel officials know that Little was eligible for the draft.

"We developed a bio and got his Turkey tape out to everybody," Yost said. "We found out who the key members of the committee were for Chicago, and we lobbied those guys.

"To those guys, he had dropped off the face of the earth. He put up great numbers in Turkey, but they didn't know."

Little has workouts scheduled with the Orlando Magic and the Toronto Raptors after the camp.

"Big men are rare this year," Yost said. "He's got a real opportunity. It's going to boil down to how he performs in Chicago. If he does well, there's a good possibility he'll go in the second round.

"Let's be honest. Donald's got a lot of raw talent. He's just got to get his head on right."

Little averaged 7.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.7 blocked shots for UC in 2001-02. He had been dismissed from the program one other time - in May 2001 - after a series of charges stemming from an incident at Inn The Woods Tavern in Clifton Heights and for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol, driving with a suspended license, speeding in a work zone and possession of marijuana.

Eventually, those charges were either reduced or dismissed and Little was reinstated by UC in September 2001. He was placed on behavior probation by the athletic department.

Because of his police record, Little faces two challenges as he attempts to make it to the NBA. First he has to convince a general manager that he's good enough to play on that level, then he has to convince him he can stay out of trouble. "The first question on every scout's mind," Yost said, "is 'Where is his head at?' The first thing I did when I took him on is said, 'Look, your head has to be on right.' He assured me early on. I've seen nothing but progress."

Little wasn't around to watch the Bearcats suffer through a 17-12 record last season, but he knows all about it and blames himself at least partially for the sub-par season.

"All I hear is, 'We needed you, we needed you,' " Little said. "I feel bad. If I was there, I would have helped them out a lot."

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E-mail bkoch@enquirer.com