Kings’ import on trial here

The three-time defending National Basketball League (NBL) champion Sydney Kings make their much-awaited Manila debut against the Philippines-San Mig Coffee Team A at the Araneta Coliseum tonight and all eyes will be on the Australian squad’s 6-8, 240-pound import Damon Thornton of North Carolina State.

Thornton is trying out for a spot on the team and his performance in the two-game Manila series could determine if coach Brian Goorjian will sign him up for the NBL regular season starting in September.

Thornton, 27, is called "Wild Child" and for good reason. While at North Carolina State, he was arrested thrice by police. The first arrest was for punching a wall at a Raleigh, North Carolina, nightclub. Only hours before ending a six-month probation for the incident, he was arrested again, this time for refusing to show identification and running away from security guards in another nightclub. Bouncers shot pepper spray on his face to subdue him. The third arrest came for drunk driving after plowing the car of one of his teammates into another vehicle.

On the basketball court, Thornton was just as menacing in five seasons at North Carolina State.

In 1996-97, he became the first Wolfpack freshman ever to lead the varsity in rebounding and was fourth in the Atlantic Coast Conference in boards behind stars Tim Duncan, Antawn Jamison and Matt Harpring.

Thornton raised eyebrows when in the 1998 Raleigh summer league, he scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds off Elton Brand.

Writer Tim Peeler described Thornton as "explosive" and recalled "Wild Child" gaining national attention for a thundering dunk over 7-foot Mike Mardesich in sparking the Wolfpack to an upset over Maryland in 1999-2000.

"There is no question Thornton is a talented rebounder and an imposing physical presence inside," said Peeler.

At the end of his North Carolina State career, he was fourth in school history in blocked shots and sixth in field goal percentage at .547. He led the varsity in rebounding and blocked shots in four of his five seasons despite suffering a spate of injuries, including a hip contusion, a broken foot, a broken finger on his shooting hand, a sprained ankle and a strained ligament in his hip and groin.

Before trying his luck with the Kings, Thornton played as an import in Italy, Turkey, Portugal and China.

Kings executive director John Overs said Thornton was recruited "to add a lot of transition power and scoring capability" to the team.

Another King to watch is 6-2 point guard C. J. Bruton who played for Australia at the 2004 Athens Olympics. He was born in the US and is a naturalized Australian.

Bruton, 29, was the NBL’s Most Improved Player in 1999. He was picked on the second round by the Vancouver Grizzlies in the National Basketball Association (NBA) draft in 1997.

Bruton made his NBL debut in 1994 then played the next two years for Indian Hills Community College in the US. He was offered a scholarship by Iowa State coach Tim Floyd but the NCAA ruled him ineligible because of his previous NBL stint.

NBA guard Kenny Anderson recommended Burton to Portland coach Mike Dunleavy who acquired his rights in a trade with Vancouver. "C. J. has some things that you can’t teach at the point guard position, in terms of running a club and pure point-guard savvy," then Blazers assistant coach Jim Eyen said. "He’s a good decision-maker."

Bruton, whose first NBL field goal was a heave from over 50 feet, has led Sydney to its last two titles. Last season, he averaged 16.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.8 steals. Bruton also hit .419 from three-point distance, ranking second in the NBL. He holds the NBL record of nine triples in a game during the 2004 Finals.

Bruton is known for his killer crossover, blinding speed off the dribble, long-range shooting and court generalship. His father Cal, nicknamed the Black Pearl, played in the NBL from 1979 to 1989.

In the Singapore Cup last Friday, Bruton compiled 16 points, six assists and five steals to lead the Kings to an 87-59 win over the Beijing Ducks of China, featuring 6-11 NBA veteran Batere Mengke. The Kings are planing in from Singapore this morning.

The other Kings are 6-1 B. J. Carter, 6-8 Graeme Dann, 6-9 David Barlow, 6-10 three-time Australian national team center Brett Wheeler, 5-11 Luke Martin, 6-9 two-time Australian national team forward Ben Knight, 6-8 Luke Brennan and 6-6 Bradley Sheridan.

Knight, who celebrates his 29th birthday today, and Martin, 24, are also expected to play key roles in the series. Knight, the NBL’s Sixth Man awardee in 2000, averaged 13.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists for Sydney last season. Martin played for the University of Texas at El Paso varsity in 2001-02 and averaged 9.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists for the Kings last campaign. One of Martin’s El Paso teammates was Fil-Am Hawaii-born Joe Devance who’s arriving from the US to join the national pool on May 14.

Goorjian, 53, was recently voted the best NBL coach ever in the league’s 26-year history and is a four-time Coach of the Year awardee. He has won five NBL titles in seven Finals. His father Ed succeeded Ron Jacobs as Loyola Marymount coach in 1980.

As the national coach, defense-minded Goorjian piloted Australia to ninth place in last year’s Olympics.

Goorjian will conduct a one-hour clinic and share his hoops knowledge in a rare session with Filipino coaches tomorrow.

The Kings play the Philippines-San Mig Coffee Team A tonight and Team B tomorrow at the PhilSports Arena.

Philippines-San Mig Coffee Team A is made up of Mike Cortez, Jimmy Alapag, Dondon Hontiveros, Renren Ritualo, Nic Belasco, Jay Washington, Kerby Raymundo, Enrico Villanueva, Yancy de Ocampo and Sonny Thoss.

Philippines-San Mig Coffee Team B is composed of Willy Miller, Mark Caguioa, James Yap, Brandon Cablay, Tony de la Cruz, Kelly Williams, Danny Seigle, Eric Menk, Rafi Reavis, Dorian Peña and Romel Adducul.