Dickerson named All-Tournament at Desert Classic

Katherine K. Gardiner Arizona Daily Wildcat UA senior forward Michael Dickerson attempts a three pointer on the Activity Center floor at Arizona State during the matchup on Feb. 14. Dickerson was named All-Tournament after averaging 13 points with two rebounds a game in the three-day event

With their draft positions on the line, Arizona seniors Michael Dickerson and Bennett Davison came away from the Nike Desert Classic with a mixed bag.

The annual pre-draft tournament, held at the Arizona State University Activity Center, is one of the biggest showcases of senior talent in the country. The draft is scheduled for June 24 in Vancouver.

Michael Dickerson put on a show for NBA scouts this weekend at the annual event.

The Arizona All-American and his Midwest team teammates won the tournament Saturday night with a 88-83 victory. Dickerson finished the three-day event averaging 13 points and two rebounds a game. For his efforts, Dickerson garnered All-Classic honors.

Bennett Davison, whose Pacific team - coached by NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - won the consolation game, averaged six points and 5.3 rebounds and shot 43.8 percent while playing mostly power forward.

Perhaps the biggest problem he encountered was that he isn't as big as the Arizona media guide would have you believe. Listed at 6-feet-8-inches in the guide, Davison was measured by NBA scouts at 6-6 1/2. That makes him what over 200 NBA scouts in attendance call a "tweener," meaning he is too small to play power forward but perhaps not quick enough to play small forward.

That meant his biggest goal for the weekend was to prove that he had an outside shot, something he didn't have the opportunity to display very much collegiately. He hit two mid-range jumpers in the consolation game and was 3 for 6.

Dickerson had a typical Dickerson performance. He was 13 of 31 over the course of the event but he was 4 for 9 from beyond the three-point line for the weekend, second only to Classic most valuable player Bakari Hendrix of Gonzaga.

The third Arizona senior, Miles Simon, did not attend the tournament.