ELEY INVITED TO ATTEND PACERS' FREE AGENT CAMP

Although he wasn't selected in last month's National Basketball Association draft, Bud Eley isn't yet ready to give up on a possible career in the NBA.

The 6-foot-10 center, who led Southeast Missouri State University to a second-place Ohio Valley Conference finish and was named OVC Player of the Year last season, will participate in an Indiana Pacers' free agent camp today through Sunday in Indianapolis.

Indiana was one of the teams that had talked to Eley before the draft and the Pacers again contacted him following the draft to invite him to participate in their free agent camp.

Nearly 20 players will take part in the camp and probably only a handful at most will advance on to participate in a summer league in Boston. So Eley knows he's still facing some pretty long odds, but he welcomes the challenge.

"I'm not really nervous," he said. "I'm just going to go there, do my best and see what happens."

Eley said he was somewhat disappointed that he wasn't drafted, but "that's the way it goes."

Even if Eley doesn't show the Pacers enough this week to advance on to the summer league, his basketball future still appears to be bright.

Eley said he has been in contact with some professional teams in Spain and Turkey.

"I have some pretty good offers if (the NBA) doesn't work out," he said.