PORTSMOUTH, Va. - When he finally hit the court last Thursday afternoon after a late night of flying and an early morning of agility testing, Kyle Fogg found the ball plopped directly in his hands.
His Sales Systems Limited team had just 40 minutes to practice before the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, and Fogg was instructed to lead the team.
"They were like, 'Here, run a play,' " Fogg said.
Not only did Fogg have zero familiarity with his new teammates in the seniors-only pre-draft event, but he also had never really been a point guard.
During his four-year Arizona Wildcats career, Fogg became a standout defender, a capable shooter and an emergency point guard - but never a full-time lead guard.
Being able to play capably at the point, at least some of the time, could have everything to do with where Fogg winds up professionally. At 6-foot-2 and 183 pounds, he does not have the size of a prototypical NBA shooting guard.
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"In most of the leagues in Europe, he could play as a two-guard and play the way he's been playing at Arizona," said Chris Eckstrand, an NBA scouting consultant. "But if he has NBA aspirations, he's got to become a combo guard in the eyes of the NBA teams.
"He has to be able to play at least some point guard. I don't know if he can do that."
While he still has more to prove during possible team workouts and summer-league play ahead, Fogg showed some positive signs during his initial test in the three-day event last weekend.
Fogg's shooting varied over his three PIT games, with a 32.6 percent average from the field, but he posted a 2.7-1 assist-turnover ratio.
"I'm actually really glad I was able to come in and show I can play the one (point guard), to show the scouts that I can handle the ball and run some offense, my whole game." Fogg said. "I think most of the questions about me are being kind of undersized. And even though I can defend guys who are like 6-6, by being able to run an offense I can kind of can open some people's eyes.
"If I'm able to keep knocking down my shots and I'm able to play the one I think that will open up a few doors for me."
Jonathan Givony, president of scouting-oriented website Draft Express, said he's heard Fogg is already attracting some attention from European teams. Fogg is also likely to receive invitations from NBA teams for workouts and summer-league play, some NBA officials said at the PIT.
Fogg will need the opportunities to keep proving himself as a combo guard because his performance at the PIT was a mix, Eckstrand said.
"He's made some good plays, where he makes plays for others," Eckstrand said. "But he's had some plays where he looks like he's a little out of his element.
"He's also had sort of the alpha and the omega of shooting games. In his first game, he couldn't make one - (the next day) he couldn't miss one."
Fogg finished sixth in assist-turnover ratio among players who averaged at least three assists per game, struggling most often when he drove inside and when he had to finish or pass in time.
That's the kind of situation that can be improved, Eckstrand said.
The good news is that Fogg wasn't one of those PIT players who jacks up shots every time he touches the ball, incorrectly thinking that is the way to impress NBA scouts.
"Any mistakes he's made have not come from a bad place," Eckstrand said.
"They haven't come from selfishness; they haven't come from sins of omission. He's trying to do the right thing.
"Occasionally he'll overpenetrate and once he's in the lane, he's got nowhere to go. But that's something where a more experienced point guard will either pull out and keep the dribble alive or maybe they anticipate (defenders will) close in and they shoot a little floater or something. When you're a regular two-guard like him, those aren't the kinds of things you see."
Fogg's struggles inside and his size are why Givony said he didn't see Fogg as an NBA guard.
"He's 6-2 without shoes, he's not a point guard and he really struggled inside the arc," Givony said. "He's very inefficient in terms of creating high-percentage shots for himself and that's not going to get easier for him in the NBA, where everyone's bigger, more athletic, longer and all that."
However, Givony said, all that doesn't mean Fogg can't make a good living somewhere. Fogg has other attributes - and an impressive 81.5-inch wingspan - that should land him a good job next season.
It's just a matter of where.
"He has everything that a good midlevel European team looks for - shooting ability, basketball IQ, defense," Givony said. "I think he's here with the right mindset. He's unselfish, but aggressive at the same time and he measured out really well. He's done everything he can do."
How he measures up
Listed at 6-foot-3 and 188 pounds at Arizona, Kyle Fogg shrank a bit during official NBA measurements at the Portsmouth Invitational. But his wingspan was the longest among players 6-3 or shorter.
Here's what the NBA reported on Fogg:
6-2
Height (without shoes)
183.4
Weight (pounds)
81.5
Wingspan in inches (6-feet, 9 1/2 inches)
How Fogg Fared
Fogg's averages over three games of the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, with rank in parentheses among the 64 participating players (not all players had qualifying minimum in all statistical categories):
• Scoring: 12.7 (10th)
• Rebounding: 6.0 (19)
• Offensive rebounds: 1.0 (38)
• Defensive rebounds: 5.0 (12)
• FG percentage: 32.6 (52)
• FT percentage: 54.4 (36)
• 3FG percentage: 40.0 (7)
• 3FG made: 4 (11)
• Assists: 5.3 (4)
• Assist-turnover ratio: 2.7 (10)
• Blocks: 1.0 (14)
• Steals: 1.3 (13)
• Minutes played: 31.3 (2)
