Fife's fighting for basketball future with Houston

Dane Fife wasn't selected at the NBA draft last month, and most basketball fans don't expect to see him wear an NBA jersey anytime soon. \nBut the former Hoosier has worked hard this summer to keep his NBA dreams alive. \nFife played for the Houston Rockets' summer league team at the Southern California Summer Pro League July 7-21 in Los Angeles. Although still a long shot to find his place in Houston's backcourt, Fife impressed the Rockets staff during the eight-game stint. \nRockets assistant coach Melvin Hunt said Fife conducted himself like a professional throughout the two-week tournament. \n"He was on time, and he played hard," Hunt said. "He did a great job of doing what we expected him to do." \nFife impressed the Rockets with the style of play that had become a staple of IU basketball during the Hoosiers' run to the Championship: feisty defense, accurate three-point shooting and vocal leadership. \nVoted 2002 Co-Defensive Player of the Year in the Big Ten, Fife's spirited defense and willingness to sacrifice his body were certainly on display. \nAt the beginning of the tournament, members of the Rockets' staff each picked the player they thought would stand in and take the first charging call, Hunt said. Whoever chose Fife won; he drew the first two charges. \nFife's offensive production, however, was less noticeable. He averaged slightly less than three points per game. Hunt said there's more to Fife's game than statistics.\n"It's a curse and a blessing," Hunt said of Fife's well-rounded offensive game. "He's sound and solid, a good penetrator, a good shooter, a good passer … If he can become great at one of those, he'll have something to hang his hat on." \nFife might want to try on his three-point shooting hat. He hit nearly 43 percent from behind the arc on 3-of-7 shooting. A 48 percent three-point shooter last season from the college arc, he seems to have adjusted to the longer NBA range. \nFife has modified his game, but that doesn't mean he's backed down from -- or hushed up for -- NBA veterans. Always a vocal presence on the floor of Assembly Hall, Hunt said he has continued to be a prominent on-court leader.\n"You can hear him call 'slide over!' or 'take mine!' or just 'come on, guys,'" he said.\nAlthough louder than other players on the court, it's been Fife's solid play that has caught the attention of pro clubs around the world.\n"We received calls from several NBA teams leading up to the draft asking for background information on Fife," IU associate head coach John Treloar said. "Houston was one of those teams." \nFife might have to decide his future before the Rockets do, however.\nTreloar said Fife also has several offers to play professionally overseas, which means he would have to accept a contract in the upcoming weeks. European teams begin training camp in early August. \n"He can accept the offer overseas, which guarantees money," Treloar said. "Or go to an NBA camp where there's no guarantee."\nNBA teams bring players ranging from highly-touted rookies to veteran journeymen to the camps, held in the cities of Boston, Orlando, Salt Lake City and Los Angeles. Several teams, including the Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies and Phoenix Suns, use these camps to evaluate players who could complement their roster. \nHunt said Houston is currently evaluating players from its summer league team and will make roster decisions in late August.\nFor draft picks with guaranteed contracts, such as Fife's ex-teammate, Washington Wizards rookie Jared Jeffries, camps allow them to adjust to professional competition. The camp is a learning experience for players such as Jeffries, who have plenty of NBA games in their future. \nFife, along with countless other free agents, doesn't have the luxury of a smooth transition to the NBA. He's fighting just to make the team. \nFife believed his work ethic would give him an advantage over players who had nothing to gain from the camp, Treloar said.\n"He felt some guys might not be in the best of shape," Treloar said of players who were assured of making an NBA roster. He also said Fife had spent the weeks leading up to camp conditioning with IU assistant coach Ben McDonald. \nAs to why Fife chose Houston, Treloar suggested that Fife's connection to Rockets head coach Rudy Tomjanovich might have influenced him. Fife's father, Dan, and Tomjanovich were teammates at the University of Michigan \n"He's great to coach," Hunt said. "We hope he can get an opportunity out of the deal"