Kueth Duany could have celebrated on the Carrier Dome court Thursday night during Syracuse’s national championship ceremony. He could have waltzed through a tunnel of smoke and given a speech and listened to 25,000 fans chant his name.

He chose to play in a high-school gym instead.

While the Syracuse basketball team basked in a standing ovation, Duany put out a workmanlike, 12-point effort 500 miles away in Portsmouth, Va. He spent four days at the Portsmouth Invitational, a showcase for college seniors with NBA dreams.

“I wish I could have been (in Syracuse) and enjoyed everything that happened,” Duany said. “But as a basketball player, getting the chance to play in Portsmouth is just one of those things you want to do. It’s a great experience.”

For Duany, it came with plenty of sacrifice. After scoring 11 points in Syracuse’s NCAA Finals win over Kansas a week ago, Duany flew back to Syracuse on Tuesday just in time to pack for his next trip.

He accepted congratulations from a few friends and slept in his South Campus apartment before leaving for Portsmouth at 9 a.m. Wednesday.

“Winning the tournament barely had time to hit me,” Duany said. “One day I was playing for a national championship, and the next day, I was playing for a job. It didn’t give me too much time to celebrate.”

Once in Portsmouth, Duany played for the Portsmouth Sports Club, which finished third in the six-team tournament. He played with Indiana’s Tom Coverdale, UNLV’s Dalron Johnson and Arizona’s Rick Anderson, among others.

After the solid, 12-point performance Thursday, Duany scored just two in 16 minutes during a loss Friday night. Worse yet, he strained a muscle in his right foot. The injury kept him out for the rest of the tournament.

“Even with the injury, I think I showed enough,” Duany said. “There were a ton of agents and scouts there, and they know what I can do. I played well, and some people down there showed me some love.”

Duany hopes to get tangible evidence of that affection soon. He’ll know if he’s invited to the Chicago pre-draft camp — a better-known showcase held June 5 to 8 — within the next three weeks.

If Duany is invited, it might be because of the exposure he gained during Syracuse’s NCAA Tournament run.

“People kind of know me now because of everything that’s happened the past few weeks,” said Duany, who averaged 11 points and four boards this year. “In Portsmouth, everyone knew I was a winner. That helps big time. Winning the tournament really helps my chances.”

But, according to some, those chances still aren’t all that good.

“I really don’t think he’ll get drafted,” said one NBA scout who requested anonymity. “He knows how to play the game, and he’s got a lot of heart, but I just don’t see him as an NBA player.”

Published on April 13, 2003 at 12:00 pm