GREENBURGH, N.Y. — Brooklyn native Levance Fields will work out for the Knicks on Thursday.
The 5-foot-11 Fields is a tough, hard-nosed point guard who led Pitt to the No. 1 ranking and an Elite 8 appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
A streaky shooter who was overweight last season after undergoing two foot surgeries, Fields likely will go undrafted and will then have to find a spot as a free agent or go overseas.
“A lot of people say it’s almost better not to be drafted than to go in the second round. Then you can pick your team and see who has a need,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon, the Naismith National Coach of the Year, told us recently.
Keith Glass, Fields’ agent, said several teams, including the Orlando Magic and Chicago Bulls, have expressed interest in having Fields join their summer league teams if he is not drafted.
“There’s been a lot of interest,” Dixon said. “A lot of maneuvering to figure out which teams he’s going to be with, what days, when they’re bringing in guards.”
Fields averaged 11.2 points and 8.2 assists and was the emotional leader for the Panthers, who lost to Big East rival Villanova in the Elite Eight, but had dreams of winning a national championship. He showed a knack for hitting big shots, including two late 3-pointers that he drained in the team’s upset of then-No. 1 UConn in Hartford.
“We want to get him in the best shape that he’s been in,” Glass said. “He’s not been able to be in great shape because of the injuries. Every team in the league loves the way he plays, but their concern has always been his conditioning and the shape that he’s been in.”
“He’s been hurt the last couple of years,” Dixon said. “If he’s not injured, I think he shoots a higher percentage.”
Also slated to work out in Greenburgh, N.Y. Thursday are Georgia Tech senior F Alade Aminu, Texas senior forward Connor Atchley, Talladega senior center Jeral Davis and Gonzaga senior guard Micah Downs.
