September 30, 2002) -- The Toronto Raptors announced Monday their 2002 training camp roster. The club has invited 19 players to camp, including nine who were on last season’s roster.Lindsey Hunter, Lamond Murray and Nate Huffman will be attending their first Raptors camp after joining the team in the off-season. Hakeem Olajuwon will remain in Houston due to an injured back. The Raptors also announced the signing of five free agents: Guards Robert Conley and Jeff Myers, forwards Gioannis Giannoulis and Jerod Ward and centre Jelani McCoy.
Conley attended the Raptors’ 2002 free-agent camp in June and played for Toronto’s summer league entry in Utah where he was the second-leading scorer averaging 12.2 points in six games. Last season he played with Livorno Basket of the Italien Series A League.
Giannoulis has played his entire career in Greece, most recently with Panathinaikos AO Athens. Born in Toronto, Giannoulis is a two-time Greek all-star and a member of the Greek national team since 1996.
McCoy is a four-year NBA veteran with career averages of 1.3 points and 2.0 rebounds. He spent three seasons with the Seattle SuperSonics before signing as a free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers last season. McCoy was drafted in the second round (33rd overall) of the 1998 NBA draft after a standout career at UCLA.
Myers played last season with the NBDL champion Greenville Groove and averaged 10.0 points, 3.6 assists and 2.1 steals in 56 games. He was also named the NBDL Defensive Player of the Year.
Ward averaged a team-high 14.8 points with the Raptors’ 2002 Rocky Mountain Revue summer league team. He averaged 19.3 points and 5.6 rebounds with C.B. Granada in Spain during the 2001-02 season.
Training camp commences Tuesday, October 1 at the Manulife Financial Sportsplex and Healthy Living Centre at RIM Park in Waterloo, Ontario. The Raptors’ first preseason game will take place Tuesday, October 8 versus the Detroit Pistons at Air Canada Centre. The team will play eight preseason games concluding in Utah on Thursday, October 24.
Toronto Raptors 2002 Training Camp Roster
As of September 30, 2002