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Receiver McCready trying to catch scouts' eyes

By ANTONYA ENGLISH

© St. Petersburg Times, published February 28, 2001

TAMPA -- When talk starts about the first South Florida players expected to go in the NFL draft, Scott McCready isn't one of the names you hear.

But while offensive tackle Kenyatta Jones and kicker Bill Gramatica have been garnering attention, McCready quietly has been preparing himself, hoping to have his name added to that list.

The wide receiver from King High worked out in Bradenton on Feb. 20 with some of the top college players at a combine workout at the International Performance Institute on the Bollettieri campus of IMG Academies.

"I just want to make sure in the next few months that I do everything in my power to hopefully prepare me for that," McCready, 6-2, 190, said. "I want to make sure that at the end of every day, I know I've done everything I can to get myself prepared. At the end of the day, when the opportunity arises, you make it, you don't make it, at least I'll know in my mind I've done everything that I can."

McCready was among 12 players who participated in the workout. He is not attending the IMG Academy but is working out and training on his own. He was not invited to the NFL predraft combine last weekend, but that doesn't mean McCready has no chance at being drafted.

David Gibson, a Bucs sixth-round pick, also wasn't invited.

"I'd like to have been invited, but that's just the way things go," McCready said. "I'll have a pro day at school and hopefully some private workouts. I'll have my chance."

DIAMOND NOTES: During preseason drills, several players battled for starting positions, prompting baseball coach Eddie Cardieri to marvel over his club's depth.

The deep bench was highlighted last weekend. Mike Barclay, the starting rightfielder the past two seasons who lost the job this year, started two games against Minnesota, going 5-for-9 with two RBI in his second and third starts.

Mike Macaluso, who lost the battle for the starting shortstop job, earned his second start last week and went 3-for-5 and drove in three runs.

"Our depth is one of our strengths," Cardieri said. "It's good to have such a strong bench."

Particularly when injuries strike. Freshman Myron Leslie has tendonitis. He missed Sunday's game and is questionable today and Thursday. The pitching staff also is banged up. Rick Stegbauer, two years removed from rotator cuff surgery, still is unable to throw, and the relief pitchers are hurting.

"(David) Pringle is not ready to throw yet, but he's close," Cardieri said. "David Richtberg is not in the form he was last year and Keith Strickland is not in the form that he was two years ago. So our short relief corps is not quite right yet. But I feel like we're going to get there."

SCHEDULE CHANGES: Athletic director Paul Griffin said he is trying to sort out why Akron dropped the Bulls from its 2001 football schedule. He said he has called the school and the Mid-American Conference commissioner. "It appears to be a complex, conference situation, not something that just involves Akron," Griffin said. KOWAL HONORED: Jessi Kowal has been named Conference USA pitcher of the week. Kowal had four of the Bulls' five victories in last weekend's Wilson Tournament. He allowed six hits and struck out 11 in 161/3 shutout innings. MORE NATIONAL RECOGNITION: In its Feb. 12 edition, the Sporting News lists junior forward Altron Jackson as USF's "Best NBA Prospect."

- Staff writer Ernest Hooper contributed to this report. Antonya English covers South Florida athletics. She can be reached at (813) 226-3389 or at english@sptimes.com.

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