Daniel Russ

Kenny Brady

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — For Daniel Russ of Louisville, Ky., and Kenny Brady of Cincinnati, Ohio, both class of 2006, the ride hasn't ended.

Three months after their whirlwind 2005-06 NCAA Division III men's basketball season ended with an appearance in the national championship game in Salem, Va., Russ and Brady have received invitations to play in several summer events. They hope that their summer travels, including a unique trip to Chiapas, Mexico, and the hard work that is going along with it will turn heads among professional basketball scouts.

For Russ, a two-time first-team All-North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) performer, the summer journey begins with an invitation-only professional tryout camp in Fountain Valley, Calif., from June 8-11. He will leave the event, which will attract many of the top players from the nation hoping to impress scouts from both the National Basketball Association (NBA) and leagues around the world, a day early to hook up with Brady and 11 other small college players south of the border on June 11.

Russ and Brady will then play together in the Governor's Cup, an event in Chiapas that features six teams comprised of American college players, local semi-professional players and members of the Mexican Olympic team. Each team, which will play four games in an eight-day span, will include two American college players and at least one national team player.

"This is just too great an opportunity; we couldn't turn this down," said Russ, who finished his career ranked No. 9 in school history in career points. "We know the people we're going with so that will help make this a great experience. Plus, we'll get a chance to play against and with a lot of players we haven't seen before."

The trip is organized each year by Hope College Head Coach Glenn Van Wieren and Hope alum Vern Sterk, a missionary with his wife, Carla, for the last 35 years in the area. Hope Assistant Coach Chad Carlson is accompanying the players on this year's trip.

All expenses are being picked up by Pablo Salazar, the governor of Chiapas. An avid basketball fan and close friend of Sterk, Salazar will host the players on several occasions at his mansion.

Daniel Russ and Kenny Brady celebrate during a game against Wooster in February.

The American college players are asked to bring just one thing besides their love of basketball and willingness to test their skills against bigger and better competition. Each player must bring a bag of clothes from their institution that can be distributed to Mexican children who attend the games. Wittenberg Head Coach Bill Brown is helping Russ and Brady out in that area by donating out-of-date team uniforms, practice jerseys, T-shirts and warm-ups.

While the trip is just as much social experience as it is athletic, Brady said he looks forward to gauging his ability against professional basketball players.

"I think we're both looking forward to seeing how we match up with top-quality players," said Brady, a two-time All-NCAC honoree who topped 900 points in his collegiate career. "We'll be able to see what we need to work on."

Shortly thereafter, Russ and Brady will both participate in an invitation-only professional tryout camp scheduled for June 22-25 in West Palm Beach, Fla.

While the teammates will return to Springfield for much of the rest of the summer, they will keep busy. They will suit up together in the famed McDonald's Summer League in Worthington, Ohio, playing for a team called City Wide. The league annually attracts some of the top collegiate and professional talents in the country, including many current and former Ohio State University players. Current and former NBA All-Stars, including Jim Jackson, Ron Harper and Michael Redd, are among those players who gained valuable experience early in their careers in the 25-year-old competition formerly known as the Worthington Summer League.

In addition, Russ and Brady will serve as instructors for the annual Wittenberg basketball camps. The 2006 camps are scheduled for June 15-16, June 18-21, June 24, June 26-27, June 29-30, July 16-19 and July 22.