This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2006, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Jackson Vroman knows quality.
A former Viewmont High School and Snow College star, Vroman is back in Utah auditioning for the Dallas Mavericks during the Rocky Mountain Revue at Salt Lake Community College.
His one other tryout this summer: Miami.
"It's pretty self-explanatory," Vroman said Saturday night. "They are the two best teams" in the NBA.
At this point, Vroman would prefer an invitation to training camp from the reigning Western Conference champion Mavericks.
"I'm hoping [to stay] here," he said. "I like they way they play. They run. They play defense. So I'm hoping."
After playing collegiately at Snow and Iowa State, Vroman was taken in the second round of the 2004 draft by Chicago and immediately traded to Phoenix.
Midway through the season, the Suns traded Casey Jacobson, Maciej Lampe and Vroman to New Orleans for Jim Jackson and a second-round draft pick.
Last year, Vroman played in 41 games for the Hornets before his season abruptly ended in a game against the Jazz.
On Feb. 22, Vroman took a pass from Chris Paul and dunked. He slipped slightly on takeoff, however, and that threw his timing off.
Vroman tried to hang on the rim to regain his balance, but fell awkwardly to the floor. As he tried to brace himself for the impact, his wrist shattered.
He underwent immediate surgery. A T-shaped plate and nine screws were inserted to hold his wrist together. Four months of rehabilitation followed.
In Dallas' 93-92 overtime win over Atlanta on Saturday night at the Revue, Vroman made two huge plays in the final moments of regulation.
His steal and free throw helped the Mavs tie the game, 79-79, with 2:11 remaining.
Then, with 50.4 seconds left in a tie game, he drew a charge from the Hawks' Marvin Williams.
Vroman finished with seven points, six rebounds and two steals in 18 minutes.
"I'm not a big stat guy," he said. "[But] I bring energy, defense, rebounding. Some of the intangibles."
Jazz lose to 76ers
The Jazz suffered their first loss of the Rocky Mountain Revue, when Louis Williams scored 27 points and Steven Smith added 23 to help Philadelphia rally to an 81-74 victory over Utah.
First-round draft pick Ronnie Brewer led the Jazz with 17 points, while Deron Williams and C.J. Miles contributed 14 points each. But Utah squandered a 15-point first-half lead and was outscored 47-30 in the second half.
The 76ers, who made 32 of their 45 free throws, improved to 2-0 in the summer league despite playing without first-round draft pick Rodney Carney (hamstring), second-round draft pick Bobby Jones (hamstring) and veteran center Shavlik Randolph (personal reasons).
In the other game, Taquan Dean's three-pointer with 38 seconds remaining lifted San Antonio to a 73-70 victory over Seattle.