May 26, 2006

Saint Louis head men's basketball coach Brad Soderberg today announced that junior center Ian Vouyoukas (Athens, Greece) has been invited to attend the 2006 NBA Pre-Draft Camp which will be held June 6-10 at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla. The Pre-Draft Camp annually invites prospects to work out and be evaluated by NBA coaches, general managers, scouts and front office personnel.

"This is the chance of a lifetime for Ian, and I'm excited for him," Soderberg said. "This is the premier NBA camp, and every franchise will have people there evaluating him. I know Ian is excited, and this will give him the opportunity to showcase his skills."

"I'm thrilled to get invited to the NBA Pre-Draft Camp," Vouyoukas said. "This will be a wonderful opportunity for me to show what I can do against some of the other top NBA prospects."

After his breakout junior year, the 6-foot-10, 270-pound Vouyoukas was named the Billikens' Most Valuable Player, selected first-team All-Atlantic 10 Conference and received the A-10's Chris Daniels Most Improved Player award. He ranked 14th in the A-10 in scoring at 13.9 points per game, sixth in rebounding at 7.4 rebounds per game, fourth in blocked shots at 1.9 blocks per game and 13th in free throw percentage at .725. He shot 54.8 percent from the field, which would have led the A-10 but did not meet the minimum made. Vouyoukas holds the Bills' team record for blocked shots by a junior with 55, which ranked third on the Bills' all-time single-season list.

In April, Vouyoukas declared his eligibility for the National Basketball Association draft. He has not hired an agent and has kept open the option of returning for his senior season. Vouyoukas has until June 18 to remove his name from the early entry list.