CHICAGO -- Vince Hunter never has been in the Detroit Pistons' practice facility and was not among the players the team interviewed this week at the NBA draft combine, but the opportunity to play for the team would mean more to him than many other draft prospects.

The Consortium High School product could come home.

"Detroit kid, grew up watching the Detroit Pistons, and just loved the toughness that they bring, that comes with that," Hunter said this week, shaking his head at the thought that two years after high school, he might play for his hometown team.

"I would love playing for the Detroit Pistons at home. They're a rebuilding team and I would love to be a part of that," Hunter added.

Granted, it's a longshot.

Hunter is projected as a low-second-round or undrafted forward after averaging 14.9 points and 9.2 rebounds last season at Texas-El Paso.

"I'm predicted to go undrafted but the dream hasn't come true yet," Hunter said. "If I do go undrafted, I'm going to take one day at a time and get better. If I have to play in the Developmental League, I'll just take that as an opportunity and a blessing, and play hard."

Hunter might have used more college seasoning, but after his sophomore season, he decided to come out for the June 25 draft.

"Just chasing my dream," he said. "I want to provide for my family. Just chasing the dream, I think I have a great opportunity, and I took it and ran with it."

DRAFT COMBINE NOTES

Not the worst thing, no: One of the players the Pistons are known to have interviewed this week was Wisconsin's Sam Dekker. The 6-foot-9 range-shooting forward was asked if he could see himself stretching the floor for the Pistons, and made it clear he wasn't interested in pegging himself on any specific roster. "That wouldn't be the worst thing ever," Dekker replied. "But I can't really put myself out there as, 'I want to go here, I want to go there.' I don't really have an opinion like that. I'm just trying to get on a roster, then move my way up (the draft boards) and play well, and enjoy this process. If I do things the right way, it'll fall into place, and it'll be a good fit, and everything will happen the way it should. So I can't get too caught up in this team, this team, this team. I've just got to be me and try to find a good fit, and everything will take care of itself."

Pistons interview subjects: Each team was allowed to request interviews with up to 18 of the 63 players at the draft combine. Requests are prioritized by the teams then reviewed by the league, and as many of the requests as possible, within the time frame, are granted. The Pistons are known to have talked to nine players, including Dekker, Devin Booker, Willie Cauley-Stein, Tyler Harvey, Dakari Johnson, Stanley Johnson, Frank Kaminsky, Myles Turner, and Rashad Vaughn. There will be ample opportunities to interview and work out other prospects when the team begins hosting players for individual workouts, though that scheduling won't begin until after Tuesday's draft lottery.

Eagle eye: Harvey, one of the Pistons' interview subjects, was the NCAA Division I scoring leader last year, at 23.1 points per game, for Eastern Washington. That's the same school that produced longtime Piston Rodney Stuckey, now of the Indiana Pacers. Stuckey was an Eagle long before Harvey, but has reached out to the player, who wasn't even recruited by small colleges and walked on at EWU. "He actually gave me a text not too long ago, just to help me out a little bit with the process," said Harvey, who was a remarkably consistent collegian, shooting 43 percent on 3-pointers each of his three years. He made four 3-pointers per game last year as a junior.

Sounds good: The quizzes teams give to prospects always produce some interesting questions. How many pennies in $1 million? If a bat and ball cost $1.10, and the bat costs $1 more than the ball, how much does the ball cost? (The answers, of course, are 100 million and five cents, respectively). Then there are the questions that make you wonder just what the purpose was, like Louisville's Montrezl Harrell received -- "What would be the ideal meal you would cook for your girlfriend?" Harrell answered with chicken alfredo, broccoli, and garlic bread.

Almost a wrong-way assist: Brothers, guards, and former University of Kentucky teammates Aaron and Andrew Harrison found themselves on opposite teams in a scrimmage this week. Aaron Harrison said he thought for a moment, at one point, that he might get an easy basket at his brother's expense. "One time they passed him the ball, and we were running down the court, and I seriously thought he was going to pass it to me," Aaron Harrison said.

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