PACERS PUT ELEY IN SUMMER LEAGUE

Bud Eley still faces some long odds of making the Indiana Pacers, but he has at least survived the first round of his battle.

Eley, a 6-foot-10 center, showed the Pacers enough during their rookie/free agent camp that concluded Sunday to be selected to play for Indiana's summer league team in Boston.

The former Southeast Missouri State University standout was one of 13 players picked to play in the league that began Monday with a game against a team from Germany.

Indiana's summer league team will also have games today against Philadelphia, Wednesday against Seattle, Friday against New Jersey, Saturday against Boston and Sunday against New York.

Of the 13 players who are participating in the summer league, five are under contract to the Pacers, including first-round draft pick Jeff Foster, a center from Southwest Texas State. A sixth player is expected to sign a contract soon, which leaves the other seven some long odds of being offered contracts.

Eley, Southeast's career leader in rebounding and blocked shots, was the 1999 Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year after leading the Indians to a best-ever OVC finish of second place. He attended the NBA's pre-draft camps but was not selected in last month's two-round draft.

Besides Eley and Foster, here is the rest of the Pacers' summer league roster:

Mike Campbell (G, Long Island-Brooklyn, 1998); Austin Croshere (F, Providence, '97); Damon Frierson (G, Miami, Ohio, '99); Al Harrington (F, St. Patrick's (N.J.) HS, '98); Jason Miskiri (G, George Mason, '99);

Cameron Murray (G, Louisville, '99); Frantz Pierre-Louis (F, Wagner, '99); Mark Pope (F, Kentucky, '96); Mate Skelin (C, Croatia); Shannon Smith (G, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, '96); Alvin Young (G, Niagra, '99).