Maloney expects to sign with Houston

Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich told theex-Penn guard he would be signed soon in next few days Former Penn guard and 1995 graduate Matt Maloney said last night that Houston Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich has promised him a contract for the upcoming season. "As of now, I'm on the roster for the Rockets," Maloney said. The 1995 Ivy League Player of the Year and Penn's all-time leader in three-pointers impressed the Rockets at the Rocky Mountain Revue, the team's summer rookie and free-agent camp. Maloney joins his former teammate and backcourt mate Jerome Allen -- who recently inked a one-year deal with the Indiana Pacers -- as the only two Penn graduates currently in the NBA. Maloney said he will receive the league minimum salary. Quakers head coach Fran Dunphy said he was "very happy" for Maloney. "I think he'll take the opportunity and run with it," Dunphy said, adding Maloney and Allen "worked extremely hard in their careers at Penn." After being the last guard cut by the Golden State Warriors last season, Maloney played for the CBA's Grand Rapids Mackers, where he averaged 12.1 points per game and led the team with 5.5 assists per game -- good enough for 11th in the league. Maloney also sank 106 three-pointers, tying him for the team lead. He was invited to participate in the three-point shootout at the CBA's All-Star game weekend last season, but finished last in the event. Maloney struck paydirt at the Rockets camp this past summer, averaging 10.8 points per game -- second only to rookie forward Othella Harrington -- and added an additional five assists per game. "He played extremely well to the point where there's obviously some interest," Keith Glass, Maloney's agent, said. Maloney felt the camp improved his chances of making the squad. "There were a lot of good players," he said. "I got a chance to learn their system." Maloney joins a revamped Rockets squad that includes the recently acquired Charles Barkley, a 10-time All-Star forward and former league MVP. Maloney also will play alongside future-Hall-of Fame center Hakeem Olajuwon and All-Star guard Clyde Drexler. "We have a good chance to win it all," Maloney said. Houston won back-to-back NBA championships in the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons, but was swept by Seattle in the Western Conference semifinals last season. The Rockets training camp begins October 4 and lasts through October 10, although Maloney said he will be leaving this weekend for Houston. "We're very happy with him, and he's done a great job," Rockets spokesperson Tim Frank said. The Haddonfield, N.J., native transferred to Penn from Vanderbilt after his freshman season and, along with Allen, led the Quakers to three straight Ivy League titles and NCAA tournament appearances from 1993 through 1995. Maloney is also second in all-time steals for Penn and third in assists. He scored 37 and 36 points against American and Brown, respectively -- two of the highest individual scoring games in Penn history. Penn fans may get a glimpse of Maloney in pro action when the Rockets visit the Philadelphia 76ers at the CoreStates Center on January 10. · Another former Ivy League Player of the Year, 1996 Penn graduate Ira Bowman, who won the award his senior year, will attend the Indiana Pacers camp on October 1, according to Glass, who is also Bowman's agent. Bowman has spent the summer playing in the Australian professional league and may continue competing Down Under if the Pacers do not sign him, Glass said.

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