Raptors ink Dials; first stop: Las Vegas

The Boardman graduate hopes to earn a training camp invitation.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
The last time Terence Dials played in a real basketball game, he was still a senior at Ohio State dreaming of a national championship.
Today in Las Vegas, he returns to the court with a different dream.
"It's going to feel good to get back on the court," said Dials, a Boardman High graduate. "I'm just going to try and impress some people and show them what they can do."
Dials, who was not selected in last week's NBA draft, was picked up by the Toronto Raptors for their summer league team. He will spend the next two weeks trying to earn an invitational to the Raptors' training camp in late September.
Dials will play five games in the Toshiba Vegas Summer League before joining the Dallas Mavericks' summer league team in a few weeks.
Position need
"My agent wanted to put me in a situation where I can thrive," Dials said during a phone interview from Las Vegas on Wednesday. "He wants me to be successful and show what I can do. Probably the most important thing is that the teams needed someone at my position."
Dials is one of 13 players on the Raptors' summer league roster, which also includes No. 1 overall pick Andrea Bargnani and second-round pick P.J. Tucker.
Dials' former Ohio State teammate, 7-foot center Velimir Radinovic, is also on the team. Radinovic is a Toronto native.
Another one of Dials' college teammates, guard Je'Kel Foster, was signed by the Cleveland Cavaliers and will play on their summer league team in Vegas.
There are eight rookies on Toronto's summer league roster, including Dials. The other five players have one or two years of pro basketball experience.
"They're looking for big guys, so it's a good situation for me," said Dials, a 6-9 power forward.
Rebounding focus
The Raptors were ranked 30th in the league on defense last year, so Dials will concentrate on defense and rebounding.
"[Raptors coach Sam] Mitchell said to me, 'Do what you do best,' " said Dials, the Big Ten Player of the Year last season. "Be tough, play good defense and rebound. They weren't a great defensive team last season.
"They got a lot of guys who can score -- in the NBA, guys are gonna score buckets -- so if I come in there and shoot all the time, I'm not going to impress anybody. I'm just going to play as hard as possible and rebound my tail off."
Dials averaged 15.3 points and eight rebounds a game to lead Ohio State to a 26-6 record and the Big Ten's regular-season title with a 12-4 mark last season.
If Dials is signed by an NBA team this fall, he could be assigned to play in the National Basketball Developmental League. He said he would only choose that option if he had a guaranteed contract.
"If it's not guaranteed, I'd probably look elsewhere," he said. "Right now, I'm just focusing on making it to the NBA."
Dials' first game is today at 7 p.m. against the Washington Wizards. There are four or five games each day, with every league team playing five games. All games will be played at the COX Pavilion on the UNLV campus.
Dials' final game with the Raptors will be July 14 against Minnesota. For more details, visit www.nba.com/raptors.
scalzo@vindy.com