"There was a bonus for Marcus Camby when the Trail Blazers traded for him at midseason - a reunion with Portland assistant coach Bill Bayno.

Camby's relationship with Bayno goes back to the 6-11 center's days as a high-schooler in Hartford, Conn.

"We've known each other for 20 years now," says Camby, 36. "That's a long time."

At the time, Bayno was an assistant coach at the University of Massachusetts, the recruiting ace on coach John Calipari's staff.

Camby transferred schools and didn't play during his junior season, so he was under the radar at the time. Bayno received a phone call from a friend in Hartford.

"She said, 'I've got this 7-footer, and he's really good,' " Bayno says. "I thought, 'Yeah, OK, sure you do.' He was a sleeper at the time. Nobody knew about him."

Bayno drove to Hartford - an hour from the Amherst campus - to watch the youngster play in a summer-league game."