PORTLAND — Between them, Matt Clement and Billy Thomas have hit jump shots before dozens of fans in Castine, Belfast, Ireland, and Boise, Id. — and in front of thousands in Cleveland and Landover, Md.

Now, the long-and-winding basketball careers of Clement, a wide-eyed hopeful, and Thomas, a grizzled veteran, have intersected at the 3,100-seat Portland Expo. Along with 13 others, they are hoping to make a strong enough impression on Maine Red Claws brass to earn a spot on the new NBA Development League franchise, which is affiliated with the Boston Celtics and Charlotte Bobcats.

Red Claws training camp tipped off last weekend with the team in hasty preparation for its inaugural season, which opens in just 10 days in Sioux Falls, SD. Clement, a former star at Lawrence High School of Fairfield and Maine Maritime Academy, is one of three players invited to training camp following a tryout held in Boston last month. Thomas is a veteran of four NBADL seasons with two league championships as well as NBA stops in New Jersey, Washington and Cleveland on his resume.

Both are in Maine because it gives them an opportunity to impress scouts and, ultimately, they hope, get promoted to the NBA. At the Claws’ media day session Monday, Thomas explained that getting the NBA to take notice is what the Development League is all about.

“There’s a lot of competition,” said Thomas, a former University of Kansas star who is the team’s elder statesman at 33. “You’re going to see a lot of guys scratching tooth-and-nail, saying, ‘that spot that you’ve got, I’m going to fight you for that spot.'”

Clement, 27, played 11 games for the Belfast Star of the All-Irish Superleague in 2007-08. Since then, he’s been playing in various leagues around Portland, but the thought of playing in the NBADL never crossed his mind until Portland was awarded a franchise last February.

“I was just as excited to hear about that as a fan,” he said. “There was a 3-on-3 tournament that myself and some friends won in Portland which gave us a free tryout down to Boston, so I figured it was worth a shot and it turned out well.”

Clement, who works for an educational services company in South Portland, trained hard to get ready for camp, then spent the first two days of double sessions trying to get up to speed.  

“There’s lots to learn,” said Clement, a 6-foot-7 forward. “The pace is a little quicker than what I’m used to, but I’m having a good time. I’ve got to pick up as much as a I can. There are a lot of experienced guys here, so I’m definitely trying to pick up a lot from them, as well as the coaches.” 

Maine went into camp with a roster of 15 players drawn from league and expansion drafts and tryouts. It needs to trim its roster to 12 by Wednesday. Clement’s chances of sticking with the squad have been enhanced by a rash of injuries that have sidelined four players for the start of training camp. 

The walking wounded includes the Claws’ first round draft pick, Paul Harris from Syracuse. The 6-foot-6 forward has a fracture in his right foot that could keep him out for another three weeks.

Harris’ athleticism is missed, said Portland coach Austin Ainge, who has the unenviable task of cobbling together an expansion roster with nearly one-quarter of the players unable to show him what they can do on the court.

“The theme so far has been dealing with a lot of guys out,” said Ainge, the son of Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge.
“It’s been very frustrating from my perspective, with such a short window, to get things done without a lot of key players. We have to make cuts soon and it’s hard to evaluate and even practice with so few guys.”

“We just do the best we can and try to teach some of  the guys that are hurt on the chalkboard,” he added.

The Red Claws have two public scrimmages before the season starts, including one sold-out event at Edward Little High School on Thursday. They also have their first exhibition game against Springfield on Nov. 23 at the Augusta Civic Center.

Maine hosts its first game on the Expo’s new parquet floor on Dec. 4. That game is sold out. The team’s season ticket base is 1,400, and group and individual ticket sales have been brisk. Owner Bill Ryan, Jr. said it’s a sign that Mainers are excited about basketball, and the start of training camp takes his excitement to another level.

“Seeing these guys on the court makes it real,” said Ryan, who also owns Oxford Plains Speedway. “For a long time, it’s been about selling tickets and putting together sponsorships and ordering floors and getting hoops and that kind of stuff, but now it’s about basketball.” 

The only Maine-native on the NBA D-League’s Maine Red Claws, Matt Clement, a graduate of Lawrence High School in Fairfield, films a video spot during the team’s media day Monday in Portland. The basketball team, a Development League affiliate of the Boston Celtics and the Charlotte Bobcats, will have their first game at the Portland Expo on December 4.

Maine Red Claws training camp roster:

No. Name Pos. Hgt. College

10 Abdulai Jalloh PG 6-2 James Madison

11 Will Blaock PG 6-0 Iowa St.

12 Billy Thomas SG 6-5 Kansas

13 Gary Ervin PG 5-10 Arkansas

14 Frank Young SF 6-6 West Virginia

15 Tony Bobbitt SG 6-4 Cincinnati

17 Darnell Lazare PF 6-8 LSU

19 Scooter McFagdon SG 6-5 Tennessee

21 Paul Harris SF 6-6 Syracuse

24 Anthony Terrell PF 6-6 UNC-Wilmington

32 Stanley Thomas SF 6-5 Robert Morris (IL)

33 Matt Clement PF 6-7 Maine Maritime

34 Noel Felix PF 6-9 Fresno St.

44 Tyrelle Blair C 6-11 Boston College

50 Mike Williams C 6-11 Bryant College