The beat goes on: Rapper Master P on Hornets roster

By LEONARD LAYE

Sports Editor

Vlade Divac may be gone. Glen Rice may be injured.

But the music hasn't died in Charlotte. The beat just picked up, for a couple weeks, anyway.

Percy Miller, better known as rap star Master P, has been added to the Hornets' training camp roster.

Miller will be one of 15 players in Fort Mill today for the opening of camp but he's a long shot to stick for the regular season. A former high school star in New Orleans, the 6-foot-4 guard has limited experience.

He briefly played college ball at Houston and until recently was with the Continental Basketball Association's Fort Wayne Fury.

He has been much more of a hit in music. He started a record company, No Limit, and has turned it into a multi-faceted, music-production sports agency business, grossing $56 million last year, according to the Associated Press.

His company's clients include NBA players Ron Mercer, Derek Anderson and Hornets rookie Ricky Davis. Mercer and Davis left top agents, David Falk and Arn Tellem, to go with Master P.

Basketball, however, is his first love. He played in a recent Houston exhibition with NBA players, scoring 23 points. Wednesday, he planned to take an overnight flight from Los Angeles to arrive in time for a physical and the start of camp.

His first public appearance with the Hornets comes Saturday in a 12:30 p.m. scrimmage at the Charlotte Coliseum. Doors open at 11:45 a.m. An autograph session with players and coaches follows. Admission is free.

``He just has a passion for basketball,'' said Hornets vice president Bob Bass. ``He really wants to try out, to go to an NBA camp.''

He got the invitation Wednesday after Davis' father, Tyree Davis, talked to Bass and the coaches. Bass watched a tape of Mller playing, then gave the OK.

``We're just going to give him a shot and see how he looks against some NBA players,'' Bass said.