Ex-UF star, NBA player Dwayne Schintzius battling cancer

Former Brandon High School and University of Florida basketball center Dwayne Schintzius, a former first-round NBA draft pick and eight-year veteran, has been battling leukemia for several months and is receiving treatment at Tampa's H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute.

Schintzius, 41, successfully received a bone-marrow transplant from his brother, Travis, on Jan. 12. Upon improvement of his condition, Schintzius will be able to leave the hospital, although he will need to stay in a nearby apartment, a precaution in case there are any immediate complications.

Schintzius' family members, who have been staying with him at the hospital, did not comment.

Schintzius, 7-foot-1 and 260 pounds, is UF's fifth all-time leading scorer (1,624 points). He left the Gators in early 1990 after the firing of coach Norm Sloan and a dispute with interim coach Don DeVoe.

He was a first-round pick (the 24th overall selection) of the San Antonio Spurs in 1990. He also played for the Sacramento Kings, New Jersey Nets, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers and Boston Celtics, averaging 2.7 points and 2.5 rebounds over his career.

In 1996, Schintzius played the role of a Russian basketball player in the movie "Eddie,'' a film starring Whoopi Goldberg. Schintzius played himself in an episode of the cable-television series "Arliss."

In an interview last year, before his condition was diagnosed, Schintzius said he was at peace with himself after an injury-plagued basketball career.

"From time to time, I hear people say, 'Oh, Dwayne Schintzius, he was such a bust in the NBA,' but I played a lot of years, made pretty good money and made a nice life for myself,'' said Schintzius, who was working for a sports marketing firm at the time. "I've made some mistakes in my life, but I've matured.

"I do love life. You're going to have people who like you and people who don't. I've come to grips with that. I am who I am. I'm looking forward to what's ahead for me.''