"I like being here," he said. "It's fun for me because it's my hometown and it's a very disciplined system as well."

Johnsen was among 17 campers on hand when the Jazz opened camp Monday morning for the eight-team Rocky Mountain Revue, which begins Friday at Salt Lake Community College.

Fourteen of them — everyone except 2007 draft choices Morris Almond and Kyrylo Fesenko, and 2008 first-round pick Kosta Koufos — do not have NBA contracts.

That includes ex-Indiana Pacer and former Orlando Magic small forward Johnsen, who briefly played last season for the NBA Development League's Jazz-affiliated Utah Flash and most recently played pro ball in Turkey.

He also spent the previous season in France.

If an NBA opportunity doesn't pan out, Johnsen hopes his overseas career will get a boost from his Revue performance.

"I understand the Jazz have very limited roster spots. They know who I am. For me it's just a chance to get more exposure," he said. "I didn't think I'd be doing summer league still this late in my career, but I've kind of seen that it's sort of a good way for me to get looked at by overseas scouts and by other teams."

KOUFOS TO CHINA? While rookie Koufos gets his first taste of NBA life at the Revue, his Greek national team is busy trying to advance to the upcoming Olympic Games.

If they do — a FIBA qualifying tourney is currently under way in Athens — the door to his playing in Beijing, Koufos said Monday, remains "open."

"As of now I'm on the roster, but right now I'm not worried about it," he said. "This (the Revue) is the main priority for me."

Koufos said Greek officials "know this is mandatory."

The former Ohio State center was born in the United States, but he holds dual citizenship via his Greek heritage.

ALUMNI UPDATE: With his 12-year playing career having come to a close after leading the Idaho Stampede to a D-League championship earlier this year, ex-Jazz guard Randy Livingston now is eyeing the coaching profession.

Livingston will spend the next two weeks observing and working with the Jazz's Revue staff. He has head coaching aspirations but doesn't have a job lined up for next season — in Utah or elsewhere.

"It's just me coming and trying to learn as much as I can, and getting started," said Livingston, who played 203 games for 10 teams, including 17 with the Jazz during the 2004-05 season.

MISC.: Jazz Revue camper and 2005 Los Angeles Clippers lottery pick Yaroslav Korolev worked out last week in Dallas' summer camp. Korolev played 34 games over two seasons for the Clippers but spent last season in Russia ... Ex-Washington Wizards big man James Lang, a former Jazz training camp participant who played last season for the Flash, is among 10 players on the D-League Ambassadors all-star team Revue roster that was released Monday. ... Flash assistant coach Dale Osbourne will serve as an assistant on the Ambassadors staff, which will be headed by ex-DePaul University and current Tulsa 66ers D-League coach Joey Meyer.

---

E-mail: jody@desnews.com; tbuckley@desnews.com