ATERBURY, Conn. - A would-be sports agent who claims he bought a promise to represent former University of Massachusetts basketball star Marcus Camby with $40,000 in gifts is suing the New York Knicks player for breach of contract.

John Lounsbury, of Wolcott, filed his lawsuit in Superior Court last month against Camby and his agents, ProServe of Washington D.C.

Lounsbury says Camby demanded money and gifts, including rental cars and jewelry, between October 1994 and April 1996 in exchange for a promise that Lounsbury would be Camby's agent once he turned pro.

``I believe too much emphasis has been placed on the wrongdoing of agents and not enough attention has been paid to the irresponsibility and greed of these professional athletes,'' Lounsbury's attorney, John Williams, said today.

Camby, 24, a former standout at Hartford Public High School, eventually signed with ProServe and was the No. 2 pick in the 1996 NBA draft.

In June 1996, UMass alerted the NCAA that Camby may have committed several violations by accepting cash and expensive jewelry from agents, including Lounsbury. Camby said he accepted thousands of dollars from Lounsbury in 1995 and two necklaces and a diamond pendant from Wesley Spears, a Hartford lawyer.

As a result of those allegations, UMass was stripped of its 1996 NCAA regional championship and was forced to return the money it earned by making it to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament.

In December 1997 Lounsbury agreed not to act as a sports agent for five years. That agreement with the state Department of Consumer Protection stemmed from his purchase of airline tickets for two University of Connecticut players, Ricky Moore and Kirk King . Former Connecticut star Ray Allen, now a star with the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks, also has admitted receiving gifts from Lounsbury.

Under Connecticut law, no damages are specified in lawsuits seeking more than $15,000 dollars. Williams said he will let a jury decide how much Camby should pay.

Phone calls this morning to the New York Knicks and a Hartford law office representing ProServe were not immediately returned.