- Slug: Sports-Draft Workout,500
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By RYAN HOWES
Cronkite News
PHOENIX – Sixty players will hear their names called June 25 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, for the 2015 NBA Draft. The vast majority of collegiate basketball players eligible for the draft will not. Many of those likely to be left on the outside looking get the opportunity to showcase their abilities to coaches and scouts at predraft workouts hosted by teams across the league.
The Phoenix Suns wrapped up the second day of their predraft workouts on Wednesday at US Airways Center. Six players attended the workout – Kentucky’s Aaron Harrison, Gonzaga’s Kevin Pangos, Gerald Beverly from Daemen College, Dayton’s Jordan Sibert, Louisiana Tech’s Kenneth Smith and Seth Tuttle from Northern Iowa.
Aside from Aaron Harrison getting some late second-round consideration, one thing all the players had in common was the lack of notice from mock drafts around the country.
“There’s obviously different levels of guys,” Phoenix Suns coach Jeff Hornacek said. “You’re just trying to see those guys that want to push themselves to the next level.”
Harrison, a product of NBA prospect factory Kentucky, stands to be one of only a handful of Kentucky starters over the last few years that could go undrafted. Still, he was the most noticeable name at the Suns workout Wednesday morning.
“There’s a reason those guys go to Kentucky,” Hornacek said. “They’re pretty darn good players. He’s got a good feel for the game when you watch him in half-court situations, he’s got a good read of where guys are and he shot the ball well in the drills.”
Kenneth Smith showcased his athleticism and made a strong impression in one of those drills. Prospects run the length of the court as many times as possible in three minutes. Smith barely missed the Suns record in the drill by one-and-a-half lengths, finishing with 27.
For players like Smith, Pangos and Tuttle, who come from smaller schools, draft workouts can serve as a platform to help propel their NBA aspirations.
“Everyone has their own path, that’s what makes this unique,” Pangos said. “I’m just going to work really hard and try to prove myself.”
Pangos’ hard work didn’t go unnoticed by Hornacek during the Suns workout.
“Obviously Pangos is known as a guy who can shoot the ball well, but I think Pangos also showed some of that leadership ability where he can get out there and direct traffic,” Hornacek said.
Tuttle, a three-year starter with the Panthers, knew what to expect when it came to college and his team. But that changed with the start of the draft process.
“Now it is different everyday. I was just in L.A. yesterday, now I’m in Phoenix working out with the Suns,” Tuttle said.
Not to confuse his hectic schedule with frustration, Tuttle still sees the bright side in all of these workouts.
“It’s an awesome experience, something that a lot of kids dream of doing, so its been fun.”
