The coaches sit on the side, mostly in silence except for an occasional barking for more talking on defense. Or, perhaps, to warn the players of the pick and roll. The top decision maker stands on the second level of the practice gym, eyeing potential draft picks.
All that’s at stake for the participants is their future. So they’ll occasionally sneak a glance at those on the side, wondering what they’re scribbling on their notepads.
“It’s hard not to think like that because you see guys with a pen and pad and they’re evaluating every step you make,” said Villanova forward Curtis Sumpter, one of four players at Washington’s private workout on Monday. “You try not to pay attention, but in the back of your mind you worry about if you make a mistake, what are they writing about you?”
It’s the life of players auditioning for jobs in the NBA. In Monday’s session, each came with a question mark: Sumpter has had two knee surgeries; scouts aren’t sure what’s the best spot for Boston College’s Jared Dudley; Virginia State forward Avis Wyatt played at a Division II school and North Carolina’s Reyshawn Terry is not a good ballhandler.
So each one wonders how they’re being judged. They run through a variety of drills for an hour, from one-on-one work to two-on-two games.
“I try not to think about it and focus on the workout,” Wyatt said. “I know if I play to mypotential in the workout, it will speak for itself.
“It’s good being an unknown prospect. They haven’t had as many looks at you so they don’t try to critique you as hard as the Division I guys. It’s fun.”
But Dudley says the only time he looks to make sure the coaches are watching is when he took his turn in a shooting drill.
“Because that’s what I’m trying to stress now,” he said. “But when we get to one-on-ones and two-on-twos, you won’t be unstoppable and you won’t make every shot. They want to see how you react when you score and how they react when someone scores on you.”
None of these players project to the Wizards’ first pick, the 16th overall. However, Wizards Vice President of Player Personnel Milt Newton must have liked something in Dudley, chatting with him for five minutes or so after the workout.
“Coaches are smart enough to see what guys are good enough and skilled enough,” Sumpter said, “and which guys they’d like to work with. Hopefully I can be one of those guys.”
Wiz notes
» Washington holds the 16th and 47th picks in the draft. The Wizards will work out Ohio State’s Daequan Cook, Fairleigh Dickinson’s Michael Peeples, Providence’s Dwight Brewington and Florida’s Lee Humphrey today.
» In Monday’s workout, Virginia State’s Avis Wyatt had the most impressive dunk. During a transition drill, he threw down a reverse dunk, taking the ball all the way down to his waist before unloading it two-handed over his head.
