For former Colorado Sate Rams men’s basketball players, it’s a time of excitement in the lead-up to the NBA Draft.
On Monday, Antwan “Smooth” Scott told me his workout with the Sacramento Kings has become official and will take place on Wednesday.
On Saturday, it was Antwan Scott earning a workout with the Denver Nuggets. When we spoke to Scott, he said the workout went “great” as he worked as a point guard, handling the ball much of the time, and also showed off his defensive skills.
“At the NBA level, I can’t be a guy who’s just scoring all the time,” Scott explained. “I have to run a team and facilitate a team and make my niche by playing defense.
“I’ve spent a lot of days, working on, watching a lot of film of pick and roll reads, a lot of stuff like that with my trainer,” he said of the other end of the floor. “Defense, (learning how to) take angles, know how to bump, when to bump, not using my hands.”
Last Thursday, J.J. Avila tweeted about spending two days working out with the New York Knicks:
Thank you @nyknicks for giving me the opportunity to participate in camp these past two days.… https://t.co/pBYB8rGtzC
— JJ Avila (@NotLilJay) June 9, 2016
Avila played for CSU from 2013-15 and was a dynamic inside-out presence for Larry Eustachy’s teams.
Then, yesterday, Joe De Ciman worked out for the same Denver Nuggets. De Ciman, a four-year player under Eustachy, ended his Colorado State basketball career as the school’s winningest player. After the workout, he told the Denver media, “I love putting in the extra work.”
"I love putting in the extra work."#GoldProspects #Nuggets https://t.co/pbKNTkbHrc
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) June 13, 2016
We’re hoping one of the former Rams gets a shot at the NBA level, and for those who don’t, they earn a contract to continue their dreams overseas or in the NBA Developmental League.
