Workouts on the Horizon
By Travis Heath
for HOOPSWORLD.com
Jun 13, 2007, 23:02
With the NBA Draft just around the corner, the Utah Jazz has started the
process of setting up private workouts with draft prospects. The first
workout the team has scheduled is with Major Wingate a 6-goot-10 prospect
with an interesting story. That workout is scheduled to take place on Friday,
June 22nd.
Wingate started his collegiate career at the University of Tennessee where he
played quite successfully for three years at which point in time he was kicked
off the team by head coach Bruce Pearl for violating team rules. Wingate then
made the trek to Turkey and played there professionally last season.
At pre-draft in Orlando, Wingate exhibited toughness on the defensive end
and on the glass. He also demonstrated the ability to face-up and hit the
mid-range jumpshot when the defense didn't respect him.
Your friendly neighborhood columnist had the chance to catch up with Wingate
recently, and he discussed playing professionally overseas and whether or not
he believes that will help him as he prepares to make the transition to the
NBA.
"Yeah, I think it gives me a big advantage," Wingate asserted. "I think
coming to any NBA team, I'm used to those two-a-day three hour practices
overseas. I'm used to waking up at 5:00 in the morning and lifting weights
and then running after. Overseas, they work day in and day out. There's many
days where we spend 12 hours in the gym and don't even go home. People think
overseas is a joke, but they take what they do real serious. They take kids
out of school at 12-years-old. It's tough. I played in Turkey and we had a
16-year-old. He was thinking of dropping out of school. He's a 6-foot-10 lefty,
and he was real good. It's different over there. Overseas ain't no joke."
While Wingate hit a bump in the road at Tennessee, he's not a bad kid. He's
also a tireless worker, just the type Jerry Sloan and company typically take
a liking to. And as Wingate himself noted, his professional experience is
something likely to be viewed as a plus by NBA executives. Utah is looking
at Wingate as a possibility with the 55th overall pick.
Utah also has a workout scheduled with Dominic McGuire on Monday, June 25th.
McGuire, a 6-foot-8 swingman from Fresno State, had a great final day at
pre-draft in Orlando. His athleticism was quite impressive, and he showed
a willingness to hit the glass at both ends of the floor. He also showed a
willingness to get up in guys defensively and a good overall floor game
offensively as evidence by a number of pinpoint passes in traffic. He no
doubt increased his stock by playing so well to closeout the pre-draft camp.
McGuire, an early entry candidate, announced last weekend he signed with
agent Bouna Ndiaye of Comsport USA meaning he has now officially committed to
going pro next season. NBA scouts currently project McGuire to be a late
first round or early second round pick. The Jazz own the 25th overall pick
in the first round and are said to be taking a long look at drafting McGuire
with this pick.
http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_22319.shtml
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