TerryVandrovec

The Combine crowd

There’s a saying about the NBA Draft Combine: “Everybody is there.” OK. But who is everybody? As of Thursday, I’m able to expound upon that for you.

First, the logistics: The event is open only to NBA folks and approved media - no fans and no agents. But once you get in the door, things are pretty loose - folks just standing around watching hoops action spread out over as many as three courts. Two rows of folding chairs are reserved for NBA personnel, but the main bleachers and everything else is up for grabs.

There are a lot of NBA executives that you’ve never seen or heard of or seen. Ditto for nameless media types (like myself). That’s a good chunk of the room.
But there are also execs (Flip Saunders, Rod Thorn and John Hollinger) and media members (Seth Davis, Andy Katz, Fran Fraschilla, Ryen Russillo) that you do know.  

There’s the young former pros crew - guys like Tim Hardaway, Rod Strickland, Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

A few select guys represent the best of both worlds - former players and high-powered execs: Danny Ainge, Danny Ferry, Mitch Kupchak and Kiki Vandeweghe.

Dallas coach Rick Carlisle was hanging out - he really does look like Jim Carrey – along with Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni, who continues to walk with a pronounced limp from knee replacement surgery. Jerry Sloan’s presence isn’t doing much to kill reports that he’s looking to get back in the game. 

There are bunch of D-League coaches, too, some with jobs for next season and some without like Skyforce coach Joel Abelson and former Skyforce great Randy Livingston.   

Needless to say, it’s an accomplished and eclectic mix, and everybody seems to know everybody. No wonder so much information is leaked via anonymous sources.

I’ll be back in the mix Friday for the second and final round of workouts. Except copious tweeting. 

And now for the official combine measurements of South Dakota State’s Nate Wolters and Yankton’s Colton Iverson:
Wolters
Height without shoes: 6-3.5
Height with shoes: 6-4.75
Weight: 196.4
Wingspan: 6-3.75
Reach: 8-2
Body fat: 5.5 
Hand length: 8.25
Hand width: 8.75

Iverson
Height without shoes: 6-10.5
Height with shoes: 7-0
Weight: 262.8
Wingspan: 7-2
Reach: 9-2
Body fat: 9.6 
Hand length: 9.25
Hand width: 9.5

Terry Vandrovec also posts regular updates on his Twitter page.

Live chat 5/16

Another live chat in the books - this one focusing on the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago. 

Here’s a replay.

More coverage on Nate Wolters and Colton Iverson forthcoming. 

Terry Vandrovec also posts regular updates on his Twitter page.

Making sense of the NBA Draft Combine

This much we know: It has nothing to do with farm equipment. Beyond that, the NBA Draft Combine is a mystery. Or it’s at least not nearly as familiar to sports fans at the NFL version.

Personally, I think I’ve only watched a couple minutes of it - pretty sure Kemba Walker was sprinting between orange cones. That will change today and Friday when I attend the event in person in Chicago to cover South Dakota State guard Nate Wolters and former Yankton High big Colton Iverson.

Here’s some general event info that I’ve pieced together:

Per Mike Perrelli of the NBA’s basketball communications department, the event began in 1983 and was called the NBA Pre-Draft Camp. Over the years, it has bounced around to several locations in the Chicagoland area and has changed formats, most notably adding league-organized interviews of players by teams and the elimination of 5-on-5 play.
Workouts are not open to the public. In fact, videotaping of workouts is prohibited and there are rules about where agents can and can’t be. 

The current location is the Harrison Street Athletics Venue (pictured above via Chad Ford of ESPN). You’re probably more familiar with its former name: Attack Athletics. That’s the state-of-the-art gym built by super trainer Tim Grover, the man behind Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade.
Reportedly, the facility (or the people behind it, more specifically) filed for bankruptcy in 2012. 

Wolters faced a surprisingly high number of combine invitees during his time at SDSU. Among them: Trey Burke, Tim Hardaway Jr., (Michigan), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (Georgia), Isaiah Canaan (Murray State), Robert Covington (Tennessee State), Pierre Jackson (Baylor), Trevor Mbakwe (Minnesota), Tony Snell (New Mexico) and Iverson when he was at Minnesota.
It remains to be seen what players will or won’t do what activities. Some will opt to be measured and that’s it. 

How rare is it to have South Dakota prep or college players at the combine? That’s hard to say because there doesn’t seem to be a comprehensive list of participants. However, Mitchell’s Mike Miller attended in 2000 and was drafted fifth overall by the Orlando Magic out of Florida. In 2004, Jared Reiner of Iowa by way of Tripp attended. He was not drafted, but wound up playing parts of three seasons in the NBA.
Anybody aware of any others?

Finally, a programming note: Stop back here at 4 p.m. Thursday for a live chat on the first day of measurements and activities at the combine. 

Terry Vandrovec also posts regular updates on his Twitter page.

Scoring perspective

Sick of hearing about Nate Wolters’ 53-point performance from Thursday night at Fort Wayne? Then shield your eyes because this is a big national story and we’re going to keep exploring angles.

That output is an SDSU school record for any game, breaking the mark of 44 set by Dave Thomas (pictured above) on March 10, 1973.

It’s only third-most in Summit League history, although the top two marks - the only previous outings of 50 or more – were achieved in multiple extra sessions. NDSU guard Ben Woodside put up 60 in a triple-overtime loss to Stephen F. Austin in 2008, keyed by 30 of 35 at the foul line. He played 51 minutes.
Michael Watson of Kansas City scored 54 in a double-OT win over Oral Roberts in 2003. He played 50 minutes, going 19 of 35 from the field with 10 3s.
Wolters did his damage in 40 minutes. 

As for NCAA Division I lore, this is the highest total by anybody in a non-overtime game since Kentucky guard Jodie Meeks put up 54 in 2009. But 53 doesn’t even register in the top 25 of all-time - you need 60 to get there. The all-time mark is 72 set by Kevin Bradshaw of Alliant International against Loyola Marymount in 1991. Next on the list are legends Pete Maravich (69) and Calvin Murphy (68).

Here are the top 5 single-game performances in SDSU, Summit and D-I history:

SDSU
1. 53 - Nate Wolters 53 vs. IPFW, 2013
2. 44 - Dave Thomas 44 vs. Coe College, 1973
3. 41 - Tom Black vs. Morningside, 1964; Steve Lingenfelter vs. Grand View, 1980
5. 40 -  Kent Hyde vs. Augustana, 1957; Lingenfelter vs. Fresno State, 1980

Summit
1. 60 - Ben Woodside, NDSU, 60 vs. Stephen F. Austin, 2008
2. 54 - Michael Watson, UMKC, 54 vs. Oral Roberts, 2003
3. 53 - Nate Wolters, SDSU, 53 vs. IPFW, 2013
4. 47 - Jay Taylor, Eastern Illinois, 47 vs. Chicago State, 1989; Travis Bader, Oakland vs. IUPUI, 2013

NCAA
1.  72 - Kevin Bradshaw, Alliant International vs. Loyola Marymount, 1991
2. 69 - Pete Maravich, LSU vs. Alabama, 1970
3. 68 - Calvin Murphy, Niagara vs. Syracuse, 1968
4. 66 -  John Handlan, Washington & Lee vs. Furman, 1951; Maravich vs. Tulane, 1969

Terry Vandrovec also posts regular updates on his Twitter page.

Wolters’ World

Even if you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ve almost certainly heard by now that South Dakota State senior point guard Nate Wolters went bonkers last night in Fort Wayne, scoring a school record 53 points with nine 3-pointers in a win over the Mastodons.

Here are some other ways people have said as much:

Footage of the postgame press conference via WANE in Fort Wayne.

Wolters is getting first-segment treatment from SportsCenter this morning.

Yahoo! Sports is lauding the team approach taken by the St. Cloud Tech grad.

Matt Norlander of CBSSports.com, one of the first national writers to recognize Wolters, weighs in.

USA Today has a piece. 

Even sites I’ve never heard of (Breitbart Sports, anyone?) see this as front-page news.

And, of course, your very own Argus Leader - which has watched Wolters since before he had committed to SDSU - has coverage. Matt Zimmer says SDSU is the right place for the star and I’ve got a podcast taped late last night with Jacks radio voice Tyler Merriam.

We’ll have more later - I’m slated to speak to Wolters this morning, in between interviews with the Washington Post and Sirius XM.

Terry Vandrovec also posts regular updates on his Twitter page.

Emergency podcast: Wolters goes big

Nate Wolters made some history Thursday night and nearly broke the Intertubes in the process, putting up 53 points in an important Summit League road win over Fort Wayne.

That’s the most in a single game in South Dakota State history, breaking a mark that had been in place since 1973, and the most by any NCAA Division I player in a non-overtime game in four years.

His final line: 17 of 28 from the field, 9 of 14 from deep - a school record for makes - and 10 of 11 from the foul line for 53 points in 40 minutes. He also threw in four boards and three times.

We figured we better call a witness to make sure any or all of this actually happened. Enter Tyler Merriam, radio voice of the Jackrabbits, out guest on this emergency edition of the Too Much TV podcast.

Here’s the link. Here’s an alternate version, too. 

Oh, and here’s some film from the game.

Terry Vandrovec also posts regular updates on his Twitter page.