NBA draft: Adebayo seeks to shed D-II label

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Its not often that a 7-footer flies under the radar.

But when Temi Adebayo walked onto the gym floor at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine on Tuesday morning, the rest of the players on hand for the 76ers pre-draft workout didnt know a thing about the big man.

It was kind of funny because they were asking where Im from, said Adebayo, who played two years at Division II Philadelphia University after transferring from Saint Josephs. They had never heard of the school. I said, Philly U. and they were like, Oh, where is that? I was like, Its in Philly, its a very small school.

But it was kind of fun. I think I matched up with them.

Of the nine players the Sixers brought in to work out over the past two days, Adebayo is the only one from a Division II school. On Tuesday, he was joined by four accomplished D-1 standouts in Xaviers Tu Holloway, Marquettes Darius Johnson-Odom, Seton Halls Herb Pope and Missouris Ricardo Ratliffe.

But Adebayo has something the rest of them dont: Hes 7 feet tall. And as the old saying goes, you cant teach height.

Due to my past season at Philly U., the Sixers called Coach Herb Magee, saw my videos and thought I should come here for a workout, Adebayo said.

Under the tutelage of Mageethe legendary Philadelphia University basketball coach and Naismith Hall of Famer whos won more career NCAA games than any other coachAdebayo said his game blossomed.

Whereas the Nigerian-born center from Montrose Christian School in Maryland used to be a raw athlete known primarily for his shot blocking, Adebayo became more of an offensive threat during his time with the Rams. This past season, he averaged 15.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, while helping Philly U. qualify for the NCAA Division II tournament. He was also second in his league in blocks (3.3 bpg) after leading all of Division II in that category as a junior (4.2 bpg).

It actually changed my game, Adebayo said of his time with Magee. Before I used to be a shot blocker. Thats what people knew about meblocking shots. But Coach Magee is an offensive-minded coach, so he helped me with my offense, my hook shots, my post movesstuff like that. So I think Ive improved the past two years. Im grateful for having him.

While happy with his decision to transfer to Philadelphia, Adebayo has no hard feelings toward St. Joes, where he averaged a mere 2.0 minutes per game during his first two seasons in college. In fact, he still goes back to the school often to work out and see friends.

So when the time came to play at PCOM, which is just down the road from St. Joes, Adebayo also felt comfortable. And it showed through with his performance as he blended right in with the rest of the D-I college stars.

I dont really pay attention to the level where you played, Pope said. In the NBA, you can play or you cant play. Thats pretty much how I stand on that.

Still, its very rare for a D-II player to get a shot in the NBA, especially someone as unpolished and unknown as Adebayo. But theres always hope. Thats what these pre-draft workouts are for: identifying the top talents, no matter where they come from, before the NBA Draft on June 28.

Hopefully Ill get more workouts from more teams, Adebayo said. Coming from a D-II school, people dont think highly of you. Hopefully theyll see me and see what I can do. I just have to keep believing in myself, keep believing in God and keep working hard.
I can make it if I get a chance.

E-mail Dave Zeitlin at djzeitlin@gmail.com

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