NBA draft: Jardine impresses at workout

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When he was a boy, Scoop Jardine used to wait outside the arena after Philadelphia 76ers games, holler at players like Allen Iverson and Dikembe Mutombo as they got into their cars, and then declare to his father, Im gonna have those cars some day.

That day could be approaching.

On Sunday morning at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Jardine and Kentuckys Doron Lamb worked out for the 76ers as part of the organizations ongoing pre-draft workouts. Jardinea Philly native who starred at Neumann-Goretti High School before enjoying a sterling five-year college career at Syracusehas already trained for a few NBA teams and says he has 18 workouts set up over the next 26 days.

Right now, Im turning a lot of heads, he said. My stock is really rising since the workouts started. My dream is just to be drafted. I dont know where but Im very confident Im going to be drafted come June 28.

While Jardines name is not included in many mock drafts, his confidence is not without merit. As the starting point guard on two No. 1 teams, he possesses all the intangibles to be a solid backup, if not a star, in the NBA. And while ex-Syracuse teammates Dion Waiters, Fab Melo and Kris Joseph might be considered more pro-ready, its no secret that Jardine was the engine that made the Orange purr over the past few years.

I went to college a boy and Im a man now, said Jardine, who averaged 14.7 points over Syracuses final three NCAA tournament teams to help the Orange advance to the Elite Eight this past season. I think coming to a team like the Sixers thats well-established and needs little pieces to make the team go, I think thats what I am. Im a great locker room guy. Im all about the team.

On top of the maturity, leadership and basketball IQ he forged while at Syracuse, Jardine has also worked hard to elevate the weaker aspects of his game. Since he graduated (with two degrees), Jardine has dropped more than 10 pounds, gotten quicker and has improved his shooting touch.

For his career at Syracuse, he shot just 45.5 percent from the field, 36.4 percent from three-point range and 68.6 percent from the foul line. Sunday at PCOM, however, he was drilling shots from all over the court.

I had a great workout, he said. I shot the ball really well, competed and played at a high level. And I showed them I got quicker.

The Sixers front office already knew a lot about the Philly kid coming in, but seemed to be impressed with Jardines hour-long workoutespecially with his energy. Afterwards, Philadelphias director of player personnel, Courtney Witte, called him a junkyard dog who might fit in well in head coach Doug Collins system.

He brings for Coach Collins that defensive mentalitydefense first, Witte said. He pressures the ball. Hes got long length. Hes relentless. Hes really tough mentally and a physical-type player.

For Jardine, Sundays workout represented not only an opportunity to impress his hometown team but also see family and friends for the first time in a few months, since his home base for training has been in southern California.

While out in Cali, though, he gets to enjoy at least one Philadelphia connection: Pooh Richardson. Jardine has been working out with Richardson, a Philly native who enjoyed a 10-year NBA career throughout the 1990s.

Thats like a dream come true, also being from south Philly, Jardine said. Hes really been a big brother to me since I got out there.

Jardine has also gotten advice and support from other current and former professionals, including his grandfather, Isaiah Wilson, who played in the NBA for Detroit and in the ABA for Memphis in the early 1970s. And he often discusses the pre-draft process with ex-Neumann and Syracuse teammate Rick Jackson, who went undrafted last year before beginning his professional basketball career in France.

I went and watched Rick when he was going through it last year, Jardine said. He had a lot of workouts like Im having. He tells me to always drink a lot of water and make sure youve got your mind right because coming into workouts you never know. I didnt know it was going to be just me and Doron Lamb today. Youve always gotta be ready.

Jardine, it seems, has been ready for his moment for more than a decade, ever since he yelled out to NBA players, collected autographs and decided thats who he wanted to emulate. And while playing for any NBA team would be a life-changing opportunity, getting a shot with the team he grew up rooting for would be even more surreal.

Scoop Jardine a 76er?

Thats the dream, he said. Im trying to make it into a reality.

Email Dave Zeitlin at djzeitlin@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter at @DaveZeitlin.

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