Ager, Brown And Davis Waiting Anxiously For NBA Draft
6/27/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
June 27, 2006
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The 2006 NBA Draft will be held Wednesday, June 28 in New York City. While basketball fans will tune into ESPN at 7 p.m. to watch who their favorite team will select, three Spartans, Maurice Ager, Shannon Brown and Paul Davis, will be watching closely to learn where their NBA careers will begin.
In what has been called one of the most unpredictable drafts in recent memory, it's tough to make an accurate assessment of where each player will be drafted. Of course that doesn't stop various mock drafts from appearing across the internet. Both Ager and Brown appear in the first round of most every mock draft, while Paul Davis is usually a late first round-early second round selection.
All three players, however, put very little stock in mock drafts and choose to concentrate on things they can control, like their individual workouts. Since Michigan State's spring semester ended in early May, all three players have spent a majority of their time fine-tuning their game and working out for several different NBA squads.
"It's a fun process, but it can also be tiring," said Brown, who had his last workout on Monday morning. "It's great to travel to these different cities, but it can also take a lot out of you. But once you step on the court, it's time to compete."
"It's exciting to prepare for a lifelong goal," said Ager. "But it's also stressful because you hear so many different things and you don't know what's true."
After years of balancing the many different responsibilities of being a student-athlete at Michigan State, Davis has enjoyed the singular mission of these workouts.
"I've enjoyed flying around the country and just worrying about basketball and becoming better as a player," said Davis.
Each player also credits his time at Michigan State for putting him on the verge of achieving a lifelong dream.
"Playing at Michigan State, with hard practices day-in, day-out, there's really nothing that I've been asked to do in a workout that I haven't seen before," said Davis. "As a Spartan, we learned how to play when we were sick, tired and hurt. It definitely helped me prepare for this journey."
"All the hard work at Michigan State taught me to be mentally tough and to learn to play through fatigue," said Brown, who notes that mental toughness has been critical as he jumps from one workout to another.
Ager echoed Brown's thoughts on mental toughness, but also saw value in the entire college experience.
"Being in college for four years helped me a lot," said Ager. "I matured both as a player and as a man. Coach (Tom) Izzo and the other coaches taught me a lot of things that I'll take with me to the NBA."
Even with all the preparation and hard work, it's hard for these college teammates to comprehend how close they are to reaching their goals.
"It's weird to think that the draft is almost here," said Davis. "For so long, it seemed far away."
"It hasn't set in yet," added Brown. "I've just focused on staying humble and trying to work hard. I'm sure it will set in once I hear my name called."
"I'm a little nervous, but it's also exciting," said Ager. "You don't know what to expect once it starts. It's such a whirlwind. Everyone says that it is a lifelong dream, but it truly has been for me. Getting drafted will mean a lot to me and my family. I'm thankful for everything I've been blessed with."
And while each player will celebrate the draft individually, Brown and Davis with private family get-togethers in Chicago, and Ager at the draft in New York, they will all be thinking of their teammates in addition to their own dreams. Three Spartans have never been selected in the first round of the same draft, although two players were selected in the 1979, 2000 and 2001 drafts. The 2001 draft also marked the only time that three Spartans were selected overall, as Jason Richardson (5th pick) and Zach Randolph (19th pick) were chosen in the first round and Andre Hutson was a second-round pick.
"We will be rooting for each other," said Davis. "It's a great accomplishment to have three players drafted, both individually and for the program."
"Having three guys that will be drafted says a lot about Michigan State," said Brown. "We get guys with a lot of talent and then help them get to the next level. It says a lot about the character of the players, coaches, staff and entire program."
For Ager, the possibility of being one of three draftees from the same program is just a product of being at Michigan State.
"It shows it's good to be at Michigan State," he explained. "Coach Izzo keeps producing great players, and us getting drafted is only going to help the younger players there now and all the recruits that go there."
Ager, Brown and Davis all understand that there are no guarantees regarding the draft. But if hard work is a prognosticator, expect good things for the Spartan trio.
Spartan NBA Draft Notes:
• Since 2000, seven Spartans have been selected in the NBA Draft, tied with UCLA for third most, behind only Duke (9) and Arizona (8).
• Along with Connecticut, Illinois and Kansas, Michigan State has had four first-round picks since 2000, ranking tied for fourth behind North Carolina (6), Duke (5) and Stanford (5).
• 53 Spartans have been selected in the draft.
• 14 Spartans have been selected in the first round of the draft.
• Two Spartans were selected in the first round in 1979 (Earvin Johnson - 1st, Greg Kelser - 4th), 2000 (Mateen Cleaves - 14th, Morris Peterson - 21st) and 2001 (Jason Richardson - 5th, Zach Randolph - 19th).
• The 2001 draft is the only time three Spartans have been selected (Richardson and Randolph - first round; Andre Hutson - second round).
