After taking more than a week off because of the lottery, the Jazz resumed workouts this morning with more potential second rounders. Also, with the entry deadline passing, the team got it's first look at some of the declaring underclassmen.

Continuing the trend from last week, big men were the focus of the workout. Players attending were St. Josephs Dwayne Jones, Florida's David Lee, Gonzaga's Ronny Turiaf, and Iowa State's Jared Holman.

"There three seniors and a junior. What we're looking for is what they're going to bring to the table," noted Jazz VP Kevin O'Connor. "Are they going to bring some intensity? Are they going to bring some ability to run the floor? Are they going to bring some ability to defend? I think all of them are probably undersized, but what are they going to bring?"

"All four of them have been through the wars, so to speak. Both David and Ronny have played in a lot of NCAA (tournament) games. Jared having played at Iowa State, and certainly Dwayne went to the final eight with Jameer (Nelson) and Delonte West. They've competed, you know they've baged. You can look at their bodies and know they're mature."

O'Connor, on the difference between working out guards and big men:
"We don't let big guys shoot threes. All guards want to post, all big guys want to shoot threes."

Turiaf

Ronny Turiaf
Forward, Gonzaga
6-10, 249 lbs., Le Robert, Martinique

Turiaf was there to see the majority of Gonzaga's recent rise to national prominence on the college hoops scene, spending four successful years in Spokane. Ronny used his big body to dominate the West Coast Conference the last three years, earning conference of the year honors as a senior. He was also a finalist for the Naismith and Wooden awards last year, throwing in a career best 15.9 points, 59 blocks and 859 rebounds. Oh, you want smarts? Turiaf speaks five languages - French, English, his native Creole, Spanish and Italian. In case tyou forgot, Gonzaga is the school where a fellow named Stockton played college ball.

Kevin O’Connor’s take on Ronny:
“Ryan has improved his shooting, he’s gotten quicker, he’s added a couple inches to his vertical jump, which we keep track of, from last year. He’s improved in some physical categories as well as making himself a better player out on the perimeter.”

On working out for the Jazz:
It's awesome to just get a chance to go out and work with great NBA coaches. It's fun, especially here in the place where John Stockton played and practiced. I'm excited, and hopefully a team will like me and like what I bring to the game of basketball and I get a chance to be in the NBA next year.

On the Stockton influence:
Johnny's always there for us when we need him. You always see him in the morning, working out with our trainer. He's just a great guy. He played 19 years at the highest level of basketball. He's the greatest point guard ever. He's been talking to me pretty much all year long. He's been giving me advice as far as posting up, what to do, what's going to be expected of me in the NBA. He told me what Karl Malone did, so I'm trying to be like Karl Malone right now. I need about 45 pounds, but trying to be like him."

Kevin O'Connor, on if he would listen to a Stockton endorsement of Turiaf:
"We would certainly respect John's opinion. I think we would make a call to John endorsing him too, because he's had a teriffic career there."

Lee

David Lee
Forward, Florida
6-9, 249 lbs., St. Louis, MO

Lee is a player who considered going pro out of high school, but instead spent four years under coach Billy Donovan at Florida. Clearly, the work paid off for him as he became a solid, all-around player as a Gator. Specifically, he is a great rebounder with freakish athletic ability (remember his nasty dunks in all-american contests in 2001?). Lee contributed 13.6 points, 9.0 rebounds a game and led the team in field goal percentage. On the Uf all-time lists, he ranks in the top 15 in scoring, eighth in double doubles, fifth in field goal percentage, sixth in blocks, and third in dunks.

On working out for the Jazz:
It was great. Anytime they let you out there and play and let your skills be seen in a variety of different drills...I thought it was one of the tougher workouts. That's something the Jazz have taken pride in is hard working guys, so we knew coming in it was going to be a god workout and it was."

On his expectations for the draft:
It's wide open right now. I see myself as a late first-round pick, possibly higher, possibly a little bit lower. I've been very encouraged by these workouts, and I'm just going to keep going at it, one at a time.

Homan

Jared Homan
Forward/Center, Iowa State
6-10, 250 lbs., LeMars, Iowa

Homan was one of the toughest players in the hard knock Big XII the last couple seasons, but he rounded out his game a a senior to possibly earnh imself a chance at playing in the NBA. The son of dairy farmers, Homan earned his status with toughness and great effort, and showed improvement every year. He averaged 13.6 points and 8.6 rebounds last year for the Cyclones.

His impressions of the Jazz organization:
"I think I would fit in very well. Coach Sloan is a very hard-nosed guy, he likes physical basketball. He's done a great job with this program and he gets his team to play every year.

On how playing in the rugged Big XII will translate to the NBA:
The Big XII is a physical league, just like the NBA. The NBA is a league for men, and that's the way the Big XII is. We play physical every night, play through the contact, through the fouls. I think that translates very well.

Jones

Dwayne Jones
Forward, St. Josephs
6-11, 250 lbs., Morgantown, WV

Dwayne fits the mold of past Jazz big men: tough, big and aggressive defensively. A two time all-defensive pick in the Atlantic-10 and conference Defensive Player of the Year last season, Jone improved his offense greatly this past season. An early entry candidate for the draft, Jones already graduated from St. Joes with a degree in sociology. He averaged 10.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and blocked 109 shots.