Wednesday marked the second in a long line of workouts the Jazz will hold en route to Tuesday's Draft - and the three men working out hold some of the most interesting human-interest stories this year. The players: Charlie Villanueva, Connecticut; Lance Allred, Weber State; and Robert Whaley, Walsh.

While Villanueva is expected to be a top-20 pick, the others will likely not be drafted. But that didn't keep Coach Jerry Sloan from being impressed.

"I thought they did okay", noted Jazz coach Jerry Sloan. "They played hard, and that's what we're looking to see. How hard they play, if they compete a little bit. To us that's pretty important."

Of course, most minds were set on tomorrow's workout featuring top-flight point guards Deron Williams and Raymond Felton. Jazz VP of Basketball Operations Kevin O'Connor wasn't quite ready to skip ahead that far, but did comment on the timing: "We always schedule a little bit late. We like to have guys in back toward the end. If you notice, we've always done that with the guys we've "targeted." On Saturday, we'll have some of those other guys come in."

Even though most everybody else is excited at potentiality of Felton and Williams squaring off, O'Connor had a different perspective. "To me it doesn't make a difference," he said. "I've got a tape of them in the national championship game playing against each other. That's a lot more important than watching them here one-on-one for ten minutes. When the lights went on, I think both of those guys excelled."

Villanueva

Charlie Villanueva
Forward, Connecticut
6-10, 240 lbs., Blairstown, N.Y.

Villanueva was once one of the most sought after high school prospects in the nation, and decided to enter the 2003 Draft, but low projections and discouragement from coaches sent him to Connecticut and coach Jim Calhoun. Villanueva was humbled playing behind Emeka Okafor for that year, but was rewarded with a national championship ring and the chance to learn behind one of the most intelligent athletes in the nation. As a sophomore he was Second Team All-Big East, averaging 13.6 points and 8.3 rebounds while recording 12 double doubles. Charlie suffers from Alopecia Areata, an autoimmune skin disease that results in hair loss on the body. It is not a life-threatening disease, and over 4 million Americans suffer from it.

On his workout:
I'm excited, it's a good program. I'm excited to be here, and I'm excited to meet the coaches.

On why he came out this year:
In high school, I came out but ended up going to school. I felt I was ready. I just felt in my heart that it was the right thing to do.

On what he gained from college, and if he recommends it to kids with the NBA's age limit:
I learned how to work hard. Coming out of high school I didn't know how to work hard. Two years under coach Calhoun, I know how to work hard. There's nothing wrong with college. College is beautiful. Connecticut was great to me. I'm always going to remember those two years out there.

O'Connor's take on Charlie:
Charlie is a perfect example, to me, of somebody who stayed in school. He came out after his senior year of high school, and he would've been a probably late first-round pick. He would've been sitting on the bench two years. Instead he had a great two years at Connecticut, had great success and now he's looking at being a pick in the lottery. I'd be shocked if he wasn't. If you've seen him play, his basketball IQ is really high. He knows how to pass and shoot the ball. He's not going to wow you with his athleticism, but he's going to make a lot of plays during the game.

Lance Allred
center, Weber State
6-11, 230 lbs., Salt Lake City, UT

Allred was one of the gutsiest players in the nation last year, finalizing a tumultuous collegiate campaign. Allred was the 1998-99 player of the year in Utah and committed to play for Rick Majerus and the University of Utah. But the player with a severe hearing impairment was allegedly under constant verbal abuse from Majerus, and transferred after his sophomore year. In his new digs at Weber, Allred rediscovered his love for the game under a coach that appreciated his abilities. He would flourish, becoming one of the most dominant players in the Big Sky Conference and earning First Team All-Conference last year. He averaged 17.7 points and 12.0 rebounds as a senior, among the national leaders.

On his struggles throughout the draft process:
It's kind of frustrating. Back in early April I went to the Portsmouth Invitational, and I wish someone would've told me it's not for big guys. I averaged about two shots a game, and I was expecting rebounding battles, guys going over my back, but not my own teammates. Because of that, it was more jungle ball, little league game. I wasn't comfortable in that setting, and since then I just kind of fell off the face of the earth. So this is pretty much my one workout. I've had offers from Italy, Spain, Germany, Korea. So if I don't get picked up during summer camp, I'll definitely go overseas for good money. You only need so much money in life...both my parents were school teachers living on $30,000 a year.

On what his agent is telling him about his chances in the US:
The word on Lance Allred is I'm not a freak, I'm not the athlete that you spend a draft pick on. I'm the type of guy that comes to summer team camps, that the coaches like, that works hard and gets picked up there. The latest rage is to spend draft picks on talent, rather than proven numbers. I'm a proven numbers, hard worker guy, but I don't have "untapped ability." It's frustrating, but that's been the story of my life. I don't get the accolades. I keep working hard. Give me two years at Weber State, give me two years in Europe, I'll come back.

On whether he empathizes with Andrew Bogut and what has gone on between him and Majerus:
I'm happy for him. I'm happy he and (Utah point guard) Marc Jackson had a great year with coach Giacoletti, great coach, great person. I'm thrilled that Andrew and Marc had a good year with Giacoletti. He let Andrew play basketball, and that's what we're here to do. All I can say to Andrew is be like a duck, water off your back. Just because someone says something doesn't mean it's true.

Jerry Sloan on Lance:
I think he played well. He's a very hyper guy, very active guy who shoots the ball well. Plays hard. I haven't seen him play in a game, but down in the drills you see him work hard, and there's always a chance for a guy who's going to work hard. He's willing to work, so that's important.

Kevin O'Connor on Lance:
He competed very well. He's shown he can compete. In order to make the step to the next level, he's got to improve his quickness a little bit, he's got to be able to do the little things to make the league. He showed some of that today, the ability to dive for a ball, to hustle a little bit more. We've all seen that a long, from his college days. I think he will end up (on a summer league roster). He competed with Charlie Villanueva, a lottery pick, out here.

Robert Whaley
Center, Walsh
6-10, 260 lbs., Benton Harbor, MI

Whaley was also one of the most promising players in the nation coming out of high school, but a series of troubling incidents kept him from ever reaching his substantial potential at the collegiate level. But Whaley was charged with having a sexual encounter with a 13-year-old, effectively killing his career even though the charges would be dropped after a mistrial. It was enough to send Whaley to Barton (Kan.) Community College, where he performed well enough to receive looks from the D-1 powers that wanted him so badly out of high school. Amidst a troubling year at Cincinnati, Whaley left for tiny Walsh University in North Canton, OH. Finally out of trouble and able to just play ball, Whaley dominated tiny NAIA Division II schools, leading Walsh to national championship and MVP honors. The ability that made him the top HS player is still there, but too many lapses in judgment and playing have left him on the tough end of having to prove his ability to NBA scouts.