During his four years at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Trevor Wages majored in civil engineering.
“I specialized in rebounding,” he adds with a smile.
With his college degree in hand, Wages is embarking upon a professional basketball career after leading Mines in scoring (13.7 ppg) and rebounding (9.5 rpg) as a senior in 2013-14.
Wages, 22, was among six players who worked out for the Denver Nuggets at Pepsi Center on Monday. The session came after a fitful night’s sleep.
“I attempted to go to bed at 9,” he said. “I was excited, going through my head what I wanted to do and visualizing what I wanted to do.”
The 6-foot-9, 235-pound big man battled some early nerves as he went up against Division I prospects Isaiah Armwood (George Washington), Davion Berry (Weber State), Roscoe Smith (UNLV), Chris Udofia (Denver) and Scottie Wilbekin (Florida).
“I definitely could’ve done better,” Wages said, “but it’s the first time going out there doing something like this.
“It’s a whole other level and pace. The further along you go, it becomes more natural. Hopefully next time I do it, it will come even more natural and I’ll be comfortable right at the beginning.”
While at Mines, Wages said he prided himself on outworking the opposition with hustle and physical play. He stuck with that philosophy on Monday.
“My mission out here was to prove I can play with even stronger, even taller, even more athletic guys,” he said. “I tried to prove that from the beginning by working hard. The scoring will come as I get better, but I can always control how hard I work.”
With the June 26 NBA Draft approaching, the Chatfield High School graduate hopes to receive more invitations to work out for more teams. If not, he already has an offer to play overseas in Austria.
A career in civil engineering can wait. Wages is still specializing on the hardwood.