Andre Spight has basketball in his future. This much, many people agree on, in particular those who have seen his work up-close, like the Idaho forward Brayon Blake – who happened to be in the same Nuggets pre-draft workout with Spight on Monday morning.
“Andre Spight is a great player,” Blake said. “I played against him in the Big Sky tournament. He had a great tournament; I think they won the (CollegeInsider.com Tournament) as well. He’s a good player – great point guard. Knows how to lead a team. He can score the ball as well. He played good today. It was great to have him on my team. It was good to see another Big Sky guy here, representing the conference.”
This was Spight’s first workout. The Nuggets have provided opportunities for many local college athletes to get a taste of what being put through the paces by an NBA team feels like, and this was no different. Spight was one of six players the Nuggets brought in on Monday for the team’s first of a few pre-draft workouts this week.
“It means everything to me,” Spight said. “This is my first NBA workout. It’s just a dream come true, and definitely taking advantage of it and not taking anything for granted. It’s a blessing.”
Spight is about as decorated as they come in a single season out of Northern Colorado. The 6-3 point guard was first-team All-Big Sky. He was the conference’s newcomer of the year. He was the CIT most valuable player. He set the Big Sky record for points in a season with 855, which, also was a UNC record for a single season.
Spight transferred to Northern Colorado in Greeley after spending a season at Arizona State. Prior to that he played basketball in junior college. He called his season at UNC “special.”
“Especially coming from a program where the previous coaching staff got fired, had a pretty rough season,” Spight said. “So, to come back, turn around and win 26 games and be the winningest team in UNC history, it was a great feeling.”
And now, Spight will see where his basketball road takes him.
Blake, meanwhile, exhibited all of the signs of being the type of player any team looking for defensive-minded individuals is looking for.
“I’m an energy guy,” Blake said. “I’m the type of guy that will dive on the floor for loose balls, dive over the bleachers, anything. I’m a scrap guy – I like to play defense. I like to rebound. I really don’t care about scoring the ball. I just like to play defense and hustle. That’s what I do.”
Christopher Dempsey: christopher.dempsey@altitude.tv and @chrisadempsey on Twitter