As a senior playing in the Southeastern Conference, Kenny Gabriel found himself enamored with an NBA team more than 1,000 miles to the west.
The Denver Nuggets certainly made for captivating television.
“I used to watch The Association on NBA TV,” Gabriel said after working out for the Nuggets. “I loved catching it before practice. Denver’s a nice city; I’d really like to be here.”
Gabriel, a 6-foot-8 forward from Auburn, was among10 draft prospects who were put to the test at Pepsi Center on Tuesday.
Also in attendance were Georgetown guard Jason Clark, Vanderbilt center Festus Ezeli, Arizona guard Kyle Fogg, Detroit forward Eli Holman, Florida State center Bernard James, UC Santa Barbara center Greg Somogyi, Texas Christian guard Hank Thorns, Buffalo forward Mitchell Watt and Villanova guard Maalik Wayns.
Of the five predraft sessions that Gabriel has attended, the Denver workout stood out above the rest.
“This was the best one,” he said. “Of course you have the altitude. It didn’t catch up to me until the last 10 minutes, but I think we all competed so hard today. We all gave a great effort.”
The Nuggets hold the 20th, 38th and 50th overall selections in the June 28 NBA Draft.
Clark came away pleased with his sixth workout leading up the draft.
“It went real well,” he said. “It was very competitive – everything that you expect. It has been a very cool experience. It has been a blessing to travel to all these different places.”
Clark, who averaged 14 points, 1.8 assists, and 4.1 rebounds as a senior last season, said he would love to have a chance to be part of the Nuggets organization.
“I have followed the NBA a lot, actually, and this is definitely somewhere that I would love to play in my future,” he said. "I like to get up and down the court, so that’s perfect. I think this would be a perfect fit for me if I had the chance to be here.”
As the excitement builds in advance of the draft, the young prospects are doing their best to stay focused.
“I’ve got a few more workouts,” Gabriel said. “I am going to keep working on my game and hope that I get a phone call on June 28.”