WKU Basketball: Toppers To Hold First Ever Pro Day

Almost every basketball player ever has a dream as a kid, and even now, to one day make it to the NBA.

Almost every basketball player ever has a dream as a kid, and even now, to one day make it to the NBA.

While statistically the odds are slim (only 1.2% of college players get drafted to an NBA roster), WKU head coach Rick Stansbury will put his roster in a position to hopefully increase those chances by hosting WKU’s first ever pro day where over 20 NBA scouts and executives are expected on the Hill to see his players in action.

Believe it or not, pro days for college basketball aren’t a common thing like they are in football. While schools like Kentucky and Duke host them on the regular, WKU will be the only other non-power five school to partake in one besides the highly talented Nevada Wolfpack.

That’s a pretty big deal.

It also shows the legitimacy of talent WKU has on their roster, especially with freshman center Charles Bassey. Bassey is already viewed by many as a first-round draft pick and some sites even have him going in the top 15. Not even Courtney Lee went that high (22nd overall).

I imagine many scouts will be watching Bassey not just on WKU’s pro day but throughout the year to see how he does in NCAA play.

But the scouts won’t come just to look at Bassey.

Seniors Desean Murray and Lamonte Bearden are almost locks to get looks as well. Bearden put his name into the NBA Draft this offseason but eventually decided to come back for his senior year. Murray, the grad-transfer from Auburn, participated in the Tigers’ first ever pro day last year on the Plains, giving him another shot to show what he has in front of talent evaluators.

Young guards Taveion Hollingsworth, Josh Anderson and even freshman Dalano Banton will get hard looks on pro day too. Hollingsworth had a spectacular freshman year that turned a lot of heads and he will be a major contributor for next season.

Anderson will finally be getting a full year to play after missing half of last season so having him at his full potential would most certainly garner NBA scout attention.

Anderson and Banton were both four-star recruits coming out of high school so the talent is there but as to how it translates this season could dictate a lot of things concerning their pro potential.

The last Hilltopper to get drafted was Jeremy Evans in 2010 by the Utah Jazz in the second round (no, we’re not counting Mitchell Robinson and we never* will) so there’s been several years since a WKU player has had their name called on draft night. However, some players have been given shots in the NBA Summer League (most recently, Dwight Coleby) and in the NBA G-League (most recently, T.J. Price).

We’re hoping that cycle ends in 2019.