While Ted Leonsis was getting all the attention today, and deservedly so, there’s also a team being built. Flip Saunders usually isn’t made available to the media before or after pre-draft workouts, so today’s press conference was a good chance to catch up with Saunders and get his thoughts on the process leading up to June 24th.

I asked Flip, with John Wall reportedly set to workout for the Wizards on June 17th, if they’ve scheduled Evan Turner or any other top prospect. So far, the Wizards have hosted more on-the-cusp players who might be available at 30 and 35 or go undrafted.

Saunders deferred to Milt Newton, vice president of player personnel, but later indicated that the Wizards have talked to Turner’s people. The coach also said the Wizards would probably have seven more days of pre-draft workouts with five or six guys each day.

On the process of trying to get players to come workout, Saunders said: Read more »

The Wizards worked out four players on Wednesday: Jerome Dyson, G, Connecticut, 6’4, 190 lbs.; Devin Ebanks, F, West Virginia, 6’9, 215 lbs.; Magnum Rolle, F/C, Louisiana Tech, 6’11, 225 lbs.; and Devin Sweetney, G, Morgan State, 6’4, 180 lbs..

Ebanks, an early-entry draft candidate after two seasons at West Virginia, was the big name of Wednesday’s group. He’s currently mocked going 23rd overall to the Minnesota Timberwolves by NBADraft.net, 31st overall to the New Jersey Nets by DraftExpress, and is in Chad Ford’s “next five” after the first round.

Many believe Ebanks to be a lottery talent, but his inconsistency, especially on the offensive end and especially in terms of aggression, has kept his stock waning toward the end of the first round to the second round.

Other the other hand, he’s a good defensive player (6’7″ without shoes and a 7’0.25″ wingspan), a nice very nice rebounder, and has the ability to slash to the bucket. Ebanks has been compared to anyone from Rudy Gay, to Shawn Marion, to Jared Jeffries to Corey Brewer.

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On Memorial Day the Wizards worked out Greivis Vasquez (Maryland), Matt Bouldin (Gonzaga), Derrick Caracter (UTEP), Raymar Morgan (Michigan State), Jarvis Varnado (Mississippi State), and Devin Sweetney (Saint Francis). Darington Hobson (New Mexico) was originally scheduled but was a late scratch. Sweetney was his replacement.

From that workout, I was only able to write about Jarvis Varnado. Below are some leftover interviews of Bouldin, Morgan and Vasquez along with some pictures I took.

Matt Bouldin

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Mississippi State’s Jarvis Varnado worked out for the Washington Wizards on Memorial Day. Below is a break down of his Chicago Pre-Draft camp measurements and his Wizards post-workout interview.

Jarvis Varnado is a very soft spoken guy. In fact, I’d call him downright shy … at least in terms of his interview demeanor. He’s the anti-Omar Samhan.

Varnado is an especially intriguing prospect to me. Being a Mississippi State alum and someone who worked with the men’s basketball team while there (I left MSU in 2003, Varnado started his four years as a Bulldog in 2006), I’ve followed his career very closely.

Varnado, nicknamed “SWAT”, is most known for his defensive presence. He finished his career with 564 blocked shots, the most in NCAA history, averaging four blocks per game over career. He has natural instinct, usually not leaving his feet to gamble on pump fakes, but also has “quick hops” in his ability to recover on second and third jumps. And as many shots as he blocked, he changed and intimidated a ton more, and often against players who thought they could out-smart him by going into his body. He is an intelligent, disciplined defensive player.

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The pre-draft workout interview of Omar Samhan has been covered … time to get to the rest.

Below is a video montage of interviews featuring Damian Hollis (George Washington), Dominique Jones (South Florida), Landon Milbourne (Maryland) and Donald Sloan (Texas A&M) along with some clips of the players working out. I had to leave before Hamady N’Diaye (Rutgers) was made available. Enjoy.

{videos of these guys dunking in college}

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Omar Samhan is most personable player in the draft. Having only met five potential draftees (I left before Hamady N’Diaye interviewed), I’m more than confident saying this. The kid can hold a crowd.

The best part about Samhan is that he comes across as genuine … or charming without arrogance. He took time to shake hands with each member of the media after his post-workout interview today, but didn’t come off contrived like a politician.

He sort of reminds me of Gilbert Arenas, whom Omar compares himself to at one point (“in some ways,” he says), but slightly more aware of the impression he makes. He’s glad to be candid, but he’s not a loose cannon.  Surely some of this refinement comes from the fact that Samhan majored in sports journalism.

“As an athlete, it’s your job to entertain. It’s your job to bring the people in and be close with the community,” said Samhan when I asked him about the precautions he takes when it comes to his social media presence. But he also understands that it’s a fine line and that he needs to be careful, lest what he says might come back to haunt him.

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Today the Wizards will host six prospects for the team’s first pre-draft workout: Damian Hollis, F, George Washington, 6’8, 215 lbs.; Dominique Jones, G, South Florida, 6’4, 205 lbs.; Landon Milbourne, F, Maryland, 6’7 205 lbs.; Hamady N’Diaye, C, Rutgers, 6’11, 235 lbs.; Omar Samhan, C, St. Mary’s, 6’11, 265 lbs.; and Donald Sloan, G, Texas A&M, 6’3, 205 lbs.

Samhan might be the most intriguing among the bunch, partially for his skills, partially for his personality. Let’s take a more in depth look…

Omar Samhan exploded on the scene this past March when his 10-seeded Saint Mary’s Gaels upset 7-seed Richmond and 2-seed Villanova to make it to the Sweet Sixteen of the 2010 NCAA Tournament. Samhan totaled 61 points in those first two games, but then the Gaels got handled by Baylor 72-49. He finished the game with 15 points and nine rebounds, but only had three points on 1-8 FGs and six rebounds at the half with Baylor already up 46-17.

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