Nba Draft

ORLANDO — Dionte Christmas is a pretty happy soul, with an infectious smile, a hearty laugh and a zest for life that endears many to him. If you want to change that sunny disposition, just mention the date June 25, 2009, to the Temple graduate and he snarls menacingly. That was the date of the NBA draft. Christmas, whom many predicted to be a second-round selection, waited in his Olney home in vain. His name was never called and his road trip to reach his dream job started. There was a training-camp session with the Sixers after his draft snub, but he didn't latch on with the team.

NEW YORK - There was the one time, around the holidays, when Brandon Jennings said he thought about coming home. He had defied the college basketball world and defied convention by jumping from high school to European professional basketball, spending his required year of pre-NBA apprenticeship out of earshot of Dick Vitale. He said he was fine with it, positive about it, until Christmas in Italy. "I was on the verge of saying, 'I've had enough of this, I want to go home,' " Jennings said yesterday, on the day before the NBA draft that college coaches everywhere will be watching very carefully.

The 76ers worked out several prospects Thursday at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, a source close to the team said. The Sixers did not disclose the workout to the media. They will have the 11th pick in the first round of the NBA draft on June 27. Among the participants at the workout were Duke's Mason Plumlee, Gonzaga's Kelly Olynyk, UCLA's Shabazz Muhammad, North Carolina State's Scott Wood, and Norvel Pelle, a high school player from Los Angeles. Pelle is a 6-foot-10, 208- pounder from L.A. City Prep who took part in the draft combine in Chicago last month.

The 76ers announced Friday that they traded the draft rights to Tornike Shengelia, who was the 54th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, to Brooklyn in exchange for cash considerations.  

Penn State men's basketball coach Jerry Dunn has signed a five-year contract after guiding the Nittany Lions to their first NCAA Tournament bid since 1996 and an upset over top-seeded North Carolina in the South Regional quarterfinals. Terms of Dunn's agreement were not announced. "Penn State always has been a special place," Dunn said in a statement released yesterday. "My family and I are extremely pleased by the opportunity to continue building on the basketball foundation and success that has been established.

Dion Waiters decided to play his college basketball at Syracuse when he was in the eighth grade. But after just two years with the Orange, he's heading to the next level. Waiters, a 6-foot-4 sophomore from Philadelphia, announced Monday he will sign with an agent and enter the NBA draft in June. "I've decided to pursue my dream of becoming a professional basketball player by entering my name in the NBA Draft this spring," he said in a statement released by the athletic communications department at Syracuse.

  As expected, Villanova junior guard Maalik Wayns will not be returning for his final season of eligibility. University sources have confirmed that the Roman Catholic product, who put his name into consideration for the NBA draft, plans to hire an agent. That would make it impossible for him to remove his name by the April 10 deadline. Villanova will release a formal statement Thursday morning. Everything Wayns said last week strongly indicated that this was the direction in which he was leaning.

NEW YORK - A person familiar with the decision says St. John's forward Moe Harkless, the Big East Rookie of the Year, has decided to apply for early entry to the NBA draft. The person spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the decision has not yet been announced. The school called a news conference for today at Madison Square Garden. Both Harkless and coach Steve Lavin are scheduled to attend. The 6-8 Harkless is one of five freshmen who started 12 games for the Red Storm (13-19)

Kyrie Irving is the latest proof that a player can prosper in the NBA with limited college experience. The Cleveland Cavaliers point guard has done the seemingly impossible this season - exceed expectations despite being the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft. Entering Tuesday's game at the Wells Fargo Center against the 76ers, Irving was averaging 18.8 points, 5.6 assists, and 3.9 rebounds in 31.3 minutes per game. Because of injury, Irving played just 11 games last season, his only one at Duke.