Over the last few years, we’ve seen some very fascinating stories of players who came basically out of nowhere and worked really hard to get noticed and reach their ultimate goal of making it to the NBA.
The growth and the expansion of the NBA G League have definitely helped a lot of guys develop and make names for themselves; players like Jonathon Simmons and David Nwaba needed to take very long paths to be where they are now, from attending tryouts for their local G League teams to becoming solid role players in the NBA.
But how come they didn’t get enough exposure before they got to the NBA G League?
Well, one reason for that is the fact that, with the new early-entry rules, so many players each year decide to declare for the NBA draft — or at least test the waters. Therefore, a lot of these guys end up being boxed out by the great number of prospects trying to make the league, so they don’t get invited to the NBA Draft Combine and don’t participate in enough pre-draft workouts.
Professional Basketball Combine founder Jake Kelfer thought about it and felt like there was a necessity for a new platform where the players could get the exposure they deserved. Last year, he founded the Professional Basketball Combine, an annual event which takes place at IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL.
“It all started after seeing several Pro Days, and I really thought that there was a way to see more players,” Kelfer told Def Pen Hoops. “With two-way contracts starting last year, with the G League becoming bigger and bigger and the NBA becoming more of a global brand, I really thought there was a way to see more players, because, in the pre-draft process, you have the NBA Draft Combine and [the] Portsmouth [Invitational Tournament], but there’s not anything else that helps prospects really get the exposure they need in front of teams.
“So, after visiting IMG Academy, I thought it would be a great site to host an event like this, and I was put in contact with people over there, and we were able to make it work. So, the idea behind the Professional Basketball Combine is to provide a secondary NBA Draft combine to really help players get more exposure from the teams. We do combine testing, team interviews, scrimmages and everything that will really help them increase their chance of playing professional basketball and ultimately making their dream the reality.”
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Year one of the Professional Basketball Combine was a success, as 23 prospects coming out of college had the chance to showcase their talents in front of decision-makers from 16 NBA teams. Attending the event helped these players get more pre-draft-workout invites and, more importantly, all of them eventually signed their first professional contracts to do what they love to do. Four of these 23 prospects – Antonio Blakeney, Charles Cooke, Mangok Mathiang, and Gian Clavell – ended up signing two-way contracts and had the chance to make their NBA debuts. Eleven players signed NBA G League contracts, giving them the chance to develop their game, and eight had the opportunity to play basketball overseas. Here’s the list of the players who attended the Professional Basketball Combine last year.
“I think it’s invaluable,” Kelfer said about giving exposure to as many deserving prospects as possible. “There are so many players that are ready for the draft and ready to play professional basketball, but they never had the chance to showcase themselves. Yeah, maybe they’ll get three workouts or seven workouts, but they’re still performing in front of three or seven teams. Last year, we had 16 NBA teams [attend the Professional Basketball Combine], and if you’re able to put yourself in front of that many teams, your chances of getting drafted, playing Summer League, signing two-way contracts or whatever it may be, increase. So, that’s why it is so valuable for these players, these agents and these teams. Because we’re really giving players another platform to be seen by so many people in one location.”
The success of the PBC was proved by the great feedback coming from professional basketball personnel. Scouts and agents who attended the event had very nice words about the product and the job done by Kelfer at organizing it.
“Any time you can gather 20-plus draft prospects in a single location, you can count on us being there. I’m surprised not every team was in attendance, but I expect that to change in the future,” an NBA scout said (via the Professional Basketball Combine’s website).
“I thought [the Professional Basketball Combine] was well done,” agent Jason Elam told Def Pen Hoops. “The fact that almost all NBA teams were there was a big plus. Jake [Kelfer] is a super nice guy who planned a nice event. I wish they would have done more game action. But I think it’s a good opportunity to get guys a good look in front of NBA teams who didn’t get a combine invite. From the agent’s perspective, it also helps your clients get a better idea of how they fare against that competition level.”
Agent Zachary Charles had his client J.J. Frazier attend the combine last year. The former Georgia guard spent a good NBA G League season with the Memphis Hustle and signed a contract to finish the 2017-18 campaign in the Italian Serie A2 with Blu Basket Treviglio.
“I thought [the Professional Basketball Combine] was good,” Charles told Def Pen Hoops. “For the first year, it ran really smoothly. Jake [Kelfer] did a really good job and I think moving forward he will continue to get better players every year.”
Former NBA G League guard JJ Frazier (@JJ_Frazier30) had a great debut in the Italian Serie A2: he posted 32 points (13-19 FGs, 4-9 3PT, 2-2 FTs), 4 rebounds and 3 assists for his team Treviglio in today’s win over Latina Basket. #SerieA2
— Nicola Lupo (@NicolaLupo99) 8 aprile 2018
“Overall, I thought the Professional Basketball Combine in 2017 was exceptionally organized by Jake Kelfer,” agent Greg Javardian told Def Pen Hoops. “It was a great opportunity for players who didn’t get invited to the [NBA Draft] Combine to showcase their skills, athleticism and personalities in a closed environment. For any player who doesn’t get invited to [the NBA Draft Combine in] Chicago and has a legitimate shot at the NBA, I think the PBC is an absolute must to attend if invited. Not only are the drills and scrimmages important, but it’s a great opportunity for a player to get his combine testing results out there and to interview with NBA decision-makers.”
The reputation and credit players earned from the Professional Basketball Combine is huge, especially given the fact that it was just year one. How did this event earn so much respect right away? According to Kelfer, one of the most important things was combining everything that he’s learned from his past experiences in this business to create an event that could provide a ton of value to everyone involved. Now, Kelfer’s focus is to capitalize on last year’s success to continue to provide a valuable product as they move on to year two. The second annual Professional Basketball Combine will take place on May 22 and 23 at IMG Academy with the goal of growing, making its product even better and giving more prospects the chance to showcase their talents in front of executives.
“One of the best parts of the event is the fact that we do team interviews, and NBA teams can select what players they want to interview, and we can set up a schedule,” Kelfer said. “That’s really important because it gives teams the idea of who these players are off the court. So that’s one of the things we’ll really continue to focus on. This year, we’re going to have the guys compete in multiple games, we’re doing media training and in-house interviews with my PBC staff to give the guys interview practice but also help market themselves. We’re having a social media workshop and a lot of different things to really help the players understand what it means to be a pro. From the team side, we are really trying to provide the teams with as much data as possible, whether it’s measurements, whether it’s on-court stats or shooting drills. And when we combine all that, that’s when you continue to create a better event moving forward.”
As May approaches, the brand of the Professional Basketball Combine has been growing thanks to the partnership agreements that have been reached ahead of the second annual event. The PBC reached a partnership deal with MVMT and announced Eastbay as the event’s official apparel partner.
While it will be some time before the full list of players attending the 2018 PBC gets released, it’s been announced that LiAngelo Ball will be among the participants. The 19-year-old shooting guard, who’s having a good season in the Lithuanian first division with BC Vytautas, will use this opportunity at the PBC to show NBA executives that he’s made progress since he started playing in Europe.
“I want LiAngelo to have as many opportunities as possible to showcase his improved skill set in front of NBA decision-makers, and this event gives him a chance to do that,” LiAngelo Ball’s agent, Harrison Gaines, told Def Pen Hoops about how important the PBC will be for his client. “NBA-caliber players exist outside of the 60-70 invited to the [NBA Draft] Combine. For those who fall through the cracks but still possess an NBA skill set, this is a great event for exposure and feedback.”
The Professional Basketball Combine is emerging as a must-follow event that has been getting more and more credit, and is looking like it will grow into something even bigger in the future, helping players get the exposure they need and giving teams a hand with finding diamonds in the rough.
“I don’t even know where it can go, but what I do know is that it can continue to get bigger and we can continue to work with the NBA to help teams select better talent,” Kelfer said about the PBC’s future. “I think we can help the players find more opportunities in America or internationally, wherever they fit. The biggest thing for me is focusing on making sure that everybody has a great experience. We want to be another stop of the pre-draft process. When you can put great players on the court, have great competition and provide a lot of information, that’s when you’re going to have a special opportunity that you can’t find anywhere else. That’s what makes the Professional Basketball Combine so special in my opinion.”
With that being said, let’s save the date: May 22 and 23, the 2018 Professional Basketball Combine.
