During the first three months of 2019, the Professional Basketball Combine scouting team has put out scouting features on over 30 professional basketball prospects.  The team focused on prospects that fall outside the top 45 of our consensus draft-eligible prospect board, which is a weighted aggregate ranking system with inputs from a variety of reputable NBA draft analysts (ESPN’s Jonathan Givony / Mike Schmitz, The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie, Sports Illustrated’s Jeremy Woo, Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman, the Stepien’s Jackson Hoy / Mike Gribanov, etc.).

There have been a handful of prospects that, since the release of their respective scouting features, have shot up our ranking system.  There are many factors that go into why a prospect may climb up draft boards and players will certainly continue to rise and fall on boards until the day of the draft.
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Below, we will highlight six seniors previously featured by the PBC scouting team that have made notable jumps in consensus draft rankings.  They all have shown the ability to play at the next level and helped solidify their draft stock among NBA decision-makers. We will touch on the the background of each prospect and provide analysis as to why their stock has risen over the course of the season.

4/11/19
 
The PBC Prospect Development Program presented by Urner, Lemos, & Paul of Wells Fargo Advisors and PTD Business Management will feature a series of engaging workshops to provide each player with valuable knowledge and information to assist them as they begin their professional career.

This year’s program will have an assortment of topics including financial literacy, social media and personal branding, media training and what it takes to be a successful pro. Each player will have the opportunity to learn from and interact with industry experts to better set themselves up for a successful career.
 
Some of the experts participating will feature Mike Urner from Urner, Lemos, & Paul of Wells Fargo Advisors, Jason Brown of PTD Business Management, Eric Evenson of BrandForward and Carlon Brown of Point Advising.
 
Combine Director Jake Kelfer said, “We designed this program because we wanted to provide players with the know how to live a successful life on and off the court.”
 
The 2019 Professional Basketball Combine (PBC) will be held at Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, CA on May 21-22. The PBC is a secondary NBA draft combine designed to give players an opportunity to showcase their talents in front of team decision makers and NBA executives through on court workouts, combine testing, PBC Prospect Development Program, and team interviews.
 
For more information and updates about the PBC, please visit www.professionalbasketballcombine.com and follow @probballcombine on social.

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​CONTACT:
Jake Kelfer: Combine Director
jake@jakekelfer.com

We sat down with Nick Scianna, incoming Financial Analyst at Lockheed Martin to discuss all things life and PBC. Nick has been the Combine Testing Coordinator at the PBC for the past two years. He is a fourth year Business Administration-Information Systems Major at the University of Florida. 

See what he had to say.

Kenny Williams is a 6’4” wing for the North Carolina Tar Heels. Williams has been the Tar Heels' unsung hero throughout his career in Chapel Hill. Despite being overshadowed by the wave of blue chip recruits and surefire NBA prospects that he’s shared the floor with for the past four years, Williams is an intriguing prospect in his own right. As a lockdown wing defender with shooting potential, Williams fits the mold of a highly coveted NBA archetype and will warrant serious looks this summer.

In the well-spaced modern NBA, the lane is less congested and there’s more space to fly in and fight for offensive rebounds. Keeping possessions alive on the offensive glass is a valuable, but often overlooked skill. Though length and athleticism certainly help one’s chances of bringing down an offensive board, much of the art of offensive rebounding is tied to technique and effort.

​In our seventh Film Room Friday installment, the PBC scouting team has performed a deep-dive into prospects with potential to translate as tenacious offensive rebounders and putback threats.

Yoeli Childs is a 6’8” forward for the Brigham Young Cougars who recently declared for the 2019 NBA Draft. The back-to-back First Team All-WCC selection was the conference’s leading scorer and rebounder this season. Childs tested the 2018 NBA Draft waters and earned the opportunity to work out with the Boston Celtics, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Brooklyn Nets. After being advised to work on his shot and ability to space the floor, Childs has answered the call by more than doubling his three-point volume while increasing his 3P% and FT%. The strong-framed forward with a 7’0” wingspan is a highly efficient double-double machine and will likely get a legitimate opportunity at the NBA if he continues to improve his ball skills.