Jeffries awaits draft fate

He has been a high school McDonald's All-American, the Big Ten Most Valuable Player and a key member of a Final Four team. \nOn Wednesday, Jared Jeffries will add first-round draft pick to his list of accolades at the NBA Draft in New York City. The former IU star will likely be a top-10 selection, according to draft analysts for espn.com and cnnsi.com. \nThe draft will mark the end of Jeffries' remarkable career in Bloomington, first from Bloomington North High School and later as a Hoosier. It will also mark the beginning of a dream.\n"All my life, I've (dreamed) to hear my name called for the NBA Draft," Jeffries said when he announced his decision to go pro. "I never could have imagined that I would get an opportunity to play in the NBA so early."\nJeffries' opportunity may become one team's gain Wednesday night. The NBA covets players like Jeffries, 7-footers who can score in the post, drive to the basket and shoot from outside. Versatility is so sought after that a player similar to Jeffries, 7-foot-5-inch Yao Ming from China, will likely be the first overall pick of the Houston Rockets. \nEven at nine years old playing AAU basketball, Jeffries exhibited the skills that have impressed NBA insiders. Jeffries' incredible height never made him feel awkward on the basketball court, said Cecilia Jeffries, Jared's mother.\n"He always said he wanted to be a point guard," said Cecilia. "But he just kept growing."\nJeffries' physical growth since his AAU days has been complemented with an understanding of what he is capable of doing. \n"He's improved (at IU) on posting-up inside and stepping out when he has to," said Bloomington North coach Tom McKinney, who won a State title with Jeffries in 1997. \nIronically, the major critique of Jeffries' game may be that he is too versatile.\n"Jeffries is one of those kids that is so impressive because he does so many things well for a big man," one scouting report on espn.com said. "The problem is that he doesn't do anything great." \nJeffries admitted he had plenty of work ahead of him when he decided to enter the draft. \n"I realize that in no way am I a finished basketball product," Jeffries said at the press conference in April. "I know I must develop in order to meet the demands of NBA basketball." \nAnd he has certainly developed. Jeffries has gained roughly 15 pounds since the NCAA championship game, when he struggled against Maryland's larger frontcourt in a 64-52 loss. Listed at 215 pounds at the start of the season, he weighed 230 pounds at a pre-draft function in Chicago. \nThe beefed-up Jeffries has likely impressed NBA scouts with his work ethic as much as his improved strength.\n"Strength is not something that you gain overnight. It takes months and months work," IU Associate Head Coach John Treloar said. "Since the end of the season, he has had more time to commit to the weight room, which allows for quicker progress." \nBesides his versatility and new muscle, Treloar said he thinks NBA teams are seeing other attributes of his game in private workouts.\n"One thing that has probably gone unnoticed is his great defensive play," Treloar said. "He is a good team defensive player, (that's) something that scouts look for."\nScouts are also looking for players who can help immediately. In recent years, high school players have moved up in the draft. Such is the case with last year's No. 1 pick, Kwame Brown, whom the Washington Wizards are patiently tutoring for NBA stardom. With fewer prep players expected to go in the first round, experienced players from the U.S. and overseas might get more attention in this year's draft.\nFortunately for Jeffries, one of 47 underclassmen who forfeited collegiate eligibility to go pro, he has been groomed for the NBA game. McKinney credits IU head coach Mike Davis for making Jeffries NBA-ready.\n"He's coached in the pro leagues," said McKinney of Davis, who coached in the CBA during the early 1990s. "Some of the sets (Jeffries) ran in college, he'll run in the pros." \nTreloar agrees.\n"Jared will succeed in the NBA because he knows how to play and understands the NBA game," Treloar said. "This makes for a quicker transition (from college)."\nMock drafts by the media predict Jeffries will be selected between the 8th and 12th pick of the draft. Andy Katz of ESPN and Ian Thomsen of Sports Illustrated both think that the Phoenix Suns, who have the ninth pick, will select Jeffries. \nAnother possibility is one of Jeffries' favorite teams, the Miami Heat, at the tenth pick. However, his mother said Jeffries doesn't have a preference at this point. \n"He's liked them all," said Cecilia Jeffries of the teams he has worked out for in recent weeks, including Memphis, the No. 4 pick; Cleveland, No. 6; New York, No. 7; Phoenix, No. 9; Miami, No. 10; and Washington, No. 11. \nWhether he goes in the top-10 or slips to the middle of the first round, Jeffries' draft position will net him a hefty first paycheck. In 1999, the Suns had the ninth pick, which they used to select forward Shawn Marion. They signed Marion to a three-year deal worth over $4 million. A similar deal likely awaits Jeffries, if not in Phoenix then elsewhere. \nAnd although he might not be sure how to spend all of his NBA riches, Jeffries at least has a few ideas.\n"Jared and his father (Tom) like to go fishing," Cecilia said. "So Jared's said he'll buy him a truck and a boat so they can go out and fish."\nWhen asked why her son won't buy his family something bigger, like a house, Cecilia didn't hesitate.\n"We have such a wonderful family," said Cecilia, who added that several of Jared's relatives live in Bloomington. "We're not material people. We're very content."\nFamily members will travel to New York today to attend the draft. Cecilia, Tom, his brother Justin and Jeffries' girlfriend will join Jeffries in the "green room" at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. \nProbable first-round picks will wait in the green room before walking across the stage to greet NBA Commissioner David Stern. Jeffries, like most potential first-rounders, has a new tailor-made suit for his NBA entrance. \nAnd that's why despite the significance Wednesday night holds for Jared Jeffries, his mother will come back from New York with memories that have nothing to do with basketball. \n"It'll be the only time, other than prom, I'll see him in clothes that fit," Cecilia said.