Former Hoosiers' draft hopes look bleak

They may have graduated last month, but former IU basketball players Marco Killingsworth and Marshall Strickland are preparing as hard as ever for their next big test: the NBA Draft.\nThe two players have been working out extensively the past month in hopes of being selected in the upcoming draft June 28.\nBoth draft prospects had standout careers at IU, but are finding out that past success doesn't automatically equate to a chance at the next level.\nStrickland has participated in team workouts with the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics the past two weeks.\nOn June 1, Strickland performed for the 76ers along-side several other former NCAA players who are projected to be first round selections in the upcoming draft. The workout consisted of drills to test the players' individual skills and one-on-one and two-on-two games. \n"We've been scouting Marshall for years," 76ers Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations Tony DiLeo said. "He does everything pretty well. He's a good shooter and is kind of a combo-guard. We really like his defense; he really defends well."\nAlthough his statistics might not be at par with other prospects, Strickland has presented other attributes that DiLeo said makes Strickland valuable.\n"He is a winning type player. He doesn't do a lot of things to make you lose," DiLeo said. \nStrickland, who was recently named an Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winner by the Big Ten, left a good impression with DiLeo and the 76ers after his workout.\n"He was well grounded and seemed like a stable person. He was hungry and had a drive to become great. You could see that hunger," DiLeo said.\nBut a good interview won't be enough to get drafted.\n"Strickland was a good college player, but I never thought of him as an NBA player," ESPN college basketball analyst Andy Katz said.\nStrickland failed to crack Katz's colleague's draft rankings. ESPN's draft analyst Chad Ford doesn't have Strickland in the top 100 prospect rankings. Barely making it onto the list is Killingsworth at No. 93. \nOf the two players, most draft analysts have Killingsworth being the player more likely to be drafted. Last weekend, Killingsworth participated in the invitation-only Orlando Pre-Draft Camp where he performed to mixed reviews.\n"He had flashes when he was good and other times when he was not so good. Right now he is projected to be a second round pick," DiLeo said.\nKatz saw similar things at the Orlando camp, where he scouted Killingsworth.\n"He played OK in Orlando, but his problem has always been conditioning," Katz said.\nIn Orlando, Killingsworth averaged 10 points and 5.6 rebounds on 81.3 percent shooting a game. His struggles from the free throw line continued in Orlando where he shot only 50 percent.\n"Killingsworth's numbers were better than he looked," according to Nbadraft.net. The Web site, which is renowned for it's draft analysis, also noted Killingsworth "appeared 15-20 pounds overweight." \nDuring IU's regular season, the Web site's mock draft had Killingsworth going late in the first round. Before the Pre-Draft Camp Killingsworth had fallen to No. 41. His draft stock has further plummeted, with his ranking falling all the way to No. 60, the last pick in the draft. \nBefore the Orlando Camp, Killingsworth traveled to New York May 22 to work out for the New York Knicks in a session conducted by Knicks' head coach Larry Brown.\nRequested details of the workout were not available due to team policy, Knicks' spokesman Jonathan Soprano said.\nIf the ex-Hoosiers slip through June 28 undrafted, they will still have the opportunity to make an NBA team by participating in summer league play and training camp. As soon as the draft concludes, NBA teams can contact players and sign them to play in the summer league.\n"If he isn't drafted, Killingsworth will probably sign on with a summer league team," Katz said.