Departing Arizona Wildcats guard T.J. McConnell received a last-minute invitation to the NBA combine Monday night, his agent, Chris Emens, said this morning.
McConnell boarded a 7:30 a.m. flight from Tucson today for Chicago, where the combine drills, measurements and interviews will be held from Wednesday through Sunday.
McConnell was not among the 62 players invited last week, and Emens said that provides extra motivation.
“It’s going to be a good opportunity this week and he has a little bit of a chip on his shoulder,” Emens said. “He wants to show people he shouldn’t have been a last minute invite, that he should have been on the first list.”
Emens said it also should help McConnell that five-on-five games are mandatory for all but the first-tier invitees, giving him a chance to show off what he does best.
“The biggest thing is T.J. is going to be able to play basketball this year,” Emens said. “T.J. will do well in drills but first and foremost, he’s a basketball player. Playing five-on-five gives him chance to showcase his strength and value to the NBA, which is running a team, facilitating for others, defending and competing.
“Some guys will wow people in a workout and in our business we call them 'workout wonders’ … T.J.’s not exceptionally sized, he doesn’t have exceptional athleticism, but he’s got an off-the-charts basketball IQ, intensity, competitiveness and desire to win.”
McConnell will be the fourth UA player in the combine, joining Stanley Johnson, Brandon Ashley and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. However, Johnson and Hollis-Jefferson are not expected to play in the five-on-five drills.
Draft Express has an updated look at McConnell entering the combine.
