Forward Deron Washington

Virginia Tech men's basketball coach Seth Greenberg said Deron Washington is probably "the best athlete" in the pool of players available for tonight's NBA draft -- a sentiment echoed recently in Sports Illustrated by an anonymously quoted NBA scout.

But will athleticism be enough to convince a team to select Washington, a four-year starter at Tech?

Few college players leap higher than Washington, a 6-7, 205-pound forward blessed with an elastic body that makes him a fast-break offensive threat and versatile defender. Problem is, Washington won't be able to play in the NBA as he did in college.

Because of his spindly build, he'll have to move farther from the basket, where his weaknesses could be exposed. An NBA team will insist that Washington develop an outside shot; he made 41.6 percent last season and 26.9 percent on 3-pointers.

"It's not just shooting," said Keith Drum, a North Carolina-based college scout for the Sacramento Kings. "He's going to have to improve ballhandling, decision-making with the ball away from the basket. His athleticism and energy are good enough. It's the physical strength and the skill set that will have to get a little bit better. But the strength is less of a problem as he moves away from the basket."

Washington did not return multiple telephone messages.

Drum is familiar with Washington. He saw him play throughout college and in the NBA's late-May predraft camp in Orlando, Fla. The Kings also flew Washington to Sacramento for a workout with several other players. Even if Washington doesn't get drafted -- most mock drafts predict that he won't -- Drum said a team will "absolutely" pick him up as a free agent.

Bruised ego aside, there is an upside to not being drafted. If a player receives multiple free-agent offers, he can select a team with a spot available at his position. Once a player signs with a team, he often plays in two of the NBA's three summer leagues -- giving him more opportunities to impress coaches and executives from across the NBA, because there's a good chance the team that signed him for the summer will eventually cut him.

The summer leagues are in Orlando (July 7-11), Las Vegas (July 11-20) and Salt Lake City (July 18-25).

Washington's scoring and rebounding averages increased every year at Tech, and his career averages were 11 points and 5.4 rebounds. But Greenberg knows Washington's defense might be his biggest asset.

"How many guys in the draft can guard Sean Singletary, Jack McClinton and [James] Gist?" he said, referring to Virginia's shifty 6-foot point guard, Miami's 6-1 perimeter ace and Maryland's 6-9 power forward.

Said Drum: "Defensively, I think he's capable of guarding people away from the basket because of his energy and his athleticism."

Note

Greenberg said the Hokies are close to finalizing their schedule for the upcoming season. He said it will include the Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden -- Tech's third trip to the arena in as many seasons.