Carolyn Jenkins at Pre-Draft
TAMPA BAY -- Carolyn Jenkins is the Director of Player Personnel for the WNBA. She took a few minutes from her busy schedule to discuss the now completed WNBA Pre-Draft Camp.
HRR: How do you think the Camp went?
CJ: I thought it was a great camp. I thought the players that came here really competed. They had great sessions. There was good camaraderie amongst the 42 players that are here. I think they had a good showing in front of all of our coaching staffs and general managers; so, now it's a wait and see for the players until our Draft on April 9th.
HRR: What's the process to determine and pick which players are invited the pre-draft camp?
CJ: We evaluate the players starting at the beginning of the college season. We have a staff that goes out and scouts players throughout the country. We also took to our teams -- as we move closer to the Draft -- to make sure that the group that we have selected is in agreement with the players they would like to see at the Camp. Then, we start making phone calls. Plus, a lot depends on the teams that are still playing in the NCAA Tournament or have just completed a couple of days before the pre-draft camp. We try to get them to attend; but, we understand that they have school work to make up and their schedules are complicated.
HRR: Rank this overall draft class.
CJ: This is probably, from top to bottom, our deepest draft class in terms of depth of talent. Particularly at the shooting guard and the power forward positions. I think all our teams will be greatly enhanced by whomever they select and whenever they select, I think they'll be a role for those players in our league. I think they'll have a great opportunity to go to training camp and to compete against other players.
HRR: How has the game improved in just the last two or three years/
CJ: I think what you're seeing is the players in this generation we're starting to get in the league have been aware of the league since they started playing; so, making the WNBA has always been a unique goal that the players coming in are starting to prepare for to play professionally domestically since they started playing game. You see that in the level of conditioning and the skill set. I think it's just something that they've always dreamed about which provides extra motivation for them.
HRR: Do you believe there are any areas you'd like to see players improve?
CJ: It always goes back to the fundamentals. Regardless of how strong and / or athletic the players are, shooting ability; ball-handling ability; passing ability; the ability to defend; it always has to go back to the fundamentals. Whether they can dunk or they're five-two. The players that have extended careers in the league are those that always go back in the off-season and work on those things.
HRR: How do you think the Camp went?
CJ: I thought it was a great camp. I thought the players that came here really competed. They had great sessions. There was good camaraderie amongst the 42 players that are here. I think they had a good showing in front of all of our coaching staffs and general managers; so, now it's a wait and see for the players until our Draft on April 9th.
HRR: What's the process to determine and pick which players are invited the pre-draft camp?
CJ: We evaluate the players starting at the beginning of the college season. We have a staff that goes out and scouts players throughout the country. We also took to our teams -- as we move closer to the Draft -- to make sure that the group that we have selected is in agreement with the players they would like to see at the Camp. Then, we start making phone calls. Plus, a lot depends on the teams that are still playing in the NCAA Tournament or have just completed a couple of days before the pre-draft camp. We try to get them to attend; but, we understand that they have school work to make up and their schedules are complicated.
HRR: Rank this overall draft class.
CJ: This is probably, from top to bottom, our deepest draft class in terms of depth of talent. Particularly at the shooting guard and the power forward positions. I think all our teams will be greatly enhanced by whomever they select and whenever they select, I think they'll be a role for those players in our league. I think they'll have a great opportunity to go to training camp and to compete against other players.
HRR: How has the game improved in just the last two or three years/
CJ: I think what you're seeing is the players in this generation we're starting to get in the league have been aware of the league since they started playing; so, making the WNBA has always been a unique goal that the players coming in are starting to prepare for to play professionally domestically since they started playing game. You see that in the level of conditioning and the skill set. I think it's just something that they've always dreamed about which provides extra motivation for them.
HRR: Do you believe there are any areas you'd like to see players improve?
CJ: It always goes back to the fundamentals. Regardless of how strong and / or athletic the players are, shooting ability; ball-handling ability; passing ability; the ability to defend; it always has to go back to the fundamentals. Whether they can dunk or they're five-two. The players that have extended careers in the league are those that always go back in the off-season and work on those things.
posted by Kris Gardner @ 1:22 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home