First, Jalen Williams and now Brandin Podziemski. What's with Santa Clara's NBA prospects?
Joe MussattoA Santa Clara prospect shined at the NBA Draft Combine. Again.
Last year it was Jalen Williams, the Thunder dynamo who just finished second for Rookie of the Year. This year it was Brandin Podziemski, a 6-foot-5 guard who, while unlikely to be the draft darling Williams became, is safely in the second-round range.
Jalen Williams, picked 12th by the Thunder, was the first Santa Clara player drafted since Steve Nash in 1996. Now the Broncos are on the verge of having a player selected in back-to-back drafts.
The Thunder already has two Jalen/Jaylin Williamses. Arkansas Jaylin Williams has a fellow Razorback on the roster in Isaiah Joe. Might as well give the other Jalen Williams a Santa Clara teammate to even things out. Thunder general manager Sam Presti has two second-round picks — No. 37 and No. 50 — to make it happen.
So what’s with these Santa Clara guys, first Jalen Williams and now Podziemski, standing out at the NBA Combine?
“Both guys are fearless competitors, and they understand that to really give themselves the best chance, they can’t hide,” Santa Clara coach Herb Sendek told The Oklahoman. “They’ve gotta perform on the biggest stages with the bright lights, and they’re both willing to do that.”
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Williams and Podziemski weren’t teammates at Santa Clara, a Jesuit school in Silicon Valley. Podziemski was a freshman at Illinois in Williams’ junior season at Santa Clara, his last before declaring for the NBA draft.
Podziemski, a Gatorade Player of the Year in Wisconsin, didn’t play much at Illinois. He averaged just 4.3 minutes in 16 games for a Fighting Illini team that won the Big Ten.
Podziemski entered the portal, ultimately transferring to Santa Clara.
As a sophomore at Santa Clara, Podziemski averaged 19.9 points while shooting 44% from 3-point range. Podziemski also averaged 8.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.8 steals per game.
Podziemski shared West Coast Conference Player of the Year honors with Gonzaga big man Drew Timme.
“It’s great to see him faring so well here in the early stages of the draft process,” said Sendek, who’s entering his eighth season at Santa Clara after extended stops at North Carolina State and Arizona State.
“He’s a young man who is extremely competitive, he plays incredibly hard, he has a fantastic work ethic. He sets the tone by drawing charges and diving on the floor for loose balls. But in addition to that he has an outstanding skillset.”
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Despite not being college teammates, Podziemski will have Williams in his corner. The Santa Clara bond is strong.
“I’ll be in his ear through the whole draft process,” Williams said in his Thunder exit interview. “He knows he can reach out to me whenever … I’m excited for him and his journey.”
And if the next stop on that journey is Oklahoma City?
Sendek laughed.
“I’ll have to get an apartment (there),” Sendek said.
NBA Draft
7 p.m. Thursday, June 22, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. (ESPN)
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