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BYU product Jackson Emery was one of four players to work out for the Utah Jazz on Tuesday morning, while his Cougar backcourt mate Jimmer Fredette opened his NBA team workout schedule in Indianapolis for the Pacers.
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You can hear Emery's post-workout comments along with those of Jazz head coach Ty Corbin by clicking on the audio links in the "Cougar Cuts" box to the right.
Emery covered much of the same ground he went over with me in our Monday evening interview, reiterating his intentions to explore professional basketball options overseas.
"(The NBA) is kind of a long shot right now," said Emery. "The biggest reason is there is no summer league. For guys like me, I kind of need a summer league to show what I am capable of doing. A lot of these workouts are based on draft picks, so I'm fortunate to get this one and maybe a couple others. But for right now, I'm kind of just doing this to build my basketball resume, and hopefully just get out in the open so guys get familiar with me."
Asked is he is likely headed to Europe, Emery said "this year at least, I think so. Obviously if there's an opportunity here I'll pursue it to the fullest, but realistically, I know it's probably going to be overseas."
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Emery said Jazz GM Kevin O'Connor has a "pretty good relationship with Coach Rose, and hopefully Coach Rose kind of got me in here to get a look. There's good talent that comes out of BYU, so I think they want to establish a good relationship with them. It's just good to have local talent compete against these guys from around the country."
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On the workout with Michael Stockton (Westminster College), Mustapha Farrakhan (Virginia) and Brady Morningstar (Kansas), Emery said it was "good; I mean that's tough. It was a hard 40, 45 minutes right there. You're going up and down the floor, you're trying to show them what you can do when you're tired, they push you...and as well, the three-point line is a little farther back, I guess it's 'Jimmer Range,' right?"
Jazz head coach Ty Corbin was asked for his feedback on Emery's workout and said "he's a shooter; he can really step up and make shots. He can spot up in different ways, get open and make shots and that's one thing that will be an asset going forward, that he can make shots."
About Dave Rose and his BYU program, Corbin says "I think he's doing a tremendous job; he's getting good talent in there, and the guys get better every year they're there...he's doing a good job."
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On what he is going to need to work on in his transition from the college to the pro game, Emery sais "being a 6'3" shooting guard, you're a little undersized, and they like you to be a mixture of a point and shooting guard, so I need to improve my ball-handling; I've worked extremely hard at that the past month. Then obviously become a better shooter even, more so--you've got to improve your shooting range and be even more consistent."
At the same time, BYU's alltime steals leader and the MWC Defensive Player of the Year says "defense is kind of what puts me on the radar."
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Emery says Fredette was "really excited about" his performance at the NBA Draft Combine; he thought he did really well and that his stock went up, but he knows that with these workouts coming up that maybe it raises the bar a little more as far as expectations."
"I haven't seen (Jimmer) work this hard in a long time," said Emery. "People are doubting him; saying he can't do this, or can't do that, and he knows that. I think Jimmer's going to open a lot of eyes."
Asked if he hopes Fredette ends up with the Jazz, Emery said "it would be great for the state of Utah and for the Utah Jazz. Jimmer's a great player and he's a kid that's always going to work hard. You're never going to question his work ethic."
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