Everett, Wash.
Published: Thursday, June 25, 2009

Jon Brockman is mystery man in NBA draft

Former Snohomish High and University of Washington star does not resemble your typical NBA player and his appeal to teams drafting today is unknown

By Scott M. Johnson
Herald Writer

 The last time Jon Brockman was looking for a home, he had some of the nation's finest basketball programs fawning over him because they knew what they were getting.

This time around, Brockman seems to be the great unknown.

Not only has the University of Washington star gone into a bit of hibernation _ he has not returned phone calls to reporters in a few weeks, and there are reports that the Snohomish native skipped a few pre-draft workouts -- but Brockman is also hard to pigeon-hole in terms of NBA potential.

With a 6-foot-7 frame, and a wingspan of similar length, can he get off shots against the longer power forwards of the NBA?

Does Brockman have the athleticism to defend small forwards and the outside game to play on the wing?

Is his hustle alone enough for Brockman to continue being a beast on the glass?

In a sense, the steady player from Snohomish High School has become a mystery man when it comes to today's NBA draft.

Further evidence comes from Brockman's disappearing act in recent weeks. He hasn't returned calls to reporters since May, which is out of character.

In an interview with GoHuskies.com last month, Brockman summed up his draft prospects as: "Every team in the NBA has an unbelievable scorer on their team. They need guys to come in and be role players and I think that's how they see me at this point."

The only certainty about Brockman is that he's not your typical NBA player.

And, to hear UW men's basketball coach Lorenzo Romar tell it, that might not be a bad thing.

"He's a low-maintenance guy," Romar said. "That's important in the NBA, even if it's not always the case.

"If you're looking at the second night of a back-to-back on a long road trip, and it's hard for guys to get up for the game, Jon Brockman will dive on the floor for a loose ball and get everyone going."

Snohomish's mystery man is hoping to dive onto the NBA draft board this evening. While he seems to have very little chance of being drafted in Round 1, Brockman could see his name called in the second round.

Several online draft prognosticators peg Brockman as a likely draft pick, while several others believe he'll go undrafted.

NBAdraft.net gushes about Brockman having the "heart and hustle that every coach looks for in a player," but also notes that he "lacks any reliable back-to-the-basket move at this point."

MSNBC.com compares Brockman to NBA role players Chuck Hayes and Reggie Evans but adds: "He must learn to defend at the same level as those players."

And if a fan calls up Brockman's profile on the NBA.com draft page, he or she will be greeted by a photo of … Xavier forward Derrick Brown.

One person who knows the sudden mystery man as well as anyone is Romar, who believes that Brockman will not only get drafted but go on to have a long NBA career.

When asked how Brockman's NBA career might be described 15 years from now, Romar offered: "I'd say he may have been on a couple of championship teams and played 10 years in the league."

Did he say "championship teams"?

"Champions are attracted to him," Romar explained. "The lesser teams all want to make the splash, get a big name and get scorers. But the good teams, they have their scorers, and they're looking for pieces.

"He is a piece to the puzzle, and a big piece at that. He's one of those guys who is going to make everyone better at practice. If you're not going hard, I don't care how good you are, you're going to get punished. That's the way Jon plays."

The way Jon Brockman plays is no mystery. The way that translates to the NBA, well, that's the question.

And tonight, when 60 college and international players are selected in the annual NBA draft, perhaps one of those teams will feel like it knows the answer.
© 2009The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA