The Roanoke Times I File January

Virginia Tech's Deron Washington (13) is seen as a defender in the NBA initially because of his athleticism.

On Tuesday, VMI's Reggie Williams and Virginia Tech's Deron Washington were in Charlotte to work out for Michael Jordan and the Bobcats.

Tonight, they will be in front of TV sets, waiting with family members to see if they will be chosen in the NBA Draft.

"It'd probably be the greatest feeling I've ever had, to hear my name," Williams said.

Minnesota Timberwolves assistant general manager Rob Babcock said both players have a shot to be taken in the second and final round of the draft.

Williams and Washington have auditioned for NBA scouts and officials at the Portsmouth Invitational, where both made the all-tournament team, and at the NBA's pre-draft camp in Orlando, Fla. The small forwards also have visited a lot of NBA teams who wanted another look.

In addition to visiting Charlotte, Washington worked out for Boston, Milwaukee, Detroit, Washington, Memphis, Portland, Sacramento, New Jersey, Minnesota and the Los Angeles Clippers.

"I'm doing pretty good with room service. You get to order whatever you want," Washington said. "I'm eating almost every three hours at the hotel."

"I just go to McDonald's or something," Williams said.

Williams has not only worked out for Charlotte but also for the Clippers, the L.A. Lakers, Seattle, Portland, New Orleans, Dallas, Golden State, San Antonio and Sacramento.

"It's a crazy experience," Williams said. "At the Clippers [workout], I sat down at lunch and talked with Elgin Baylor and Mike Dunleavy."

Williams led Division I in scoring the past two seasons, becoming only the ninth Division I player to be the scoring leader in multiple seasons. He averaged 27.8 points this year, and became the all-time scoring leader (2,556 points) in VMI, Big South and state Division I history.

"He did a good job when he was here [for a workout]," said an NBA assistant coach who asked to remain anonymous. "He had a really rounded game. ... I was really impressed with the way he saw the floor and made passes to guys in the three-on-three situations.

"He's shown an ability to score from a lot of different places on the floor."

Williams was measured at 6-foot-4 at the pre-draft camp, two inches shorter than he was listed at VMI.

"He's a funny size, but he's one of those guys who can just play," the NBA assistant coach said.

Williams said teams have auditioned him as a point guard, off-guard and small forward.

"At Portland, Coach [Nate] McMillan told me, 'I know you can score, but I want to see decision-making,' " Williams said. "Each workout, I have to prove myself."

VMI is hardly a pipeline to pro basketball, but NBA scouting director Marty Blake said Williams proved himself in Portsmouth and Orlando.

"I don't know if he can make it in the NBA right away, but he certainly ought to develop his skills in the D-League or go overseas. Eventually, he can play [in the NBA]," Blake said. "He's a great shooter and he's very quick. He's got great athletic ability."

"He's got a real knack for scoring," Babcock said. "He's got to get stronger. He's got to improve his defense and his ball skills."

Washington was measured at 6-6 at the camp, one inch shorter than at Tech. Both Washington and Williams weighed 199 pounds at the camp.

Washington, who has entertained Tech fans with his dunks, showed off an impressive 40-inch vertical leap at the camp.

"I come in [for workouts], they're like, 'You're the leaper. You're the one that can jump,'" Washington said.

"In Orlando, he led the camp on five-on-zero dunks," the NBA assistant coach said. "Everyone kind of noticed him. He's a definite NBA-level athlete."

Babcock said Washington had an impressive workout with Minnesota.

"He's got a lot of upside," Babcock said. "He certainly has a future in professional basketball, and he has a chance to make the NBA, if not this year then down the road.

"What I like about him is his defensive ability and athletic ability. What I wanted to see in the workout was a little bit more of his shooting skills and ball-handling skills, and he showed me they were better than what I thought they were, but they still have a ways to go.

"You're not going to draft him with the idea that you expect him to be a scorer. You're going to draft him with the idea that you expect him to be a defender."

Washington, who said teams are eyeing him at off-guard and small forward, averaged 13.1 points and made the ACC all-defensive team this year. He was one of only three players in Tech history to finish his career with at least 1,400 points, 600 rebounds, 100 steals and 100 blocks.

"The way I'm going to get in the league is by playing defense," he said. "They know I have the athleticism and the quickness to play. I just have to be able to guard people."

Blake said Washington sometimes hurries his shot but has "really improved" in recent months.

"He played very well in Portsmouth, and he was exciting ... in Orlando," Blake said. "He can play in the league -- maybe next year. He was outstanding in some of the drills [in Orlando]. ... He was an expert at the alley-oop.

"He's very athletic and he can get a lot of shots and he can play defense once he gets acclimated to that type of ball. He's going to make a lot of money playing basketball."