Twenty-Plus NBA Scouts Attend Tops' Pro Day at Diddle Arena

Pro Day Photo Gallery | Coach Stansbury Interview on Pro Day (VIDEO)

VIDEO: Inside Look at WKU's First Pro Day

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU Hilltopper Basketball head coach Rick Stansbury talks often about selling potential players on opportunity.

Opportunity came to campus Thursday.

More than 20 NBA scouts from nearly as many teams attended the first official Pro Day in program history at E.A. Diddle Arena.

The Hilltoppers opened practice to all NBA teams and credentialed media, with scouts lining press row and the stands across one side of the arena.

"Anytime you can have 20 NBA teams come to Bowling Green, come to Western Kentucky, there's no limit on the value of the exposure you get from that," Stansbury said. "It's great for the young men in this program. It shows that no matter where you go, you have a chance to be a pro if you're good enough. They'll find you."

The entire team went through Thursday's Pro Day, which followed a format as a sort of altered practice.

WKU kept much of its usual structure, while also tweaking a few things in order to give the NBA scouts a more specific look at parts of the Hilltoppers' abilities.

"I wanted some guys to demonstrate the ability to shoot it," Stansbury said. "I put my big guys through some drills shooting 3-pointers. We did some dribbling stuff to show the NBA guys how they can dribble it, and we did enough defensive stuff so they can see the feel they have for the game. And then we let them scrimmage some, so it was great for these young men."

WKU has a storied history at the professional level with 35 NBA Draft picks and 20-plus former Hilltoppers currently playing pro ball in the United States and overseas. In Stansbury's first two seasons at WKU, all eight outgoing seniors have signed a contract to play professional basketball.

The Hilltoppers tip off the season with their annual Hilltopper Hysteria event, which is free to the public, at 6:30 p.m. CT Oct. 18 at Diddle Arena. WKU's first exhibition game is against Campbellsville at 7 p.m. Oct. 30.

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