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In restaurants, hungry patrons rely on waiters to sate their cravings. Tonight at Newark, N.J.’s Prudential Center, a famished team will select Dion Waiters to end its yearning for victories. Prognosticators are expecting the 20-year-old former Syracuse University guard to be an NBA Draft lottery pick, guaranteeing the product of 19th and Carpenter streets a chance to transform a woebegone franchise into a contender.
The 6-foot-4 baller declared for the draft March 26, leaving his New York-based institution after two years. Numerous mock boards feature his name among the first 14 future millionaires who will receive congratulatory handshakes from Commissioner David Stern, but regardless of the designated moment when he is to offer his right hand, Waiters figures to be a consistent contributor.
According to nba.com, four squads are strongly courting the speedster to help to restore their postseason presence. The site provides an analysis of players’ probable destinations, and Waiters appears most frequently in the eighth position. If that holds, he would become a Toronto Raptor and would hope to take his unit from an also-ran to a playoff participant. Should he not end up having to venture to Canada, three Western Conference teams appear in the hunt. The Portland Trail Blazers hold the 11th spot, the Phoenix Suns rest in the 13th slot and the Houston Rockets occupy the 14th space. Whichever club tabs him as a possible savior, it will add, according to the site, a “great athlete,” a “good passer” and a provider of “instant offense.”
Syracuse fans often witnessed his penchant for pyrotechnics this year, as he fully accepted his role as coach Jim Boeheim’s top substitute. Finishing second on the Orange in scoring at 12.6 points per game, he earned the Big East Conference’s Sixth Man of the Year award and a third-team all-league selection. In just over 24 minutes per contest, he also tallied 2.5 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.8 steals, proving his versatility and frustrating opponents with his quickness and composure. He and his mates won a school-record 34 games, held the nation’s top ranking for six weeks, claimed the regular season conference title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament’s East Regional Final. Only two days after his sophomore season concluded, the South of South native thanked the Syracuse family and caused scouts to drool even more.
Waiters has had to grow accustomed to onlookers’ stupefied looks. He honed his game at Chew Playground, 18th Street and Washington Avenue, as a youth and began his secondary playing days at Connecticut’s South Kent School after brief enrollment at South Philadelphia High School, 2101 S. Broad St. Waiters put his full potential on display as a junior and senior at New Jersey’s Burlington Life Center Academy, where he was ranked 15th overall in ESPNU’s Class of 2010 and held the No. 2 shooting guard distinction in the ESPN 100. His collegiate tenure included an increased commitment to defense, a trait that would certainly help him if he were to have to face the Western Conference’s top scorers, including the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant.
Supporters are hoping Waiters will not be the only ex-Orange star to don a cap tonight. According to various mock drafts, leading scorer Kris Joseph could go in the second round, but matters seem more uncertain for the fourth-leading marksman, Antonio “Scoop” Jardine. Cousin to Waiters and his playground pal, Jardine prepped at Ss. Neumann-Goretti High School, 1736 S. 10th St., and expertly handled his task as Syracuse’s point guard, registering 181 assists in 37 starts as a senior. A Second Team All-Big East designee, the 6-foot-2 figure has picked up a bit of buzz, working out last week for the Golden State Warriors and Utah Jazz, and if his four splendid performances in the NCAA Tournament resonate with observers, too, he will likely land an NBA job like his relative.
Ramone Moore rounds out the area prospects. A Southern graduate, the 6-foot-4 sharpshooter led Temple University with 17.3 points per game, finishing third among Atlantic 10 Conference scorers. A First Team league honoree, he also displayed his durability by logging 36.6 minutes per duel and helped his Owls to qualify for the Big Dance, where they bowed out in the second round. The website nbadraft.net last week projected the local product as the 58th overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves, with the Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks and 76ers also rumored to have interest.
The two-round draft begins 7 tonight live on ESPN.
Contact Staff Writer Joseph Myers at jmyers@southphillyreview.com or ext. 124.
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