LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — The disbelievers surround Jay Scrubb as he continues his grind from former University of Louisville basketball commit to 2020 NBA Draft prospect.
Draft guru Sam Vecenie of The Athletic ranked Scrubb as the No. 68 prospect in his June 18 update. In other words, Vecenie does not believe Scrubb will be selected.
Fox Sports, CBS Sports, Yahoo! and 247Sports do not include Scrubb in their mock drafts.
You can find Scrubb on the draft boards at NBADraft.net and as well as NBADraftroom.com — midway through Round 2. Sports Illustrated has Scrubb at No. 53.
"To see him at 50 or even 40 on a draft board is so disrespectful," said Scrubb’s father, Jason.
Write those projections down. Put them in an envelope. Tuck them away until Oct. 16.
That is the night of the rescheduled draft. By then, after draft workouts have resumed, Jason Scrubb said his son will have shattered the narrative.
"Once he has his first (scrimmage against other draft prospects), I think you’re going to see the biggest jump in draft history," he added. "From the bottom of the second round to a hands down lottery pick."
Did you just say lottery pick, as in one of the first 14 selections? By a player who isn’t in the Top 30 anywhere on July 2?
"Oh, yeah, to a lottery pick," Jason Scrubb said. "L-O-T-T-E-R-Y, Yes sir. I mean that. Absolutely. Jay is going to shock the world.
"I can’t name five players that are better," he added. "Physically? Skill set? I can’t find five shooting guards. Not at all. Not close."
Muhammad Ali did not have more confidence in his left jab than Jason Scrubb has in his son, the former Trinity High School star who played two seasons at John Logan Community College in Carterville, Illinois.
In the three-plus months since Scrubb decided to bypass playing even one season for Louisville to work to become the first junior college player drafted in 15 years, the mock drafts have been steadfast in their skepticism that Scrubb will crack the first round.
Doesn’t matter. Jason Scrubb said there has been no second-guessing of his son's decision.
Scrubb moved to Atlanta in April to work with a personal trainer and to be closer to his agent, Corey Marcum of EZ Sports Group. Jason Scrubb said on occasion his son has trained in the same facility used by former Kentucky guard Ashton Hagans as well as Georgia star Anthony Edwards, the possible top overall pick.
Scrubb has also trained in San Antonio and Los Angeles and is prepared to visit Orlando, Florida, where NBA teams are expected to resume their season later this month.
Scrubb has done conference calls and video chats with at least 22 teams. He said the sharpest teams will look past any internal bias against junior college players and simply evaluate him for what he shows he can do on the court.
"Jay is an Alpha," Jason Scrubb said. "A lot of these guys are recognizing that. It’s putting a lot of pressure on them to make the right choice and to get it right.
"Whenever he steps onto the court, he’s an Alpha. He becomes one of the best players on the court because of his skill set."
At 6 feet, 6 inches, Scrubb is taller with a longer wingspan that most guards, an advantage that he uses in the lane and near the basket. But Jason Scrubb said that his son, a lefty, has also worked to improve his 3-point shot.
The question that he cannot shake is the junior-college question.
As good as Scrubb was at Logan (and he was good enough to make 46% of his 3-point attempts and be named junior college player of the year), Scrubb did not do it in the ACC, SEC or Big Ten.
Jason Scrubb said the only way his son can respond will be to compete against top prospects in pre-draft workouts.
"The level of competition is like a hoax," Jason Scrubb said. "He’s played against some good players in AAU, at Louisville and in USA Basketball workouts ... I’ll put my last dollar on Jay against any player in this draft. I don’t care who it is, whether it’s James Wiseman (the Memphis center who could be the first pick) or any of those guys."
Jason Scrubb said the family is so confident in Jay, they are working on developing his brand, which they have named "Speak Life." There will be merchandise — and, if he makes it, plenty of material for a documentary.
"The teams are starting to feel it," Jason Scrubb said. "All they have to do is have all the prospects hit the floor at one time. You’ll see the narrative change. It’s going to cause a big vacuum and it’s going to be, 'Uh-oh! Who is this kid here? He really can play.'
“You’re going to see all the eyes go over to Jay," he added. "You’re going to hear the narrative change in the next month, month and a half. If you want a winner, that’s Jay Scrubb."
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