Mocs Coach Dan Earl Details Draft Process For Former UTC Center Jake Stephens

Chattanooga-(WDEF-TV) Former Chattanooga Moc Jake Stephens hopes to hear his name called at some point in the NBA draft.
UTC head coach Dan Earl has been keeping up with Stephens through the draft process, and he shares what the ordeal has been like for Stephens with News 12’s Brian Armstrong.

Said Earl: We’re hoping he gets drafted, but if he doesn’t, just stay the course and keep working hard.

Former Chattanooga Moc Jake Stephens has been spending the last few months meeting with NBA teams and working out in order to get drafted.

Said Earl: You never know what’s going to happen. There’s going to be some highs, some lows. You go to a camp or an individual workout and you do really well. And some other day, it’s not your day.

Stephens averaged 15 points and ten rebounds in the Portsmouth Invitational where the top seniors competed against each other.

Said Earl:And then he’s worked out for about ten or twelve NBA teams. And it’s been really a great process for him. As you can imagine he’s flying all over the country. He’s meeting the head coach, sometimes the GM, the assistant coaches for each team. Once in a while, there are players floating around.

Coach Earl has talked to Stevens after almost every team practice session, and Stevensalways receives the same positive feedback.

Said Earl:And he gets feedback through his agent. And they’re telling him what he has to continue to work on and what he’s doing well. But what’s been really cool for us is he’s getting a lot of the same positive feedback, which is, on top of being a skilled player and can shoot and pass, he has tremendous energy in the workouts, he’s in shape, and he has a tremendous attitude. They say that almost to a team, to a person.

Earl adds there are pros and cons to being drafted, particularly in the second round.

Said Earl:You want to hear your name called on draft night. But sometimes it’s even better to be a free agent, right? That is, if you’re going to go late second round. Sometimes even you get kind of held to that team.

Sometimes it’s even better or okay to be a free agent after, and then you can go to any team possible.