Jun. 27—Parker Jefferson was finishing up an offseason workout at Loyola Marymount last month when trainer Zachary Gonzales asked the Gonzaga forward to stick around for some additional work.
Gonzales, a former player development coach for the Los Angeles Lakers who now trains NBA and college players, needed an extra body to help two of his other clients in a 1-on-1 drill. Jefferson didn't require much convincing once he realized who the other participants were.
In a twist on the conventional 1-on-1 format, Gonzales deployed Jefferson as a full-time defender, challenging the redshirt freshman forward to come up with six stops before two offensive players, who'd sub in and out of the drill, combined to make six shots. The first to six — stops or shots — would have to validate the win with a free throw.
There were no breaks with Jefferson matched up against a pair of premier college players who'd be selected in the NBA's lottery merely a month later. BYU phenom and No. 1 overall draft pick AJ Dybantsa got the first crack at Jefferson before turning the ****** ignment over to skilled Tennessee wing Nate Ament, who was selected No. 13 by the Milwaukee Bucks Tuesday night.
The final tally? Probably better than Jefferson could have expected.