Seltzer’s Notebook: Niang’s Noel Ties, English’s Path

Niang Wouldn’t Mind Reconnecting With NoelGeorges Niang had a strong run at Iowa State.  He capped his four-year career by averaging 20.5 points per game, and earning the Karl Malone Award, which is given annually to the top power forward in the nation.  Although Niang flirted with the idea of turning pro after his junior season, he decided to stay on for one more go-round with the Shockers.  Why?”To get myself completely ready,” he said Tuesday following his workout with the Sixers.  “It’s one thing to make it to the NBA, it’s another thing to stay in the NBA.”Before his four-year stint in Ames, Iowa, Niang grew up north of Boston, and attended the Tilton School, where he was a teammate of Nerlens Noel. “It’d be great to be back here with him,” Niang said about the possibility of ending up with the Sixers.  “He’s a long-time friend, a long-time teammate, and the success he’s had here is awesome.  To partner up with him would be great.  He holds my back down on the defensive end, and he catches a couple lobs to give me a couple assists in high school.”Niang had fond memories of the time he spent growing up with Noel, another suburban Boston product.”We have so many,” said Niang, “whether it was 12 hour trips down to AAU tournaments in Virginia with him singing in the car, picking his flat top.  We have so many.  He’s a great guy, and a great basketball player, and a great friend.”Niang has a connection to Nik Stauskas, too. “We played against each other in college and high school,” Niang said.  “He went to St. Mark’s [Southborough, Massachusetts prep program].  Sadly, they beat us my last high school game, so that was rough.  We’re pretty good friends.  I talk to him quite often.” Uthoff Discusses ProgressDuring a three-year playing career at Iowa, Jarrod Uthoff steadily increased his production season by season.  Averaging only 30 seconds more per game than he did as a sophomore, the wiry 6’9″ tall, 210 pound forward raised his per-40 minute scoring rate by more than 8.0 points in his junior campaign.  “Maturity is the biggest thing,” Uthoff said when asked about the areas in which he has undergone the most development.  “Going through college, I just matured, and really expanded my game, putting the ball on the floor, shooting, pull-up, dribbles, my defense improved vastly.  I got more athletic, I got stronger.”For a frontcourt player of his build, Uthoff established himself as a dependable perimeter weapon.  He stroked 137 career three-pointers with the Hawkeyes, and shot 38.3 percent from beyond the arc.  Uthoff credited his brother for teaching him to shoot at a young age. The Cedar Rapids native played for Fran McCaffery at Iowa.  McCaffery is a product of La Salle College High School, and the University of Pennsylvania. “Oh yeah, he’s definitely a Philly guy,” said Uthoff.  “He’s got that fire in him.  [He’s] a good guy.” McCaffery travelled to Chicago last month to watch Uthoff at the NBA Draft Combine.English Familiar with PhiladelphiaA.J. English ranked tenth in the NCAA in scoring last season with an average of 22.6 points per game.  The MVP of the Portsmouth Invitational, he was raised in Wilmington, Delaware before moving on to spend four seasons at Iona.  “I always had that confidence in myself,” said English, who generated just 7.0 points per game as a freshman in 2012.  “I’m from right [down] the street in Delaware.  You’ve got to have confidence coming out of a small state like that.”  Given the close proximity between Delaware’s largest city and Philadelphia, English is no stranger to the area. “I’ve been in Philly all my life,” he said.English recalled an old summer league game that he said was played in a setting akin to someone’s back yard.  There was a tiny court, smaller than regulation size, that was littered with accomplished Delaware Valley standouts like Dion Waiters and Dionte Christmas. “Wilmington, Philly, Chester, they’re right next to each other,” English said Tuesday. “It just brings a grittiness out of you, like to continue to compete, like a never-give-up type of thing.” Bryson Considers Communication is KeyMichael Bryson’s objective Tuesday morning was to demonstrate to the Sixers his shooting ability, athleticism, and willingness to defend.  He called himself an “underdog,” and wanted to have fun during a workout that he said was different than some of the others he has attended.”While you’re being pushed, it’s more so about skill,” Bryson said, as he described the nature of his session with Sixers.  “They want to see what you can do, how you put it on the floor, how you can shoot, really space out the floor, and seeing how you play within an open flow.  I’d say the difference here would definitely be the game flow.”A 21-year old guard who appeared at ease in front of reporter recorders, microphones, and cameras, Bryson added that his ability to communicate is another strength, one that has helped him perform better on the defensive end of the floor. “I love to talk,” he said.  “My mom and dad, they push me.  Grammar mistakes aren’t ok.  Umms, I’m still trying to clean them up.  They’re extremely hard on me, but it’s for a purpose.  They understand that being able to talk and really connect with somebody is more than anything in a relationship.”Bryson averaged 18.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game as a senior at Santa Barbara.  Maxwell Kupchak, the son of Los Angeles Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak, was a freshman on the team.  Bryson and the long-time NBA executive shared a brief conversation at the end of the year.  The chat left Bryson impressed with Kupchak’s sincerity and authenticity. “He’s extremely professional, but very personable.”Bryson is holding out hope that he’ll have a chance to workout with his hometown Sacramento Kings.  He also has a visit scheduled with the Toronto Raptors, but still needs to get his passport.Pierre Finishes Career StrongDyshawn Pierre was forced to sit out the fall semester of his senior season at Dayton due to a suspension; however, he bounced back to account for 12.6 points and 8.5 boards in the 22 games he did play.   Pierre believes his work ethic enabled him to make an immediate impact.”I think when I was back home, I didn’t take any time off,” said Pierre, an Ontario native.  “I was still working out.  Just [had] constant focus on wanting to be ready to come back and ready to win games for the team.”Dayton went 25-8 last year, and qualified for the NCAA Tournament.  After missing roughly a third of the NCAA season, Pierre had the advantage of being a “little more” physically fresh than his peers when beginning to prepare for the draft. “I’ve made sure my body was good back home,” he said.  “Definitely was working hard, a little bit fatigued, but was ready for when the games were.”Pierre took part in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament in April.  He tallied 14.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in three games.  Gielo Values International ExperienceDuring the portion of the Sixers’ Tuesday morning workout that was open to the media, Tomasz Gielo competed with noticeable bounce and enthusiasm.  The 6’9” tall, 220 pound Polish forward views himself as being versatile, and says that he “can’t be labeled as one dimensional.”  Gielo’s goals Tuesday were to show the Sixers that he could pass, rebound, guard, and shoot.A native of Szczecin, a town near Poland’s northwest border with Germany, Gielo was a member of the Polish junior national team in his youth.  The chance to compete internationally was one he valued immensely.  Gielo said Tuesday, “When I was 17, we got to go to the World Championships, and we went all the way to the final game, and we played against the U.S.A. team.  It was a great opportunity.  It’s probably one of my best memories growing up playing basketball, and it opened up a lot of different opportunities to come here play college basketball in the U.S., too.”The United States’ Under-17 World Championships roster, at the time, was loaded with future NBA talent.  Gielo and his countrymen went up against the likes of Bradley Beal, Andre Drummond, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and Tony Wroten.  “As far as I remember, we lost, we got smacked by 20, I think,” said Gielo, now 23 years old.  “I got 21 points, as far as I remember.  [James] McAdoo had 20, Bradley Beal had 16 or 14. It was a great experience.”The box score from the tilt, played in July of 2010, reflected the strength of Gielo’s memory.  Sure enough, he did top all scorers with 21 points, while McAdoo indeed drained 20 points.  Beal wound up with 19 points in the Americans’ 111-80 triumph.  SIXERS.COM PHOTO GALLERY: 6/14/2016 Pre-Draft Workout