Note: This is the first of two stories previewing Florida State prospects in the NBA Draft. On Thursday, we'll look at the Seminoles' impressive recent draft history, what it means for the program and also recap where other FSU alumni are playing professionally.
It has been an extremely busy few months for Florida State's top two NBA Draft hopefuls -- forward Mfiondu Kabengele and guard Terance Mann -- and the excitement appears to be just getting started.
Kabengele is one of just 23 prospects invited to the NBA "green room" for Thursday night's draft, as he was one of three players added to the list this week. Mann also is expected to attend the draft in New York as well.
That marks three of the last four years that the Seminoles will have a player in the league's prestigious "green room "on draft night. Shooting guard Malik Beasley had the honor in 2016, and forward Jonathan Isaac did in 2017. Both players were selected in the first round.
When Kabengele declared for the draft after his redshirt sophomore season, there was speculation that he might go in the late-first or early-second rounds. But after shining at the NBA Combine and in numerous individual and group workouts, his stock has been on a steady rise.
"I think he has a tremendous ceiling," FSU associate head coach Stan Jones said. "And I think he really translates to the way the NBA is trending right now with that style of play -- in terms of being able to shoot the ball, playing a small-ball 'five' (center), being athletic, getting to the rim, being able to defend the rim ... he could be a big sleeper steal in this draft."
Kabengele had already worked out for at least 10 NBA teams when he got the call to fly out to New Orleans early this week to interview with the Pelicans, who are the subject of numerous draft rumors following their blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Lakers. New Orleans already had the No. 1 pick in Thursday's draft, and they also obtained the No. 4 pick as part of the Anthony Davis trade.
Several clubs are reportedly interested in acquiring that fourth pick, which could give New Orleans other options later in the first round.
"There's something going on because they've called and done a bunch of background on Fi," Jones said of Kabengele. "They wanted him to come in for an interview. Not to work out, but to sit down and do an interview."
Kabengele was in New Orleans on Wednesday before heading up to New York for the draft.
It has been a meteoric rise over the last eight or nine months for Kabengele, who emerged as the Seminoles' best player in 2019 despite coming off the bench throughout his Florida State career. He averaged 13.2 points and 5.9 rebounds this past season and helped lead FSU to back-to-back NCAA Sweet 16 appearances.
Though considered "old" for a sophomore at 21, Kabengele is a late bloomer who sprouted from 6-foot-6 to 6-10 late in high school. And Jones is convinced the athletic big man is still filling out.
"He seems like he's grown even in the short time he's been away from us," Jones said. "His best basketball is still ahead of him."
Mann, meanwhile, has worked out for more than a dozen NBA teams -- most recently with the Boston Celtics -- and has been projected mostly as an early second-round pick but could sneak into the end of the first. The 6-7, 215-pounder has been described by some analysts as a "point forward" because of his great versatility.
To that point, Mann played primarily in the backcourt for the Seminoles but led the team with 6.5 rebounds per game.
"The one analytic you have to put by Terance Mann's name is winner," Jones said. "He won in prep school, at a prep school that didn't normally win up there in the New England prep school association, which is is one of the best -- if not the best -- high school leagues in the country. He won an AAU championship with his AAU team, and he was the all-time winningest player here.
"Sometimes people take him for granted because he might not have a thousand 'wow' plays every game, but he makes plenty of them. And his big thing is winning, and sometimes you have to factor that into the analytics."
While Kabengele and Mann are both very skilled and athletic for their size, Jones believes their intangibles could be what elevates them higher in the draft than some might expect.
"They've both done extremely well in all their workouts," Jones said. "We've gotten some feedback from some of the organizations as they've been through. And as proud as we are of their basketball ability, the thing we're most proud of is that most teams have given feedback that Mfiondu and Terance were the two best interview people they've had come through during their process.
"It shows their character and their intelligence and their communication skills, and they're representing themselves really well."
Jones said center Christ Koumadje also is a possible second-round pick. The 7-4 center has worked out for about eight teams.
"Christ might be a guy who surprises us all on draft night," Jones said. "There's some teams that like him. And with the volatility of this year's draft, there's some teams looking for 'development bigs' to put on their two-way contracts and to place in the G League and to keep their rights.
"Either way, I think he's going to be in a good position because he had a great Portsmouth senior combine camp and has really good reviews in his workouts for teams."
Jones said forward Phil Cofer has worked out for about five teams and is a likely candidate to start his pro career in the NBA's G League. The Seminoles expect guards David Nichols and PJ Savoy to get chances to play in the NBA summer league.
Check back Thursday for the second of our FSU pre-draft articles.
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