Right now, Matthew Bryan-Amaning is on a mission to be the next British baller in the NBA. Keep up to date with all his progress until draft night (June 23rd 2011) right here, this will be updated frequently (we did the same thing last year for Ryan Richards if you want to check it out).

Matthew Bryan-Amaning Pre-Draft Timeline

 

20th March 2011-Bryan-Amaning and his UW Huskies are knocked out of the NCAA tournament, losing 86-83 to UNC, seeing his college career coming to an end. His senior season saw him named to the Pac-10 All First Team and being named the league’s Most Improved Player. He finished with 1182 points (25th all-time), 728 rebounds, 115 steals and 158 blocks (2nd all time and one of only two UW players with 100 steals and 100 blocks).

 

9th April 2011–MBA impresses at the Portsmouth Invitational, the premier showcase for college seniors across the US that has representatives from all NBA teams in attendance. Playing for Sales System Ltd who went 1-2 over their three games, MBA averaged 17 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.6 steals and 1.3 blocks, shooting 45% from the field (19/42) and 65% at the line (13/20).

7th May 2011-NBAdraft.net publishes this interview with MBA.

NBADraft.net: What will you bring to an NBA team next season?

Matthew Bryan Amaning: Somebody that’s successful on and off the court. I work hard and play every possession like it’s my last. I’ve been through a lot, left my family and friends when I was 16 so I am a very mature player and teams won’t need to worry about me off the court. During my college career, I won 1 conference tournament and 2 conference championships so I will also bring leadership and a winning attitude.

20th May 2011-Suffers a blow as he doesn’t receive an invite to the NBA Pre-Draft combine in Chicago.

24th May 2011-Minnesota workout with 28 NBA teams in attendance, after which MBA tweets:

“Man workout was coo..they bench tested me b4 tho (the only one)..by the end I couldnt lift my arms..ended up shootin bad..but good otherwise”

28th May 2011-Bleacher report names MBA as a 2nd round pick who could make an immediate impact.

“Bryan-Amaning is expected to be a late second-round pick, but his athletic abilities rival many of the players that will be selected in the first-round.

He has above average quickness for someone with his size and is a terrific scorer around the basket.  He is still a bit raw, but he plays solid defense and is a great shot-blocker.  Bryan-Amaning is also a terrific rebounder and has incredible leaping abilities.

He is a bit more of a project than the other two guys on this list, but his above average athleticism in the post make him an excellent value pick this late and he can be a guy that comes in and provides a lot of energy off the bench.”

June 1st 2011-San Antonio Spurs workout, after which MBA tweets:

“Jus got done wid the spurs workout..talented group, me, rick Jackson, david lighty, etwane moore, corey joseph and josh selby..we went at it”

June 2nd 2011-MBA reveals he has a number of workouts scheduled with different teams, including Dallas, Oklahoma City, Sacramento, Chicago and Milwaukee;

“don’t no the dates off the top of my head but Dallas, OKC, Sac, Chi, Bucks just to name few..lol”

June 3rd 2011-New York Knicks Workout.

June 4th 2011-MBA tweets he is happy with how the Knicks workout went

“Bk in seattle for a short journey..b4 I leave for another workout..NY knicks went well in my book..”

June 6th 2011-MBA works out with Portland Trailblazers. The Blazers publish this little video edit of his workout.

As well as this video interview.

June 8th 2011-Blazers blog Just Casey publishes this nice little piece on his workout, with Portland’s acting GM chiming in on his thoughts on MBA.

“By his own admission, Bryan-Amaning might not be the next Luol Deng or Ben Gordon, both British nationals playing key roles for their respective teams, but he thinks there is a place in the NBA for a player with his specific skill set and mentality.

“Just a body off the bench, a big guy coming in defending the basket and rebounding, play defense,” said Bryan-Amaning of how he envisions his role in the NBA. “I do a little bit of everything, just working hard, playing defense and rebounds. Rebounding, rebounding, rebounding.”

Chad Buchanan, Portland’s acting general manager, agreed that Bryan-Amaning may never reach the level of a Deng or Gordon, but he also noted he doesn’t necessarily need to emulate those players if he’s to have a career in the NBA.

“I think, for our level, his role will be very simplified,” said Buchanan. “And whether it happens right away or if he has to play his way up through the minor leagues or overseas, I wouldn’t rule him out for our league down the road just because guys who are that big and that active have a chance to play at our level.””

June 12th 2011– Graduates from the University of Washington, formally bringing his college career to an end.

Seatown Sports runs this profile on him.

“Bryan-Amaning is a work in progress on both ends. He plays with passion and grit at times and is creative around the bucket, though his finishing skills, shall we say, lack polish. He was a three-year headache for Husky fans until he partially shed his passive back-to-the-basket demeanor and started emphatically putting the ball through the cylinder—to that point, the game didn’t seem to come naturally to him. His post game is developing, but he found a real strength last year in rolling off picks and finishing Thomas’ feeds. He developed decent range to 17 feet last summer but did not use it last season. He’s been working tirelessly at his jumper this spring in hopes of piquing scouts’ pick-and-fade imaginations. Defensively, Bryan-Amaning is immature and too stiff for someone so laterally quick. He tended to lose focus on defense at UW but was earnest to prove his desire at the Portsmouth Invitational in April—he hustled endlessly on both ends on his way to one of the tournament’s best four-day performances. He has a 7’4 wingspan and leaps like a geyser in transition (read: HE WILL RISE ON YOU), but don’t count on him Bill Russelling his blocked shots: he’ll knock ‘em as far as he can, possession be damned. If he can harness his boundless athleticism very quickly, MBA may be in business. Otherwise, the big Brit is destined for a very, very good European career.”

June 13th 2011-Works out for the Sacramento Kings. MBA tweets:

“Man jus got done wid this Kings workout here in Sacramento..me, @kembawalker and my guy Nik from USC went undefeated in 3on3 it wasn’t fair!”

The Kings post some raw footage of the workout (check MBA stroking jumpers from 0:13).

Cowbell Kingdom provides this analysis on MBA after his workout:

“Bryan-Amaning really helped himself by measuring up to a nice 6′-8.5″ height without shoes and an incredible 7′-4″ wingspan.  Unfortunately, those numbers weren’t enough to land him even in the second round on most mock drafts.

Measurements:

• Height:  6′-8.5″ w/o shoes; w/ shoes N/A.
• Weight:  232-pounds; body fat N/A.
• Wingspan:  7′-4″
• Standing Reach:  8′-11.5″

Testing:

• Vertical:  30.0″ no step vert; max vert N/A.
• Strength: N/A.
• Agility Drills: Lane agility- 11.12 seconds; 3/4 court sprint- 3.41 seconds.

Thoughts on Matthew Bryan-Amaning

Diamond in the rough.  If the Kings are going to draft at no. 60 in the second round, my leader in the club house is Matthew Bryan-Amaning.  He may need to do something with that hyphenated name, but the power forward out of Washington was all over the court, hustling and showing off  great hands.  He garnered “oohs” and “ahhs” from the media room when he hammered down a dunk in traffic over the shot blocking DeAngelo Casto.  And he also pulled off a crazy ball fake, which freed him up for another lay-in.  Although his college numbers aren’t gaudy, Bryan-Amaning seemed to play big in a Carl Landry kind of way.  Unfortunately, Bryan-Amaning did not address media following the workout.”

Sacramento Kings writer Robert Small was impressed by MBA at the workout:

“Been a minute since the Kings workout ended. Don’t think I saw enough from Kemba to say much. I did like what I saw Matthew Bryan-Amaning. Bryan-Amaning slated to go undrafted. Showcased his athleticism around the rim including a viscious dunk on Wash. St.’s DeAngelo Casto.”

June 15th 2011-NBAdraft.net update his profile.

Strengths: Bryan-Amaning has increased his production with each year at Washington, finishing his senior season averaging 15 points and 8 rebounds on 54% shooting … From a physical standpoint, the 6’10 (in shoes) Amaning possesses NBA tools consisting of a 232 pound frame and a massive wingspan just over 7’3 … Uses his momentum to effectively explode up at the rim … Explosiveness and impressive hops allow him to finish emphatically when slipping to the rim off pick and rolls and in transition opportunities … High activity level in the paint … Excellent feel for the rim around the basket, finding ways to score regardless of his positioning… Length, athleticism and energy contribute to weak side rejections and offensive rebounds … Laterally quick enough to defend elusive face-up power forwards at the high post…

Weaknesses: Lacks consistency and fluidity on his jumper, which will limit his services as an NBA player … Needs to establish a face-up game with some type of jab step to setup a mid-range jumper, as he relies on shooting on the move to create separation on his shot … Not an adept ball-handler … Too heavily dependent on his quickness, length and touch in the post- lacks a refined back to the basket game … Struggles to get easy baskets and clean looks on his own… Shot 61% on 4.8 free throw attempts per game … Defensively, he’s a better off-ball defender than on-ball… Too often he allows his man to get where and what he wants …

Overall: Matthew Bryan-Amaning’s athleticism, explosiveness and physical tools are all built for NBA play… Expanding his offensive repertoire will be the top goal moving forward, with the focus being on developing a consistent jumper to maximize his value as an NBA prospect… Look for teams who lack athleticism up front to take interest late in the second round..”

Named to the initial GB Senior Men’s roster, with training camp opening on July 30th.

June 16th 2011-Oklahoma City Thunder workout, which MBA tweets didn’t go so well:

“Not a good workout in OKC not happy..but its still not over..a long week 2go..”

June 20th 2011-Dallas Mavericks Workout

June 22nd 2011–MVP publishes this nice interview with MBA where he discusses the workout process and his hopes to have his name called one night before the draft.

“If it was this time last year, I know my name wouldn’t be getting called. But just being able to work and have such a successful season, it’s put me on people’s radar. I know that I had a lot of good workouts. Hopefully it’s enough to get my name called.”

One blogger on the Husky Haul believes the Sacramento Kings should take MBA with the 60th pick.

“Amaning has worked out for (among other teams) the Portland Trailblazers, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Sacramento Kings. Previously, the Sacramento Kings have taken a chance on a high motor University of Washington player when they traded in the 2009 draft to the Portland Trailblazers for Jon Brockman.

Sacramento is rumored to be looking for a point guard and a power forward. The Kings also worked out USC’s Nikola Vucevic however he is predicted to be taken earlier in the draft prior to their second round pick.

So, based on all of these numbers, it is only fitting that Amaning take a special place in this draft, last but certainly not least.

The definitive draft pick for Matthew Bryan-Amaning is the Sacramento Kings at #60.”

A player profile appears for MBA on Cleveland.com, suggesting he will end up in Europe.

“Bryan-Amaning has shown flashes of possibly being an NBA contributor, but scouts expect a college senior’s basketball smarts to be a bit more honed than his are. The power forward set career-high averages of 15.3 points and 8.0 rebounds for Washington this past season and put on an impressive showing at the Portsmouth Invitational, playing with energy at both ends of the floor. Given his size, Bryan-Amaning moves well, and his speed – both in getting to the spot and when using low-post moves – is an advantage against generally slower-paced frontcourt players. He still needs work in developing a respectable offensive game at the next level, but he certainly possesses some raw physical tools to be effective around the rim. Bryan-Amaning’s shot selection hasn’t always been the greatest – a trend that continued in Portsmouth – but if he showed more ability in knocking down mid-range jumpers, scouts would up his stock. Bryan-Amaning clearly has some long-term upside, but is still likely a ways away from making on-court contributions in the NBA. He’s not a lock to get drafted and may need to stand out in private workouts just to get his name in the mix. A more likely scenario for the London native may be a future playing in Europe.”

June 23rd 2011-Draft day. Yahoo Sports produce this video of some of MBA’s highlights at Washington.