Carolina's finest: Scoring on hoop dreams

The Milwaukee Bucks might present two former UNC players with jerseys at the 2005 NBA Draft that have the last name Williams on them.

If the Bucks select Marvin Williams with the first overall pick, he could be reunited with Jawad Williams as an NBA teammate June 28 at Madison Square Garden.

Dave Babcock, director of player personnel for the Milwaukee Bucks, said Jawad Williams is a likely choice for the team if he’s still available in the second round.

“He’s someone on our list for our 36th pick,” Babcock said.

NBA analysts widely consider Jawad a potential second-round selection.

The 6-foot-8 power forward from UNC was among four players who attended a workout June 2 for the Bucks.

Although Andrew Bogut from the University of Utah is another likely possibility for the first pick, Babcock said the team is impressed with Marvin Williams’ accomplishments.

“Having won a national championship is definitely a feather in his cap,” he said.

Marvin Williams earned the ACC Rookie of the Year award last season as a sixth man for the Tar Heels.

“He was a role player that could’ve started for most college teams, and that means a lot to us,” Babcock said.

He also mentioned UNC coach Roy Williams as part of the reasoning for considering two Tar Heels in the draft.

“Having one of the greatest coaches, Roy Williams, that definitely helps them,” Babcock said.

There are three other players from UNC that could be reunited on the same NBA team — and remain in the state of North Carolina as well.

The Charlotte Bobcats conducted workouts this month with Raymond Felton, Sean May and Rashad McCants. All three players are projected to go in the first round, and the Bobcats have the fifth and 13th picks in the draft.

The team most likely will choose a point guard with their first pick and a forward with their next selection, many NBA analysts predict.

Felton has been mentioned along with Deron Williams from the University of Illinois and Chris Paul from Wake Forest as one of the guards likely to be taken with the fifth pick.

After his workout for the Bobcats, Felton said at a press conference that he would like to play in Charlotte.

“It’s two and a half hours from my hometown and two and a half hours from Chapel Hill,” he said. “This is a wonderful place.”

Felton said he should at least be picked seventh if not somewhere in the top ten.

McCants attended the same workout as Felton, but he was unable to finish the last drill with a hamstring sprain.

“Rashad is the type of guy that doesn’t back down from nothing,” Felton said. “When he went down, I knew he was in some pain.”

McCants also experienced discomfort during his workouts with the Orlando Magic and Toronto Raptors when he had stomach pains.

Although the Bobcats selected power forward Emeka Okafor last year, the team’s General Manager and Head Coach Bernie Bickerstaff said May could still become part of his team.

“Here’s a power forward that has an asset that we need — that’s rebounding ­— but also has the ability to shoot the basketball,” he said.

After his workout with the Bucks, Jawad Williams said in a press conference that he was excited that so many UNC players were in the draft.

“With the year we had winning the national championship, we’ve talked about making it a Tar Heel draft,” he said. “That would really make it a Tar Heel year.”

One UNC player that probably will not be selected in the draft is forward Jackie Manuel, who fractured a metatarsal in his left foot.

Babcock said Manuel could become an effective defensive player in the NBA, but his injury makes him questionable for the draft.

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.