For the majority of college athletes, the opportunity to play their respective sport at the Division I level comes at the expense of being close to home. As a result, the family and friends of these athletes who have moved away from don’t often get the chance to see them play except for a couple times each season. This hasn’t been the case so far for Michigan State University point guard Drew Neitzel. After working out for the Toronto Raptors last week, it looks as though there could be a chance the Michigan native plays his rookie season for an NBA team within driving distance of his family and friends. When Neitzel was at the Air Canada Centre for pre-draft workouts this week, Hoops Addict was able to talk with him about this opportunity as well as how his pre-draft workouts are going so far. The introspective athlete provided some honest and candid answers during our chat.

Hoops Addict: Is this your first NBA team workout or did you work out yesterday as well?
Drew Neitzel: No, this is my first one and I came here right from Orlando at the pre-draft camp.

HA: How do you think your first workout went?
DN: I think it went well. I didn’t really know what to expect but people had told me the things you do at the workouts like conditioning, shooting, one-on-one, two-on-two so I had an idea, but you can never fully be ready until you go through it one time. So I’ve got this one under my belt and I’m ready to move on. I’ve got seven or eight more so I just want to play my best every time I step onto the floor.

HA: I believe you grew up in Wyoming, Michigan…
DN: Yup!

HA: And you went to school at Michigan State. What would it be like to play for Toronto? Because then your friends and family could come down for road trips for weekend games and long home stretches.
DN: It would be unbelievable just to get a chance to play in this league with the best athletes and the best players in the world. I’ve got a lot of respect for Toronto, this organization and I really like the style they play. So, I’d love to have the opportunity, but it’s kind of out of my hands. All I can do is come out here and perform and let the chips fall where they may.

HA: Where you get drafted is out of your hands, but what you can control is how you are preparing for these workouts. What have you been doing to prepare for these pre-draft workouts?
DN: After I graduated I moved down to Washington, D.C. for about three or four weeks and worked out with a trainer and he had about seven or eight guys preparing for the NBA Draft. We worked out every morning for an hour and a half to two hours, and we went through things similar to this. Getting up and down the floor, conditioning, one-on-one, two-on-two, shooting drills. So I think I am about as prepared as I can be.

HA: Thank you for your time Drew, and good luck at the draft.
DN: Thank you.

Photo Credit: Icon Sports Media