During the NBA Draft Combine on Monday, USC Trojans Guard, Bronny James demonstrated a strong three-point shooting ability while being mentored by an HBCU coach chosen to assist at the Chicago event this week.
According to HBCU Gameday, James completed a shooting drill, making 19 out of 25 shots from behind the three-point line. Although there was no defense, he was on the move, which introduced fatigue and still displayed an impressive touch.
L’Tona Samuels Lamonte, the head women’s basketball coach at Winston-Salem State University and a former point guard, was one of the coaches involved in the drill. She can be seen in the video passing the ball to James as he moves along the three-point line, and her voice can be heard as one of his most vocal supporters as he continues to make shots.
At the end of the drill, Lamonte was the first coach to congratulate James as he walked off the court. Lamonte, along with WSSU head men’s coach Cleo Hill Jr. and strength and conditioning coach Kerry Harbor, were selected to work at the combine earlier this month.
“I think it’s a great honor and a blessing to be invited by the NBA to be a part of their draft combine,” said Lamonte.
“What a great way to go and learn more about our craft from the highest level, and bring that knowledge back to our athletes, the university, and the CIAA. I think Coach Cleo, his staff, our Men’s Basketball team, and Virginia Union were a great representation for our conference and have opened the door for this wonderful partnership.”
Winston-Salem State and Virginia Union played in the third annual NBA HBCU Classic at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis during NBA All-Star Weekend. Lamonte’s role during the combine is to work all of the on-court sessions and she was front and center during the action on Monday with James. Coaches from both of these HBCU institutions see the great opportunity that working at the combine offers.
“This is a great opportunity to attend the NBA combine and work with professional coaches to help young men prepare for the next chapter in their life of playing professional basketball,” said Jay Butler, head coach of the VUU women’s basketball team.
“I can’t thank the NBA enough for allowing our Virginia Union Men the opportunity to play on All-Star Weekend and now giving me the chance to attend the NBA Combine in the same year.”
There has been widespread speculation that if a team were to draft Bronny James, they could also acquire the services of his father, Lebron James, the all-time leading scorer in NBA history.
The world will have the opportunity to see how well James compares to other NBA prospects on Tuesday when he competes in a five-on-five action.
