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Catching up with Gonzaga's 2016 NBA Draft hopefuls

For the first time in recent memory it seems likely that two Gonzaga Bulldogs will hear their names called at the NBA Draft. Get caught up on what Kyle Wiltjer and Domantas Sabonis have been doing since the end of the season.

By Will Maupin
Kyle Wiltjer (L) and Domantas Sabonis (R).
Kyle Wiltjer (L) and Domantas Sabonis (R).
James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

It's been a while since Gonzaga's season ended with a loss to Syracuse in the Sweet 16. Casual fans may not have seen much of the Bulldogs' frontcourt duo of senior Kyle Wiltjer (20.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg) and sophomore Domantas Sabonis (17.6 ppg, 11.8 rpg) since. But that doesn't mean those two haven't been busy preparing for the next step in their careers.

After declaring for the NBA Draft both Wiltjer and Sabonis were invited to the NBA Draft Combine held in Chicago during early May. Sabonis, or more likely his agent, declined the invitation. Wiltjer, in more traditional fashion, accepted and went through all the rigors of the process. Already known as a shooter, Wiltjer hit 7 of 18 three pointers attempted in his two scrimmages at the combine.

The two have also been hitting the road for workouts with NBA teams. Once again, here's Wiltjer talking about his shooting.

In advance of the Draft 14 NBA teams from the aformentioned Bucks to the Charlotte Hornets, San Antonio Spurs, former Gonzaga great John Stockton's Utah Jazz, and Canadian's own Toronto Raptors, among others, have scheduled workouts with Wiltjer.

Sabonis, true to the form that had him skip out on the combine, has been a bit more reclusive. His workouts have been limited to just four teams: Phoenix, Toronto, Boston and most recently Utah. That's not to say the Lithuanian is falling behind his peers in the pre-draft process. He's the 15th pick, to the Denver Nuggets, in NBA.com's most recent mock draft.

Wiltjer misses out on that mock-draft all together, though it was just a first round mock.

While not following the traditional pre-draft path, Sabonis has been getting in some quality workouts on campus at Gonzaga. With a brand like Gonzaga's it's no surprise some big names have shown up to help the prospects prepare.

Since the end of the season these student-athletes have garnered praise for their talent not just on the court but in the classroom as well. Sabonis was named to the CoSIDA Academic all-District first-team and the West Coast Conference all-Academic first-team. Wiltjer joined Sabonis on the WCC all-Academic first team while also taking home some individual honors like being named the WCC Mike Gilleran male Scholar-Athlete of the Year and DI-AAA ADA Men’s Scholar Athlete of the Year.

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