New Daye: Bobcats coach Brown goes from father to son

By: JournalNow Staff | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: June 12, 2009

CHARLOTTE

Larry Brown coached Darren Daye at UCLA and soon might be watching a second-generation Daye -- Darren's son Austin.

Despite questions about his strength and toughness, the lanky 6-10 Austin Daye said after working out for Brown's Charlotte Bobcats yesterday that he's leaning toward keeping his name in the NBA Draft and skipping his final two years of school.

"I have a feeling things look good for me right now," Daye said. "Me and my adviser, my father, have been talking, and I feel comfortable (being drafted) in the 1-20 range, so we'll see how it goes."

Daye, from Irvine, Calif., declared for the draft in April but didn't hire an agent. That leaves him room to change his mind by Monday afternoon and return to school.

Daye, who averaged 12.7 points and 6.8 rebounds as a sophomore at Gonzaga last season, performed poorly on several athletics tests in the NBA's pre-draft camp last month in Chicago. But Daye, who has also worked out for Toronto, Phoenix, Detroit, Minnesota and Golden State, said he has been getting positive feedback despite concerns about his 200-pound frame and suspect defensive skills. He said he'll make a final decision after workouts with New Jersey and New York.

Daye said that his father, who was a freshman on Brown's Final Four team at UCLA in 1980, advised him to "not get into his doghouse" in Brown's pre-draft workout, which is heavy on teaching and running plays.

"I think he's going to be a heck of a prospect, but I think physically it'll take a while," Brown said of Daye. "But all the skills are there. He's got great handling ability. He can shoot the ball. We'll see."

Also working out for the Bobcats yesterday were Dwayne Anderson of Villanova, Josh Carter of Texas A&M, Gary Flowers of Chipola Junior College, Leo Lyons of Missouri and Lamont Mack of UNC Charlotte.