The Portland Trail Blazers served as the final stop in Admiral Schofield’s NBA draft workout tour.
The 2015 Zion-Benton graduate was impressed with what he saw from Portland on and off the court.
“What a great place to end it,” Schofield told reporters in Portland this weekend. “I’ve never been here. It’s beautiful. The mountains, the trees, a lot of pine trees. I haven’t seen so many pine trees ever in my life.
“It’s pretty cool being out here, seeing the scenery. The air is really fresh. The tap water is amazing. It’s great.”
Schofield worked out with eight teams in the weeks leading up to Thursday’s draft. He’s projected to be picked late in the first round or early in the second, according to several mock drafts.
Zion-Benton coach Bob Worthington said any team that drafts Schofield will be getting a “very hard-working guy.”
“They’re going to get a guy that is going to be bought into their locker room,” Worthington said. “He’s going to be bought into their system. Because he wants to be a professional. He wants to be great.
“Any time you get a guy that wants to be not just there, but he wants to have an impact when he is there, that means they’re going to get a good guy.”
Schofield excelled at Zion-Benton and then at Tennessee.
The 6-foot-6 guard/forward averaged 13.9 points and 6.4 rebounds as a junior for Tennessee. He earned first team all-conference honors in the SEC as a senior, averaging 16.5 points and 6.1 rebounds.
Schofield also was an Associated Press honorable mention All-American and played an important role as the Vols reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
“I understand that coming in, the way to help us win (and) the way to get on the floor is defense,” Schofield said. “Not just scoring.
“That’s the same thing it’s going to be in this league.”
Worthington is proud of Schofield’s path to the pros.
“Us here at Zion-Benton, we’ve had a first-row seat of his development,” Worthington said. “I remember when he came in as a freshman and a sophomore. I remember not only his physical development, but his intellectual and maturity.
“To see where it was and to see where it is now, to see him be all the things that we always knew he could be, is just special. It makes everybody here feel good. We’re so happy for his family and so happy for him.”
Worthington said hearing Schofield’s name called Thursday would be “awesome.”
“It’s a warm and good feeling to know that one of your own kids that walked the halls at Zion-Benton now gets the chance to play in the NBA,” Worthington said.
Schofield is ready for the next step.
“My mindset is I want to come in and I want to affect winning,” Schofield told reporters in Utah on May 31. “It’s not about positions. It’s not about playing time.
“It’s about coming in and affecting winning for me, however I can do that.”
