Meet the Bay Area NBA draftees hoping their names are called on draft night

Friday, June 23, 2023

Meet the Bay Area NBA draftees hoping their names are called

Santa Clara University's Brandin Podziemski and San Jose State University's Omari Moore are hoping their name is called at NBA Draft in New York.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- During the 2023 NBA Draft, Bay Area college basketball fans may recognize two of the names called. Santa Clara University's Brandin Podziemski and San Jose State University's Omari Moore were both their respective conference's player of the year and now set their sights on the NBA.

After transferring to Santa Clara, Brandin Podziemski quickly became a legitimate NBA prospect. ESPN's Mock Draft has the sophomore guard following former SCU Bronco Jalen Williams as a first-round pick, but at number 19 to the Warriors. His former assistant coach Ryan Madry will be at Podziemski's draft table in New York and would love to see his former player end up with Golden State.

"Yeah, it would be amazing," Madry said. "I grew up five minutes from the Oakland Coliseum, so I love that fit for him. But, wherever he gets drafted, I'm just really excited for him and this opportunity. This is an amazing experience, even us being out in New York with him. Brandin Podziemski is probably the hardest, most obsessed basketball player I've ever seen. His talent level and ceiling for him is through the roof."

Just down the road at San Jose State, another player hopes to hear his name come draft night as well. The multi-time ESPN top 10 play of the day star, Omari Moore, aims to be the first player out of San Jose State to be drafted since 1997.The 2022-23 Mountain West Player of the Year is considered to be a second-round pick. His college teammates and coaches are excited to attend Moore's draft party.

"Omari Moore is a young man who you would love to introduce to your daughter," SJSU Men's Basketball Coach Tim Miles said. "He's a young man that you would love to have the ball in his hands at the end of a game when you need a big win. He's a dynamic guard that can take over a game and he's not afraid to go against the odds."

"We helped him get to this point, he helped himself get to this point and I think having us there will just bring him a little more excitement," Moore's SJSU teammate Trey Anderson said. "It's huge for the program. Having him be the first one is just a stepping stone for all those to come."

Tune in tonight on ABC7 and ESPN to hear if Moore and Podziemski officially make their dreams come true and get drafted.