Jeremy Sochan talks with reporters during the NBA basketball draft combine at the Wintrust Arena on Thursday.
CHICAGO — Shaking hands with Manu Ginobili will go down as one of the highlights of Jeremy Sochan’s participation in the NBA draft combine.
The one-and-done combo forward from Baylor met Ginobili during an interview with the Spurs. In his role as the club’s special adviser to basketball operations, the recently minted Hall of Famer has been sitting in with general manager Brian Wright and other team officials during their chats with prospects.
“Being there, shaking his hand was crazy, pretty cool,” Sochan said.
Calling himself a “citizen of the world,” Sochan indicated he wouldn’t mind having his name added to the long list of Spurs players with international ties, a roster headed by the legendary Big Three of Tim Duncan (U.S. Virgin Islands), Tony Parker (France) and Ginobili (Argentina).
“I am Polish, English, American, a mixture,” said Sochan, who turned 19 on Friday.
Born in Oklahoma to an American father and a Polish mother, both of whom played basketball, Sochan grew up in England and speaks with an English accent. He’s played basketball in Poland and Germany.
“I have been all over the place,” he said.
Sochan (pronounced So-Han) spent much of his high school career in Indiana at a college preparatory boarding and day school but played his senior year in Germany after returning to Europe at the start of the pandemic. Last year, he was the youngest member of the Polish men’s national team. In 2019, he was a gold medalist and MVP at the 2019 FIBA U16 Division B European Championship.
“It’s opened my mind seeing so many countries,” Sochan said.
But Waco always will hold a special place in his heart after he helped Baylor go 27-7 last season while earning Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year honors. In 30 games, he averaged 9.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists for the Bears, who lost in overtime in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to eventual finalist North Carolina.
“We were always in the gym working as a group,” Sochan said of his time at Baylor. “It’s a family-based (culture). We work and work, and we trust each other and love each other.”
Gifted with a 6-foot-8, 220-pound frame and a 7-foot wingspan, Sochan became a first-round prospect mainly because of his strong play on the defensive end in Scott Drew’s switch-heavy scheme. He can defend all five positions, and scouts rave about his energy, toughness and competitiveness.
“Nobody really knew of me before the season,” Sochan said. “A lot of people said maybe two, three years of college. But I came into the season not dwelling on the past and not thinking too much of the future, just being in the present and working hard, working for my teammates, and trying to improve every day. I just worked my butt off.”
Sochan said he grew up with his mom telling him defense came first.
“It’s always been there,” he said of his devotion to defending.
Like Draymond Green, one of his NBA role models, he enjoys getting under the skin of opponents.
“I can sense when a player is getting a little bit annoyed or they’re not feeling comfortable, and that just fuels me,” he said. ”Defense is fun for me.”
A few mock drafts have Sochan, who needs polishing on the offensive end after showing flashes at Baylor as a ball handler, passer and three-level shooter, rising within range of the frontcourt-needy Spurs at the No. 9 position in the draft.
The Spurs also hold two other first-round picks (Nos. 20 and 25 overall) as they continue their rebuild after failing to make the playoffs the past three seasons.
The buzz around the combine includes talk of several lottery teams showing what one insider called “great interest” in Sochan.
The draft is set for June 23 in Brooklyn.
“I would be young just like the team,” Sochan said of the possibility of joining the Spurs. “I think I would bring a culture of winning and hard work. I think that’s what they are trying to find, and they are doing that. They have a great organization and they develop their players, so I think it would be a great fit.”
As for his interview with Wright, Ginobili and Co., Sochan said the experience was filled with “great energy.”
“They were all very cool,” he said. “It was a good interview.”
Had Gregg Popovich been present, Sochan might have struck up a conversation with the outspoken, politically aware coach about Ukraine’s fight to expel invading Russian forces.
With Poland bordering Ukraine, Sochan showed up at the Big 12 tournament with his hair dyed blue, one of the colors of the Ukrainian flag. He also sported messages on his warmup shirt and shoes in support of Ukraine.
“I think we’re all connected in some way. What’s happening isn’t right,” the Associated Press quoted Sochan as saying.
torsborn@express-news.net
Twitter: Tom_Orsborn
After three years as a part-time employee covering mainly high school sports, Tom Orsborn became a full-time employee at the Express-News in October 1985. He’s covered the Dallas Cowboys and the NFL since 1999 and has also covered the Spurs, the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, and a variety of other events, including 14 Super Bowls.