Media Credit: Jeff Baum/senior photo editor

Posted Friday, June 10, 1 a.m. CHICAGO - Pops Mensah-Bonsu is used to a slightly different atmosphere than that of Moody Bible Institute's Solheim Center, site of the NBA pre-draft camp.

Things have definitely changed for Mensah-Bonsu since he was last in Foggy Bottom. No more is he in the comfort of the Smith Center, clad in the buff and blue number 21. For now, he dons a plain NBA-issued Reebok jersey marked with the number 60. Spectators are not limited to the supportive GW hoops community but NBA legends such as Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Chris Mullin, who are invited to this showcase of college talent, which runs from June 7-10.

While a poor performance in Atlantic 10 play may result in fewer minutes in the next contest, poor play during the camp could result in a plunging of Mensah-Bonsu's draft stock. During this week's camp, there are no excuses for a sub-par performance. In an interview Thursday, Mensah-Bonsu said his performance is where he wants it to be.

"It's going good, real good," Mensah-Bonsu said after a morning workout that included a breakaway two-handed dunk and a put-back over Gonzaga star Ronny Turiaf. "I had a good game today and a good camp so far."

The idea of taking his game to the next level and becoming a professional has overtaken the rising senior since his announcement on March 26 that he would enter the June 28 draft. "Testing the waters" was the phrase used by Mensah-Bonsu and teammate Mike Hall, who also declared but did not receive an invitation to the camp in his hometown. As of now, Mensah-Bonsu has repeatedly said that he has not hired agent John Greig, a claim that the agent has not backed up. Retaining an agent would cause him to lose his last year of collegiate eligibility.

Although it is still unclear whether Mensah-Bonsu or Hall will stay in the draft, it seems as though Mensah-Bonsu is getting more serious about leaving GW for the professional ranks next year.

"All I've been doing is workouts with teams and stuff," Mensah-Bonsu said while walking out of the Solheim Center. "I've been bouncing around from city to city, showing them what I can do. Trying to show them I can be a first-round pick."

Pops has traversed the country, showing his stuff to the New York Knicks, Phoenix Suns, Detroit Pistons, Washington Wizards and Seattle SuperSonics.

Continued...

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