City of Basketball Love

Stephen Pianovich (@SPianovich)
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Saint Joseph’s NBA-bound duo of Isaiah Miles and DeAndre’ Bembry will each get to test themselves beside some of the other best athletes entering this year’s draft as both players were invited to the NBA Scouting Combine, the school announced Saturday.

Miles and Bembry are the first Hawks to participate in the combine since Delonte West and Jameer Nelson did so after St. Joe’s historic 2003-04 season. West and Nelson led St. Joe’s to an undefeated regular season and the Elite 8, while Miles and Bembry took the Hawks to an Atlantic 10 Tournament title and the second round of the NCAA Tournament this season.

This year’s scouting combine -- which will feature dozens of scouts and about 60 players hoping to hear their names called in June’s draft -- will be held May 11-15 in Chicago.

A 6-foot-7 forward, Miles was the Hawks’ leading scorer last season, averaging 18.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per game in his senior season. Meanwhile, Bembry averaged 17.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists on his way to being named the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year. Bembry, a 6-foot-6 wing, chose to forgo his senior season of eligibility on Hawk Hill to enter this year’s draft.

Bembry is currently tabbed as the 30th-best prospect in the draft class by DraftExpress, which projects the Charlotte native being the final pick of this year’s first round. Miles, meanwhile, continues to see his professional stock rise. He was named to the Portsmouth Invitational All-Tournament team earlier in April, and with the combine invite, he will likely get a chance to prove himself on a summer league team if he is not one of the 60 picks in the draft.

'Nova's Hart receives invite

Josh Hart, Villanova's leading scorer from its NCAA Championship team, also received a combine invite.

Hart is the Wildcats' biggest question mark of the offseason as he is deciding whether to return to school for his senior season or enter the NBA Draft. The combine invite helps the 6-5 guards prospects for the latter, though it doesn't automatically mean he will go through and declare for the draft.

Hart has until May 25 to figure out his pro future, and he said in April that he intended to use all of the time up until the deadline to decide. The Silver Spring, Md. native averaged 15.5 points and 6.8 rebounds last season.

Kris Jenkins, Villanova's title game hero, did not get a draft invite. Jenkins also said he would go through the draft process and has one year of eligibility left with the Wildcats.