NEW YORK — Eleven years ago, there was a 6-foot-6, 207-pound guard who declared for the NBA draft after two years of playing for the University of Arizona.
That swingman's statistics his sophomore season with the Wildcats suggested an all-around player. He averaged 12.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He had a reputation of being a terrific defender.
That guy was selected No. 9 overall by the Sixers, and his name is Andre Iguodala, the recent NBA Finals MVP.
Fast-forward to the 2015 NBA draft. Thursday night, another Arizona Wildcat with similar statistics and defensive reputation will be on the board.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson will not be selected as high as Iguodala, but he believes in his defense with the same cockiness the then-21-year-old Iguodala did.
"Men lie, women lie, numbers don't," Hollis-Jefferson said Wednesday afternoon at a media availability session in New York City. "I do get a lot of stops, I will say that."
Hollis-Jefferson grew up in Chester, Pennsylvania. As a senior at Chester High School, he was named the Pennsylvania AAAA Player of the Year. He earned a college scholarship, following other Chester basketball greats like Jameer Nelson, who attended Saint Joseph's University, and Tyreke Evans, who went to the University of Memphis.
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Both Evans and Nelson have gone on to enjoy lengthy NBA careers.
"Those guys making it [to the NBA], they set the bar high," Hollis-Jefferson said of his Chester basketball role models. "Me being able to get there and work within these lines, and doing what I love is amazing and it is a blessing.
"It feels really good. They set the bar. I am following in their footsteps, and now I am trying to set a bar for kids younger than me — a standard they can try to accomplish and reach."
Multiple mock drafts have the Chester native being selected No. 22 overall by the Chicago Bulls.
No one denies that Hollis-Jefferson can be as strong a defender at the NBA level as he was in college, but his outside shooting is lacking.
He shot 50.2 percent from the field this season, but just 20.7 percent from three-point range.
"In workouts I was feeling the energy and going with the flow," Hollis-Jefferson said. "All of the people I talked to said they know how hard I work and how hard I play. You can't teach heart. You have a mindset of whenever you are in a game to attack. And then they would say you have to work on your shooting."
Hard work is not questioned with Hollis-Jefferson — he is Chester made, Chester strong.