‘It’s nothing really new to me’: Late first-round pick Brice Sensabaugh ready to prove himself again

Brice Sensabaugh was picked by the Utah Jazz in the first round of last week’s NBA Draft.

But he was Utah’s third selection in the first round.

The Jazz took UCF stretch four Taylor Hendricks with the No. 9 overall pick and Baylor shooting guard Keyonte George with the No. 16 overall pick.

Sensabaugh, meanwhile, fell to Utah at No. 28 after being projected in the teens or low 20s throughout much of the pre-draft process. As was the case in high school and then in college, he’ll need to remind everyone again just how good he can be.

“It’s kind of been a recurring theme for me in my whole life,” Sensabaugh said Monday at Zion’s Bank Basketball Campus, the Jazz’s training facility. “It’s nothing really new to me.

“One thing that’s guaranteed is I’m not settling. So I’m willing to do whatever it takes to maximize my potential. When it’s all said and done, I don’t want to have regrets or look back and say I could have did this or that.”

Just two years ago, Sensabaugh was an unranked prospect from Orlando with no stars or offers from high-major basketball schools. He had missed his entire junior season at Lake Highland Prep because of not only COVID-19 cancellations but also a meniscus injury that required a pair of surgeries.

Then came his first breakthrough: He averaged 18.7 points per game during Peach Jam on the EYBL circuit. Enter, a horde of big-time offers.

Ohio State forward Brice Sensabaugh celebrates a 3-pointer against Wisconsin during the 2022-23 season. (Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK)

Still, he arrived at Ohio State as the No. 54 overall prospect in the 2022 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. And he wasn’t even the first Buckeyes freshman to start a game last season.

Actually, it took nine games for Sensabaugh to crack the starting rotation. Then came his second breakthrough: While recording the fourth-most points by a freshman in Ohio State history, he piled up at least 20 points in 11 different games. There was even a stretch where Sensabaugh was the Buckeyes’ top scorer 13 straight outings.

The All-Big Ten third-team nominee member averaged 26.6 points per 40 minutes and logged the second-most 3-pointers (60) by a Buckeyes freshman all-time while shooting north of 40% from deep.

So why didn’t he go in the lottery?

Well, foul trouble and limited defensive success held him back but not as much as his medical history. Sensabaugh suffered a season-ending knee injury in the Big Ten Tournament that called for surgery. It also ended up preventing him from participating in NBA Combine 5-on-5 workouts and drills, and he wasn’t able to conduct team workouts until later in the pre-draft process.

Sensabaugh said Monday that his knee is “feeling good” now and that he’s ready for anything.

Last week, however, one thing he wasn’t ready for was the Jazz picking him. Because he was limited in the pre-draft process, the Jazz were one of those teams he didn’t work out for.

“It was shocking,” Sensabaugh said. “But I got the call from the organization, and they were super pleased with it. They basically just stressed that they want me to get to work right away.

“I’m ready for it.”

Sensabaugh added: “Obviously, it’s a lifelong dream to be here. Leading up to it, you’re going through a bunch of workouts and going city to city trying to figure out where you’re gonna end up. … It was a lot of relief, especially going to an organization that I know is a good one, and I’ll be valued.”

Plus, being one of three first-round picks comes with some benefits, too. He’ll be learning the NBA ropes alongside Hendricks and George, with whom Sensabaugh said he’s “super close.”

When Sensabaugh blossomed on the EYBL circuit two years ago, he was playing on the same team as Hendricks as well as now-former Ohio State teammate Bruce Thornton.

“Before the Utah Jazz had the pick, I was thinking like, man, Brice hasn’t come off the board yet. I might be able to play with him,” Hendricks recounted Monday. “And then they picked him, and I was ecstatic.

“Just to team up with him again and the type of guy he is and the player he is, I was pretty happy.”

Ohio State forward Brice Sensabaugh faces up North Carolina’s Puff Johnson during a Dec. 17, 2022 loss to the Tar Heels in the CBS Sports Classic. (Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports)

What’s more, Sensabaugh and George share the same agency. They trained together in Los Angeles leading up to the draft.

“That bond is gonna be real great,” George said Monday. “It’s great to go through this transition with two other guys. I’m blessed to do it with them.”

It is quite the transition, after all — especially for Sensabaugh, who is going from Orlando to Salt Lake City. He noted the beauty of the mountains out west and the kindness of the people inside and outside of the organization he has met so far.

Sensabaugh was a one-and-done in college, but he wants to be in Utah — and in the NBA, in general — for years. He knows that’s not guaranteed. Him slipping through the draft was more evidence of the “cutthroat” nature of the league he has already observed.

Sensabaugh isn’t concerned with coming off the bench and embracing a role out of the spotlight at first. He’s self-motivated. And he knows when and how to break through.

“Whatever they ask me, I’m going to do,” Sensabaugh said. “And, if my role expands, then so be it. But I’m definitely going to work. I want to maximize my potential.

“I don’t want to settle for less than what I’m capable of.”

The post ‘It’s nothing really new to me’: Late first-round pick Brice Sensabaugh ready to prove himself again appeared first on On3.