Cory Higgins came to Colorado hoping to crack the Buffs’ regular rotation. He left as the school’s all-time scoring leader. Along the way, playing in the NBA emerged as a real possibility.
Higgins, who just graduated as a sociology major, is now auditioning for NBA teams at predraft workouts. Thursday, he was at the Pepsi Center for the Nuggets’ second day of workouts.
“Not many people get to go through this process,” said Higgins, a 6-foot-5 guard. “You just try to enjoy it as best you can.”
Denver was his third stop, after trips to New Jersey and Detroit. He has plans to visit Los Angeles, Milwaukee and Charlotte — where his father, Rod Higgins, is the general manager of the Bobcats, and his godfather, Michael Jordan, is the owner.
In between visits, Higgins is working out in Las Vegas with Alec Burks, who is a likely lottery pick.
“He’s going to be just fine,” Higgins said of Burks, who left CU to declare for the draft after his sophomore year. “I hope it works out for myself.”
Higgins averaged 16.1 points and 2.5 assists his senior season, which included CU’s run to the NIT Final Four. He is tied with Richard Roby as CU’s top career scorer with 2,001 points.
To make it in the NBA, he’ll need to improve his ballhandling in order to play point guard. He has heard the criticism that he needs to work on those skills, which he said doesn’t bother him.
“When they don’t say anything to you, they really don’t care about you,” Higgins said. “There’s nothing that I haven’t heard before, so I’m just working on everything that they keep telling me to get better at.”
He’s used criticism as ammunition before. Coming out of Florida’s IMG Academy in 2007, rated Higgins as a three-star prospect: good, not great.
When he became the first recruit to commit to former CU coach Jeff Bzdelik, he chose the Buffs over offers from Cal Poly, Loyola Marymount, Saint Mary’s and San Francisco. Not exactly the elites of Division I.
“I wasn’t very highly recruited coming out of high school, but as the years go on, you see yourself catching up,” Higgins said. “If you just keep working, you’re going to be at the same level as those highly touted guys, and you usually pass them up.”
Now, Higgins is viewed as a potential late-second round pick or a free agent. He may have to go the summer league route to make an NBA roster.
“Everyone’s journey to the NBA is different, so I’m just going to take my journey how it is,” he said.
No time for admiring. Charles Jenkins took a moment to admire his NBA practice jersey during his first predraft workout last month. Then he realized he’s out to get a job.
Jenkins, a senior guard out of Hofstra who averaged 22.6 points and 4.8 assists last season, was among five other prospects the Nuggets worked out Thursday. Jenkins, who is projected as a possible late first-round pick, has since adjusted to the routine.
“For me and my game, I know I’ve matured as a player and I have an opportunity to do something special,” he said.
He plans to continue that routine up until the draft’s eve.
“Any opportunity I have to get in front of a team and showcase my talents, I’m all for it,” he said.
The Nuggets, who own the No. 22 pick, also worked out Stanford’s Jeremy Green, Washington’s Justin Holiday, Georgia’s Travis Leslie and UAB’s Jamarr Sanders. Leslie is likely a late-first round pick. The others are more likely free-agent possibilities.
Ryan Casey: 303-954-1983 or rcasey@denverpost.com
