For years, the NCAA has played a commercial during broadcasts of its games in which a student-athlete is shown competing in his or her sport before stepping off the court or field, or climbing out of a pool, and stepping directly into the uniform of a non-athletic profession. The message: the vast majority of college athletes end up going pro in something other than sports.

Former SMU guards Collin Mangrum and Derek Williams are jostling for space on the Texas Legends roster (photo by Jay Martin / Texas Legends).

But for two former SMU men’s basketball players, the dream of playing professionally is not something they’re ready to give up just yet. Former Mustang guards Derek Williams and Collin Mangrum are among a group of players who have been working out with the Texas Legends of the NBA Development League. The pair will know their fates Sunday, when the Legends trim their roster to 10 players.

Legends head coach (and former NBA coach) Del Harris said Friday that he does not know yet how he and his staff will sort out their roster, but was adamant that he thinks Williams and Mangrum have the talent to play professionally.

“They have played very well for us,” Harris said. “I’m not sure what’s going to happen yet when we make our decisions, but they both can play.

“When we looked at them before the draft (the team selected Williams in the seventh round of the D League’s draft Nov. 3 and Mangrum in the eighth), we knew they were good guys and hard workers. Our scouts knew a lot about them from their days at SMU, and they said they had been had talent and had been coached the right way and would work hard.

“They both have a chance to continue playing ball, and they’re both good enough to make this team. We have several good guards in camp who have a chance, but Collin and Derek are talented players who have the ability to play.”

The two took different routes from the Hilltop to Legends camp.

Williams, who played two seasons for the Ponies from 2008-10, spent last season playing professionally in Latvia.

“I wasn’t even sure where Latvia was before I went over there,” Williams said. “But I ended up playing in a really good league. There were some good players over there, and playing there definitely helped my game, and helped me get better prepared to come back here and compete here.”

Williams had to find a new team when his Latvian team, Barons, went bankrupt. He had offers from a couple of teams in Australia and Holland, but came home to pursue his dream of playing professionally in the United States.

“My agent and I decided this was the best place for me,” Williams said. “Basically, I wanted to get in front of NBA (scouts’) eyes, so I could showcase what I can do.”

Mangrum played for the Mustangs last season and has been working out — often with the Legends — ever since. The time he spent training with the team gave him an indication that he might get drafted.

“I knew there was a possibility they would draft me,” Mangrum said. “They seemed to like me, so I figured there was a chance. I kept working as hard as I could, and it paid off. They chose me.”

Getting drafted by a team in the D League isn’t like draft day in other sports. There isn’t a green room where players sit with their families, and homes aren’t packed with lavish draft-watching parties.

“I was sitting my girlfriend (SMU cheerleader Mercedes Owens),” Mangrum said. “She was a little uptight for about three hours, but when I got the text from (Texas director of player personnel) Travis Blakeley, it was a big relief. Mercedes cried, and we sent text messages to my mom and she cried, too. It was a really neat deal, getting to realize a dream (of getting drafted).”

Training with the Legends means that Williams and Mangrum each have played for three teams in three years; Williams played at SMU and in Latvia, while Mangrum played at the University of North Texas before transferring to SMU. The annual learning process of learning to play for new coaches — with new systems and new terminology — has not been overly difficult, Williams said.

Legends head coach Del Harris said former SMU guards Derek Williams and Collin Mangrum both have the talent to continue their playing careers (photo by Jay Martin / Texas Legends).

“It has been pretty easy, really,” he said. “Being a point guard, it has come pretty natural. At point guard, you have to have a connection with the coach. (The different coaches) have different systems, but it’s still basketball.”

At UNT, Mangrum battled numerous injuries, and admitted that it was a bit of a surprise that he had such a successful season last year at SMU, and that he is in camp with the Legends.

“I’m just doing what God wants me to do,” he said. “I have prayed about it a lot. If this is the path He wants me to follow, I’ll follow it. If not, He’ll close this door and I’ll do something else.

“I obviously want to play here. My family wants me to stay here, and Mercedes wants me to stay here. I used to say I didn’t want to go play in Europe, but you can never close those doors. If God wants me to keep playing somewhere, I will.”

Williams said he could have playing options overseas if the Legends tryout doesn’t work out, but realizes that spaces are limited. He said he expects the team to carry two true point guards, meaning one of the three in camp will be looking for another team next week.

“I’m a basketball player,” he said. “I just want to be on the floor. Regardless of what happens, I’m so grateful for this experience. But of course I want to make the team. I’m a basketball player.”

Mangrum said that if he ends up making the team, much of the credit goes to SMU head coach Matt Doherty and his staff.

“I still go up there (to SMU) and work out there,” Mangrum said. “I’ll go up and shoot with (SMU assistant) Coach (Jerry) Hobbie, who’s a great teacher. Those coaches are true coaches, and true friends. Coach Doherty has been nothing but helpful. I can’t say enough about Coach Doherty and the rest of those guys, and how much they have helped me.”

Like all young players, Mangrum said he is adjusting to the idea that basketball now is a job, rather than a part of the school experience. The increased practice time, as well as the fact that future income could be tied to his on-court performance, has not changed how he feels about the sport.

“It’s still fun,” Mangrum said. “I really feel like I was called to do this, so I want to do what Coach Harris wants me to do. Sometimes that means shooting, sometimes it means not shooting and concentrating more on other areas.

“He has had me play a little bit of point guard. I’m a combo guard, but I like it — I like having the ball in my hands. If I can show them I can play both positions, maybe that will help (the chance of making the team). I never get too high or too low — I try to stay right in the middle. I have had six surgeries, so I understand this is temporary. I’m happy this opportunity has presented itself. If I make the cut, I’m going to pursue this opportunity. If not, I’ll pursue something else.

“All I can do is go out and do what the coaches ask. That’s all Derek can do, too. Nobody is a shoe-in to make this team. It’s a job, and if you don’t do your job, you get fired. That’s possible. But I hope and pray to make this team, because I love playing.”