NEWARK, DE -- University of Delaware forward Herb Courtney (at right), who led the Blue Hens with 14.1 points and ranked second with 6.2 rebounds per game as a senior this season, worked out with the New Jersey Nets of the National Basketball Association in preparation for Thursday’s NBA Draft.

Courtney worked out with the Nets on Monday along with Deron Washington of Virginia Tech, J.R. Giddens of New Mexico, and Courtney Lee of Western Kentucky. The NBA Draft will be held Thursday in Madison Square Garden at 7:30 p.m. and will be televised live by ESPN.

Courtney, who earned team MVP honors for the second consecutive year in 2007-08, was a third team All-Colonial Athletic Association selection this season after leading Delaware with 437 points and 192 rebounds. Courtney, who started all 31 games as a senior, also led the Blue Hens with 43 blocks and 39 steals. He led the team in scoring 12 times and in rebounding 14 times, both team-highs, posted two double-doubles on the season, and was named the CAA Player of the Week on January 14. Courtney hit a game-winning three-pointer with 1.2 seconds remaining in the Blue Hens’ 68-67 victory over UNC Wilmington on February 6.

Courtney, who finished his career ranked 10th in school history with 1,291 points and 649 rebounds, is one of eight players in Blue Hen history to record at least 1,200 career points and 600 career rebounds.

“I thought it went pretty good,” Courtney said on the Nets’ website. “It was a really talented group of guys, and I thought I fit in well with them talent wise and work ethic wise, so it was a good experience. To really separate yourself in a field like this you have to play defense and hustle. That’s the extra stuff. I think everybody has a pretty good offensive game. I think the stuff that separates you is the defense and how hard you hustle.”

“I think the Nets are a very good organization and I would love to play for them. I could see myself playing for the Nets. I knew it was going to be a tough workout. That’s why I have been training all summer just in case I got a call to work out for a team. It was vigorous and it was good, but I thought I did pretty well.”

Delaware has had four players drafted in the NBA Draft: Nate Cloud by New York in 1964, Peter Mullenberg by Philadelphia in 1981, Ken Luck by Washington in 1982, and Spencer Dunkley by Indiana in 1993. Wolfgang Fengler was drafted by Memphis in the ABA in 1974.