Sports

Six draft prospects raising city’s hoops profile

Kentucky's Doron Lamb is another local product expected to be picked on Thursday.

Kentucky’s Doron Lamb is another local product expected to be picked on Thursday. (Jason Szenes)

The general consensus nationwide over the last decade is New York City basketball has taken a hit, from the NBA to the grassroots level.

If Thursday night’s NBA Draft is any indication, that assumption is either incorrect or may be invalid in the years to come. Four Queens products – shooting guard Doron Lamb from Kentucky, forward Maurice Harkless out of St. John’s, Norfolk State power forward Kyle O’Quinn and Iona College point guard Scott Machado, who led the nation in assists – are likely to be selected. The St. John’s dynamo Harkless a consensus first-round pick.

Additionally, former Mount Vernon star Kevin Jones of West Virginia and Hempstead point guard Tu Holloway from Xavier are expected to have their names called.

“A lot of people say New York basketball has fallen off. This is an indication it hasn’t,” the 6-foot-8 Harkless said. “We’re putting New York back on the map.”

The boon began two years ago, when Queens’ Devin Ebanks and Lance Stephenson went in the second round, to the Los Angeles Lakers and Indiana Pacers, respectively, and continued last year. Kemba Walker of The Bronx was the city’s highest pick since Charlie Villanueva in 2005, going ninth overall to the Charlotte Bobcats, and Queens product Charles Jenkins was taken in the second round (44th overall) by the Golden State Warriors.

Aside from Harkless, who led the shorthanded Red Storm to a 13-19 campaign and was the Big East Rookie of the Year, the crop of draft hopefuls won big in college.

Lamb was a key member to Kentucky’s national championship team, scoring 22 points in the NCAA Tournament finals victory over Kansas. Machado led Iona to the MAAC regular season title and its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2006. Holloway made the NCAA Tournament all four years at Xavier, including three Sweet 16 appearances, and Jones improved each year in Morgantown, West Va., averaging 19.9 points per game as a senior and helped the Mountaineers reach the Final Four as a sophomore.

O’Quinn, the 6-foot-8 forward out of Campus Magnet in Queens, was one of the stars of the tournament this year, going for 26 points and 14 rebounds in a huge upset of Missouri, just the fifth time a 15th seed has taken down a No. 2.

“It’s going to show we haven’t lost any talent,” predicted Machado, projected as a second-round pick. “There’s a chance and an opportunity for everyone to showcase their talent. We can prove New York basketball has always been there, we’re trying to continue it and keep it going.”

St. John’s assistant Tony Chiles, a Bronx product who has recruited the city for much of his coaching career, doesn’t think this year’s draft will change the perception of the five boroughs because the area has taken a hit with hyped prospects such as Stephenson and Sebastian Telfair failing to pan out.

“These guys have to prove they belong in the league and show something before people start saying New York is back,” Chiles said. “It’s one thing to get drafted, but another to be a good player [in the NBA].”

Of the six players likely to be taken tomorrow night, Harkless has the best chance to break the recent mold of underwhelming pros from the area, Chiles believes. NBA scouting director Ryan Blake agrees, lauding Harkless’ athleticism, length, shooting ability and ability to play both ends of the floor.

“His upside is there,” Blake said.

Harkless’ decision to go pro after one year at St. John’s was met with doubts, but after an impressive series of workouts with 10 teams, those questions have faded. He is expected to go somewhere in the middle of the first round.

“I want to play against the best competition,” Harkless said. “I think I’m ready for the next level.”

He isn’t picky. Harkless just wants to land with a team where he has an opportunity to play and improve.

“It will be the best feeling in the world,” he predicted. Harkless added: “It’s a blessing to be where I’m at now.”

He’s not alone in that feeling, joined by the five other New Yorkers. Blake thinks all six of said prospects can stick depending on the situation, led by Harkless and Machado, who he said “has a good chance to be a surprise.”

The Iona College point guard plans to watch the draft with his family and will keep a close eye on his fellow New Yorkers.

“I’m going to be hoping for the best for all of them,” he said.

zbraziller@nypost.com