Prospects used to finish pre-draft workouts with the Charlotte Bobcats with their tongues dragging on the floor. Under new coach Larry Brown, players leave mentally drained.

In a sharp departure from former coach and team executive Bernie Bickerstaff, Brown is focusing on teaching _ not conditioning.

"Coming through workouts, guys have been talking that it's definitely a teaching workout," said Donte Greene of Syracuse, one of six players who auditioned for the Bobcats on Monday. "Coach Brown is a Hall of Fame coach and one of the greatest coaches in the NBA, so he's going to teach young guys like myself and let us know how to play things, what's going on."

Greene was joined by Joe Alexander of West Virginia, Robert Dozier of Memphis, Georgetown's Patrick Ewing Jr., Luc Richard Mbah a Moute of UCLA and Kyle Hines of UNC Greensboro. Brown took time for individual instruction for all six players ahead of the June 26 draft.

"I told them all, I want to find out who wants to learn," said Brown, who is beginning his record ninth NBA head coaching job. "I also want them to leave here feeling like we cared about them and tried to help them get better.

"Obviously you're not going to be able to draft everybody. You hope that they have a good experience with you and someday down the line, if we're in a position to get them, hopefully they feel good about the Bobcats and what we've done."

Charlotte used to be a place of dread for players making the tour of NBA teams before the draft. Bickerstaff wanted to see how players shot the ball and ran when tired in an attempt to simulate the grueling 82-game NBA schedule. Players routinely were seen panting, hands on hips and drenched in sweat after the constant running.

The difficult workouts continued last year when Sam Vincent took over as coach and Bickerstaff moved to a front office role. Vincent was fired after the season, Bickerstaff left the organization, and now Brown has dramatically changed course.

"We have to coach them up now," Brown said. "We get a lot of kids that are young that don't have the chance of playing four years of college. I think it's vital that you have a group that wants to get better and kids that are motivated to learn."

Alexander said it was a stark contrast to the mostly drill work he did in previous workouts. Greene, who left school after his freshman year, said he enjoyed the instruction.

"For me, coming from Syracuse, I played a lot of zone," Greene said. "He's going to help me out at the defensive end."

Alexander and Greene were the only projected first-round picks among the players on hand Monday. The Bobcats continue draft workouts on Friday as they prepare to use the ninth and 38th picks in the draft.

"I know a lot of kids say we might not work them as hard," Brown said. "But the fact that we're trying to teach them is important to us."

(Courtest: AP)