When a talented high school basketball player accepts a college scholarship, that university's coach is usually a determining factor.

In many cases, the coach leaves that school before the player does.

That's always a difficult time for the player, but for Donald Sloan and Bamba Fall, there was a silver lining to having to adjust to a new coach.

It was excellent training for their introduction to the NBA. Sloan, a Texas A&M product, and Fall, from SMU, were among six players worked out by the Mavericks on Tuesday as the team starts to sift through college prospects for the June 25 draft.

"It definitely helps you adjust," said Sloan, a former Seagoville High School standout who started his A&M career under Billy Gillispie and ended it with Mark Turgeon. "Trying to come up to this level, you have to get used to it, because you don't know what team or coach you're going to play for. You just have to be ready."

Fall, a 7-1 center from Senegal who is a nephew of Mavericks director of scouting Gallo Fall, was recruited by Jimmy Tubbs, then played the final three years at SMU for Matt Doherty.

"You got to be ready for anything," Fall said. "When you get to this level, there are always changes and situations you have to be ready to adjust to."

Fall finished his senior season as the No. 2 shot blocker in SMU history behind Jon Koncak.

Sloan is in the middle of making a tour of Texas' NBA teams. He was in San Antonio on Sunday and will work out for the Rockets later this week.

He has not hired an agent, meaning the 6-3 guard could still withdraw from the draft and return to A&M for his senior season. It will depend on what kind of feel he gets from NBA teams about his draft potential.

Others working out for the Mavericks on Tuesday were LSU's Marcus Thornton, Florida's Nick Calathes, UCLA's Alfred Aboya and Baylor's Kevin Rogers.

Today, the Mavericks are bringing in Texas A&M's Chinemelu Elonu, UCLA's Darren Collison, Baylor's Curtis Jerrells, Patrick Mills of St. Mary's, Serbian Vladimir Dasic and Frenchman Rodrigue Beaubois.

Casey meets with Sixers: Mavericks assistant coach Dwane Casey met with Philadelphia president Ed Stefanski on Tuesday about the Sixers' vacant head coaching position.

"We met and it went well," said Casey, who is one of several candidates for the job, including Boston assistant Tom Thibodeaux.

The Sixers are expected to interview at least a couple more candidates before narrowing the search.