With a self-described “win-win” situation beckoning to be taken advantage of, Shaun Pruitt knows the possible rewards linked to declaring for the NBA as a junior. There are the possibilities of exposure at the predraft camp in Orlando, which begins May 29 and runs through June 4, as well as workouts in front of coaches and scouting types.

For Pruitt, testing the NBA waters is not as much about the chance to be noticed as it is about gaining experience should he remain an Illini. Whether Pruitt would be drafted in the first or second round hasn’t crossed his mind, he said.

“I think most likely it’s more of a learning experience, but of course I’m going to try as hard as I can,” said Pruitt, who is working with his father to set up potential workouts. “You never know – anything can happen. If it does, that’s a dream come true; if not, it’s just going to get me ready and better for next season.”

While no workouts have been scheduled at this time, the junior center, who will not hire an agent, is looking for an invite to Orlando’s main event – an invitation senior forward Warren Carter is also hopeful will come his way. It wasn’t until a week or two ago that Pruitt, an Aurora, Ill., native, started “seriously” giving the issue some consideration.

“People have been asking me about it when I wasn’t thinking about it,” Pruitt said, “so I started thinking about it. At first I was uneasy, but because I’m still in school and still taking care of my business like I’m coming back to school, I can always pull out anytime I want to.”

Pruitt, a third team All-Big Ten selection this past season, says that even as early as last year, some had thought he would begin the entry process. Former Illini Dee Brown, who Pruitt said has always been especially helpful in giving advice on the ups and downs of the draft, thought Pruitt was going to enter his name as a sophomore.

“He texted me and thought I was entering the draft last year, which obviously was not true, but he’s definitely talked to me about it and things I have to be worried and concerned about,” Pruitt said.

But following his sophomore season, a campaign in which Pruitt averaged 19.4 minutes and 6.2 points per game, it was hardly an option for him to test the waters at the next level.

Although he started all 33 games in 2005-06, Pruitt lacked the maturity and conditioning to make the move. So, last summer he made it a priority to get in better shape. Specifically, he hit the weight room and ran on a treadmill. And although he still weighs in at around 245 pounds, he “redistributed” his muscle.

The improvements he made during the offseason were no more noticeable than during the overtime period against Indiana in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament on March 9. Up 51-50 with two minutes remaining, Pruitt, a 6-foot-10 force inside, shot a fadeaway, scooped up his own rebound, tried the process again and again, and then on the fourth attempt, gave Illinois a 53-50 advantage. The basket – and the win – secured the team its eighth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance.

After the game, head coach Bruce Weber, who all season had been pleased with Pruitt’s consistency and ability to listen and understand, could only applaud Pruitt, who gets extra motivation from playing “great” players such as Indiana’s D.J. White, Ohio State’s Greg Oden and Purdue’s Carl Landry.

“His development over the past three years has been astronomical just starting with the conditioning and strength,” Weber said. “Once he could keep up with the game, now he’s just kind of getting to his post game.

“He’s making the next step of learning the post, how to steal, how to look for the next pass – little things that can make a player more effective.”

As a junior, Pruitt averaged 11.4 points per game (second on the team in scoring) and 7.5 rebounds per game (first on the team). He ranked second among Big Ten players with nine double-doubles and scored in double figures 22 times. And in the last two years, he has accumulated 68 consecutive starts – even though he had to play through a sprained knee and a chipped hand bone.

During the Big Ten Tournament, after Illinois’ 53-41 loss to Wisconsin in the semifinals, Badgers coach Bo Ryan said it is nice to see players such as Pruitt who commit to the work ethic that it takes to guard against good post players.

“So you’d better be ready to keep him under control because he’s been doing some really good things because Illinois has played really well, and Pruitt has been probably the biggest reason for that,” Ryan said.

Pruitt’s strides may be apparent – he became a multi-dimensional player on offense and often times topped the team’s play-hard chart for hustle and deflections – but both he and Weber know that the feedback NBA teams can provide will be invaluable. Midway through the season, Weber expressed concern as to why Pruitt’s road performances weren’t as strong as those he turned in at Assembly Hall.

“Some of it he just gets emotionally involved on the road and starts listening to the crowd,” Weber said. “So now, we have to see if we can make the big step.”

One of the areas that could allow him to make that step is free-throw shooting. Of the 150 free throws he attempted this season, he made just 77 and shot 51 percent. However, it was an increase from the 48 percent he shot as a sophomore. But besides free throw shooting, Pruitt said he’s open to criticism.

“I think if I got a chance to go to the draft camps, they would obviously break it down to me about every little thing that I need to work on; so I have no idea (what I can improve on) besides the free throws and the right hand,” Pruitt said. “But they might tell me a lot of stuff, there’s anything they could tell me. “

Pruitt has until June 18 to reverse his decision to enter the draft – which will be held June 28 at Madison Square Garden. Since the University’s Summer Session II classes begin June 11, Pruitt will likely make a decision before that time.

And although Pruitt admits he will “most likely end up coming back to school,” he said he couldn’t pass up the advice that an NBA “front office person” gave to Pruitt’s father, Steve Pruitt.

“He told me I might have a 50-50 chance to get invited because a lot of the guys won’t go to the draft camp,” Pruitt said. “He thought I had a good enough season to try it; I think that really impacted me hearing him say that.”