WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD SYMPOSIUM HELPS WNBA DRAFTEES ADJUST TO LIFE AS A PRO ATHLETE.

Byline: RAMONA SHELBURNE 

Staff Writer

The invitation was simple and direct:

WNBA Rookie Orientation.

April 19-21, Hilton Chicago O'Hare Airport.

Attendance is mandatory.

Business casual attire.

Bring a notebook and something to write with.

Two days filled with panels, presentations and one-on-one coaching to get 34 of the league's newest players polished and presentable for their first days in the WNBA.

Basically, "How to Make a Professional Athlete."

They had already covered the basketball stuff a few weeks ago at the WNBA predraft camp in Cleveland. They measured their size, strength and athleticism. They dissected their jump shots and post moves. This camp is about everything else.

"There's a million and one things I feel like I've learned today," said Lyndsey Medders, a former Oak Park High star and second-round draft pick of the Indiana Fever. "We talked about financial planning, getting yourself ready to compete, being a positive role model, representing the league, organizing your time. ... All that stuff that's kind of a grayarea."

A gray area, experts say, that can make the difference between stardom and flop at the next level.

"You really have to grow your athletes and invest in them on the front end to give them a fighting chance to succeed," said Jeff Janssen, a sports psychologist who gave a seminar on peak performance to the WNBA rookies this weekend.

All of the four major men's professional leagues hold similar camps.

The NBA began its six-day rookie finishing school a decade ago after a series of off-court incidents such as the cocaine overdose of Maryland star Len Bias. It became even more relevant when high school players began jumping straight into the league.

The four-day NFL rookie symposium is mandatory for all 255 drafted rookies. Players who fail to show, as Ryan Leaf did in 1998, are fined.

The WNBA rookie orientation covered topics such as media training, personal finance, nutrition, hydration, image building and leadership training.

"The expectations people have for (them) change overnight," said DeNita L. Turner, an image consultant who has worked with the WNBA for 10 years in addition to the NBA, NHL and corporate executives.

"Most people get time to grow based on their life experiences, but (the rookies) can't afford to learn it the hard way. ...When you first show up, that's your moment to make a powerful first impression."

So what exactly do they learn?

Turner teaches the players things such as the keys to making a strong first impression, how to show respect to coaches and general managers, how to work a room of corporate sponsors or how to interact with fans.

"You want to have a strong presence when you enter a room," Turner tells the players. "You want to walk in with confidence, make eye contact with everyone in the room, introduce yourself to everyone because even if people know your face and who you are, you have not been introduced.

"That's how you earn respect."

Turner learned all of this as an executive with the Marriott Corporation. Houston Rockets superstar Tracy McGrady has credited her with turning around his career when he was a young player with the Toronto Raptors.

Janssen talks about mental toughness, handling adversity, confidence and leadership. A lot of athletes come to him for confidence issues, he said, as they adjust from the college level, where they've had a lot of success, to be a professional, where everyone has been successful at the college level.

"There are all these intangible things coaches and players are going to look for in training camp," said Janssen, author of "The Team Captain's Leadership Manual." "They're looking for discipline. Is this someone who's had everything handed to them? Or is this someone who's had to work for everything?

"They're looking at confidence. Is this someone who can handle adversity? And they're looking for competitiveness. Is this someone who will step up and compete in a pressure situation? Those are the things we talk about."

Other presenters talked about dealing with fans and the media.

"I'm totally taking notes and paying attention because I don't want to be asked to come back for next year," saidEshaya Murphy, a former Montclair Prep of Panorama City and USC star, who was drafted in the second round by the Minnesota Lynx.

"There's a lot of information. Some people might think it's boring, like it's school or something. But it's really informative and helpful."

The business casual attire sets the tone for the weekend, Murphy said. The first day, she showed up in tennis shoes and was told they were unacceptable. Players are not allowed to wear jeans or sweats either.

"It's cool. It's what I needed because I'm here for business now," she said. "I have to be a grown-up."

UCLA's Noelle Quinn, the No. 4 pick overall by the Minnesota Lynx, came to Chicago having heard some of the presentations before but said it has more resonance now that she's a professional.

"When you're a college kid, sometimes that stuff goes in one ear and out the other," she said. "But now you're an adult and you have to take responsibility for yourself. You're competing every day for a spot in this league, it's your job and you've got to take it seriously."

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CAPTION(S):

2 photos 3 boxes

Photo:

(1 -- color) The Detroit Shock's Ivory Latta reads to students in Chicago last week during the WNBA's rookie orientation program.

Randy Belice/NBAE via Getty Images

(2) Noelle Quinn (UCLA), left, and Eshaya Murphy (USC) were both drafted by the Minnesota Lynx.

David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images

Box:

(1) WNBA: THE MAKING OF PROFESSIONALS

- Eshaya Murphy

(2) IMAGE BUILDING

(3) PEAK PERFORMANCE

- Ramona Shelburne