There was some irony in the fact Compton natives DeMar DeRozan, the classic one-and-done, and Brandon Jennings, who took the less traditional approach, went ninth and 10th overall during last Thursday’s NBA draft in New York.

Shooting guard DeRozan, the Compton High School graduate who bolted USC after just one season, went ninth to the Toronto Raptors.

Point guard Jennings, who spent two years at Dominguez High and two at Oak Hill Academy in Virginia before completely skipping college and playing a year of professional ball in Italy, was taken next by the Milwaukee Bucks.

If they have anything else in common besides their Compton roots it would be their extraordinary athleticism, which NBA scouts felt was enough to overcome the relative lack of basketball experience.

The 6-foot-7 DeRozan has drawn comparisons to another superior NBA athlete, Vince Carter, who was traded from the New Jersey Nets to the Orlando Magic on draft day.

“It’s great to be compared with Vince Carter, but at the end of the day, I’m just DeMar DeRozan,” he said during a news conference on draft day.

So how does he assess his game?

“I’m one of those players who plays both ends of the floor, the offensive end and the defensive end,” he said. “Right now, I’m not half as good as I want to be. I want to get in there and work on every aspect of my game and polish it as much as possible.”

He’s not all that worried about the transition from the West to East Coast, either.

“It’s no problem, I’m not worried,” he said. “I was excited about the city just walking through the airport. I’ve just got to get some bigger coats.”

DeRozan leaves USC as it faces an NCAA investigation and breaks in a new coach (Kevin O’Neill). He had praise for the Trojans’ outgoing coach.

“Tim Floyd was a great coach for me,” he said. “I appreciate everything coach Floyd did for me. I wish the best for the university and Tim Floyd.”

The 6-foot-1 Jennings certainly took the road less traveled on his path to the NBA.

During last week’s news conference, he discussed that decision to skip college, altogether.

“I was waiting for my SAT scores, which I never did get back,” he said. “I had to make a decision, which was to go overseas. I don’t regret it at all. It was the best decision I could make and I think it will pay off at the end of the day.”

After averaging 35.5 points per game and earning Parade magazine national player of the year honors as a senior at Oak Hill, Jennings played in a reserve role in Italy, averaging 6.3 points in 17 minutes per game for Lotomatica Virtus Roma.

Though his shooting percentage fell off and he was often playing out of position, Jennings felt he benefitted from the higher level of competition.

“I had to mature fast because I was around grown men,” he said. “Nobody was going to kiss my butt and say everything was okay. I had to earn my playing time.”

It’s why he doesn’t have a sense of entitlement as far as playing time with the Bucs goes.

“No, I don’t expect to come in and just start,” he said. “I have to come in and earn my position. It’s up to me. I have to work for it.”

Nor is he concerned about the slower pace of Milwaukee.

“When I got to Milwaukee, I heard bad stuff about it, how it such a boring town,” he said. “But, it’s not a bad town, it’s just laid-back. Now I get to go to a Green Bay Packers game. I can’t wait for that.”

What does Jennings feel he brings to the club?

“I like to get up and down the court,” he said. “I’m looking forward to getting into the open floor and getting the ball to Michael Redd and Charlie (Villanueva).”

It was pointed out, he has a good tutor in coach Scott Skiles, a former NBA point guard who holds the league single-game assist record.

“He was one of the best point guards in the league,” he said. “I think I can learn a lot from him.”