They're both from the Philadelphia area, they grew up best friends, were high school teammates, and have gone through the pre-NBA draft together this year.

No, they're not the much-publicized duo of Gerald Henderson and Wayne Ellington. They're the oft-forgotten pair of Stefon Jackson and Dionte Christmas.

Both grew up in hardscrabble Philadelphia neighborhoods and attended different public high schools - Jackson went to Martin Luther King High, and Christmas attended Samuel Fels - before going to the now-defunct Lutheran Christian Academy, where they became best friends. The two starred on a team that sent 12 players to Division I colleges.

Jackson went on to play at University of Texas-El Paso, while Christmas stayed home, attending Temple. Four years later, the players are hoping to hear their names called tonight.

"I've put in so much hard work since I was young to get this opportunity," said Christmas, who had 19 workouts with NBA teams and is projected as a second-round pick. "I'll be heartbroken if I don't get selected, but that doesn't mean my dream of playing in the NBA is over."

The two have been in constant contact in the days leading up to the draft, talking to each other about workouts and sharing information. The two have more than just a prep school in common.

"It's tough, and we have a lot of critics," said Jackson, who worked out 10 times, including twice for the 76ers, and is projected to go late in the second round or not be drafted at all. "People don't give you respect because you come from a smaller school, but a lot of times they are the better players because they don't have the talent around them and they can't hide behind other people's talent."

Harsh criticism is nothing new for Jackson and Christmas. It started during playing days at Lutheran Christian.

In February 2006, less than one year after the two led the school to a high national ranking, reports surfaced that the school was not legitimate, quickly acquiring the reputation of a "diploma mill."

In March 2007, Lutheran Christian was added to the list of schools that the NCAA declared null and void by refusing to accept academic transcripts. That, in effect, terminated the school's existence.

Jackson and Christmas, who became best friends at the school, say Lutheran gave them a second chance out of Philly public high schools and that they would never have had the opportunity to attend college and perhaps play in the NBA.

"When I was there, everything was running smoothly; everything was by the book," Christmas said.

"It was shocking to see someone hurting the name like that because Lutheran did a lot for kids and got them off the streets to play basketball and to [go to] college," Jackson said.

While Henderson (Duke) and Ellington (North Carolina) were heavily recruited out of Episcopal Academy before going on to become rivals on Tobacco Road, Jackson and Christmas didn't get the same attention from national programs. They were looking for a Division I school to take them in.

The two had planned to attend La Sall,e but last-minute reluctance from Christmas steered him toward coach John Chaney and Temple, while Jackson ultimately settled on UTEP.

"We definitely wanted to go to school together, and La Salle really wanted us, but it came down to having a better relationship with the players and coaches at Temple," Christmas said. "It was just a better fit."

Once at Temple, it soon became apparent to Christmas that he had a lot of work to do before hitting the courts.

He spent the summer prior to his freshman year taking classes full time in order to become eligible to play, and he struggled his entire freshman year maintaining his academic eligibility.

"It was tough," Christmas said. "Coming out of Lutheran and a public school, I wasn't as prepared as I should have been. I had to make sure I was on top of everything, and Coach Chaney and the rest of the coaching staff were on top of everything. I had tutors and everything. It was one of the toughest things I had to go through in college. It made me stronger; that's when I knew I was becoming a man. I don't think a lot of inner-city kids coming from public schools to a college like that would be able to do that."

In his sophomore season, Christmas saw his scoring average soar to 20 points per game, the highest in his four-year career at Temple. "I was doing well individually, but I wasn't getting noticed because we weren't winning," Christmas said. "That's what guys like Mardy Collins told me. To get noticed, I needed to be a leader and win, so that summer I put even more work in."

And it paid off.

The 6-foot-5 Christmas led the Owls to the NCAA tournament the last two seasons. "That was the best feeling in college, to get to the tournament," he said.

Christmas, who is one course shy of graduating, finished his career as the school's fourth all-time leading scorer with 2,043 points and led the Atlantic Ten in scoring for three straight seasons.

Jackson landed at UTEP through a former director of operations there, David Anwar. Anwar, a Philly native, had been the coach at Lutheran Christian before moving on to UTEP. Anwar is now an assistant coach at Nebraska.

"It was a real big cultural shock," Jackson said of his transition to the more laidback El Paso.

Jackson's time at UTEP saw steady progress on the basketball court but many obstacles off it.

One month into his freshman season, while Jackson was still struggling being away from home, he got word that his younger brother, Demetrick, had been shot to death.

"He meant a lot to me, so it was real tough," he said.

Jackson thought about not returning to UTEP after his brother's death, but his grandmother, Lena Jackson, persuaded him to return.

Three weeks after the family tragedy, Jackson was punched in the face by teammate Jason Williams during practice. The punch broke his jaw, forcing him to sit out seven games.

He eventually got back on the floor and finished his season, averaging eight points per game.

Tragedy would strike again the next season.

At the beginning of his sophomore year, Jackson's father died. Vernon Bennett had been shot and paralyzed 10 years earlier. The bullet moved, killing him instantly.

Jackson put all those unfortunate events behind him and continued improving on the court. During his sophomore season, Jackson averaged 18.6 points and 6.4 rebounds - both team highs. His 578 points are a sophomore record at UTEP. He was named second-team all-Conference USA and the Miners' MVP.

His progression didn't stop there.

As a junior, he was named first-team all-Conference USA after leading the conference in scoring with a 23.6 points a game and 5.7 rebounds.

It was during that season that he began to believe he had what it takes to play at the next level.

"I just thought that if I was getting better and better that the NBA was definitely a possibility," he said.

But another setback was in store for the star.

In April 2008, following his standout junior season and declaring for the NBA draft as an early entrant, Jackson was arrested in El Paso on charges that he hindered an investigation into two Pennsylvania shootings. The charges were dropped in May, but Jackson feared the damage had been done.

Jackson ultimately decided to go back to school, and although he was suspended indefinitely in April, he didn't miss any games that fall.

On the floor, Jackson continued putting up big numbers and attracting pro scouts during another solid season.

Jackson finished his senior year second in Conference USA and fifth in the nation in scoring, averaging 24.5 points a game, including a school record 44 points at Santa Clara. Jackson finished his career as C-USA's all-time leading scorer with 2,456 career points.

Now it's out of two Philly natives' hands.

"Everyone wants to hear their name called," Jackson said. "And I'm one of the best scorers in the nation; everyone needs a scorer."

Contact staff writer Jorge Castillo at jcastillo@phillynews.com.