In the real world, they work as chefs, welders, accountants, plumbers, real estate appraisers, cabinet-makers, air-conditioner installers and X-ray technicians.

For five hours, however, they were basketball players in search of a job in the NBA's Development League.

The Utah Flash held their annual all-comers tryout at the team's practice facility Saturday, when 56 hopefuls showed up to chase their dream.

Among them: Shaddrick Roome of Brooklyn, N.Y.

Like everyone else, Roome's chance of eventually signing a D-League contract is remote. But that didn't stop him from making an exhausting 20-hour journey and paying $175 to try.

Roome, a 6-foot-6 forward who played collegiately at LSU-Shreveport, was scheduled to arrive in Utah on Friday. But his flight was canceled and he ended up being routed through Long Beach, Calif., where he spent the night napping in the airport.

Roome caught a 7 a.m. flight to Utah on Saturday and arrived about 10 a.m. - two hours before the biggest audition of his life.

"I want it bad," he said. "It's an opportunity to show what I've got. . . . Getting off the plane and coming straight to this, I thought my body wouldn't be ready. But I think it [went] pretty good."

Flash coach Brad Jones said, "He's persistent. It shows me he's driven - coming all the way from New York, getting hung up and still being here by noon. If it comes down to it - all other things being equal - it's the kind of thing I would definitely take into consideration: How tough a kid he is just to be here today, looking for a chance to play with our organization."

Kenny Wamsley is a sales rep from West Jordan. He had a 15-minute drive to the tryout.

At 34, Wamsley was the oldest participant. At 5-foot-9 and 205 pounds, he looked like one of the most improbable players to catch Jones' attention.

Asked what motivated him to participate, Wamsley said, "Basketball is my greatest passion, outside of my family, and I want to make the team. . . . You never know what a coach is thinking, but I feel pretty good about things. I feel confident."

At 18, Mike Thomas of Pleasant View was the youngest participant. He played high school basketball in Colorado and now works at Foot Locker in Ogden.

"I'm here to play basketball, have fun and get better," Thomas said. "I want to make the team, hopefully. But if I don't, I'll keep improving and maybe come back next year."

After the tryout, Jones and his staff will submit a list of players they deem capable enough to warrant a contract to the D-League office. From there, background checks will be conducted and league officials will decide whether to offer players a contract and team assignment.

luhm@sltrib.com