With a frontline featuring two future NBA lottery picks and a backcourt full of talented youngsters, more was expected of the 09-10 Yellow Jackets than a sub-.500 ACC conference schedule and a first-weekend loss in the NCAA tournament, but that’s exactly what Georgia Tech got. Now, with Derrick Favors and Gani Lawal off to the NBA, head coach Paul Hewitt is left with an incomplete roster and a pile of questions. Not that there is a complete lack of talent, as point guard Mfon Udofia will return for his sophomore season and combo-guard Iman Shumpert for his junior. Brian Oliver and Glen Rice are a pair of very capable wings, Jason Morris is a four-star recruit at the three and Maurice Miller will be a steady presence as the backup point, but beyond that there will be a lot to be decided between now and November.
Hewitt does have several available scholarships, so he’ll certainly be scouring the country for unsigned help, and he’ll especially need some frontcourt players, as the options in the paint currently on the roster are limited at best. Center Brad Sheehan looks like he’ll be a starter at this point, and he averaged under eight minutes and two points a game last season. Another option in the frontcourt will be redshirt freshman power forward Kammeon Holsey who missed all of last season with a knee injury. Andrew Miller will be a six-foot-eleven redshirt freshman who is almost a complete unknown at this point. But beyond that, it is likely that the interior players that Hewitt will be relying on next season are not on the roster yet. Or at least, that’s what Tech fans have to be hoping for.
With all that said, the Ramblin’ Wreck will have to rely on their perimeter players for most of their scoring, and they’ll need Shumpert and Udofia to improve their decision-making and leadership for this team to have serious post-season hopes, even given the possible expanded field.
The 09-10 Terrapin season, and with it the careers senior leaders Greivis Vasquez and Eric Hayes, ended in heartbreak fashion against Michigan State a few weeks back. Vasquez, Hayes, and fellow senior Landon Milbourne were the team’s three leading scorers and their departure will leave head coach Gary Williams in rebuilding mode. But all is not lost in College Park, as the Terrapins look forward to the growth of sophomore center Jordan Williams, who really turned it on down the stretch of his freshman year and threw in back-to-back double-doubles in the NCAA tournament. Teaming with junior Sean Mosley, a versatile scoring guard, the Terps have an inside-outside combo already locked in, and just need to build around that duo with the various parts they already have. Senior Adrian Bowie will likely run the point for Maryland, but he’ll get pressed some by incoming freshman Pe’Shon Howard. Sophomore James Padgett will be a good running-mate for Williams up front, and Cliff Tucker can man the small forward position in his senior season, with Dino Gregory, another senior, providing depth at both spots and possibly even pushing Padgett for the four-spot. Six-foot-ten junior center Steve Goins could also provide some minutes up front, and Jerome Burney will return from 2009-10 season that was lost due to injury.
Aside from Howard, Williams has four other freshman coming in next season in a pretty strong recruiting class. Six-foot-six wing Mychal Parker is the most highly regarded of the class and is likely to get some immediate run in a depleted backcourt where Terrell Stoglin, a small-ish combo-guard will also provide depth. Ashton Pankey is an athletic power forward who missed his entire senior season with a stress-fracture in his foot, so he’ll need to prove himself healthy before he can be counted on for any serious minutes. And the fifth member of the class is a little known recruit from Iceland, Haukur Palsson, who will likely struggle to get consistent minutes in his first year.
Clearly the 10-11 version of the Terrapins will not have the same type of expectations as the team that preceded it, but this team doesn’t have a lot of holes, and if Williams can get one or two of the freshmen to pick things up early, this has enough talent to be an NCAA team.
One big question looms over the short-term future of the Seminole basketball program, and at this early date, the answer isn’t yet known: will seven-foot-one center Solomon Alabi be returning to Tallahassee for his senior season, or will he be lured by the promise of NBA millions as a likely first-round draft pick? If Alabi returns, the ‘Noles will have the potential to challenge for an ACC title; if he goes, while still a talented squad, FSU’s hopes diminish greatly.
With Alabi, the Seminoles will return four of their five starters from a team that finished third in the ACC and made life on the offensive end miserable for their opponents. With Alabi manning the middle and long, athletic and versatile forward Chris Singleton alongside, the ‘Noles have the ability to dissuade opponents from exploring the middle of the defense. They’ll need to replace Ryan Reid at the four-spot, but have plenty of contenders to do so, including junior Xavier Gibson, sophomore Terrence Shannon, incoming freshman Okaro White, or one of two JuCo transfers: Bernard James or Jonathan Kreft, a player who originally committed to FSU in 2006 before having his scholarship revoked following some trouble with the law.
In the backcourt, Derwin Kitchen started all of FSU’s games in 09-10, and could do the same next season, but former McDonald’s All-American Michael Snaer came on down the stretch of his freshman season and could move into the starting position at the two-guard. Snaer and Kitchen did get a few starts together in the backcourt, but neither is a true point and ideally for head coach Leonard Hamilton, someone else will step up and take hold of the point guard position. While Deividas Dulkys ran the point some for the ‘Noles last year, it is likely that incoming freshman Ian Miller will have every chance to win the position. Senior Jordan DeMercy will provide depth at the two and the three while junior point Luke Loucks will also get some time in the backcourt.
For the Seminoles to really become a national power, they’ll need to improve their offensive game, and there are a number of things that need to happen on that front: someone will have to take the reins at point, one of the wings (Snaer, Kitchen, DeMercy or Singleton) will have to accept more of the scoring load, and Alabi will need to return and add a go-to post move. Any one of those things will improve the team; all of those things will have the ‘Noles, already a stout defensive team, making big waves in March.
Mike Krzyzewski is back on top of the college basketball world, having done it his way, building a program step-by-step with character guys who generally stick around for the majority of their eligibility. So, what to do for an encore? Introducing freshman point guard Kyrie Irving, one of the nation’s top recruits and a guy who could head the NBA after one year. While Irving will be ready to step right in for departed point guard Jon Scheyer, there is still one big unanswered question for the Blue Devils as of April 15: will wing Kyle Singler return for his senior season? If so, expect Duke to be a strong favorite to win the ACC again. But, even if Singler is to head to the next level, this Duke team will still have firepower. Nolan Smith will return for his senior season and start alongside Irving in the backcourt. Seth Curry (Steph’s little brother) joins the team as a sophomore transfer from Liberty (where he led all freshman in the country in scoring two seasons back with 20.2 a game) and could give the Devils either depth in the backcourt or a third-guard, if coach K decides to go that way. Add in Andre Dawkins returning for his second season and incoming freshman point Tyler Thornton and the Devils will not be hurting in the backcourt.
However, regardless of Singler’s decision, the Blue Devils will need some of their talented frontcourt players to take the next step and improve their consistency. Brothers Miles and Mason Plumlee (a junior and a sophomore, respectively) have shown flashes of the type of talent that made them highly sought-after recruits, but need to be able to bring that type of game for more than just a few bursts here and there, and with Greg Zoubek’s Duke career over, they’ll be counted on to provide most of the minutes in the middle. Former McDonald’s All-American Ryan Kelly will also be called on to provide some help up front, but despite his six-foot-ten frame, he is more of a perimeter player and will need to add more strength and toughness to compete in the paint in the ACC. Freshman forward Josh Hairston will likely also need to contribute for the Devils up front, but he is also more of a skilled forward than a grinder.
What put Duke over the top in 2010 was its ability to create points by hitting the offensive glass, and in order for the Devils to replicate that kind of success in March, they’ll need to get some serious improvement from their front court players. But given the talent and upside of those players, that is far from out of the question.
Like other programs around the ACC, the big story in Clemson this offseason is new leadership. Head coach Oliver Purnell bolted for DePaul at the end of the season in a surprise move, leaving Clemson scrambling for a new coach, which they just filled with Brad Brownell, formerly of Wright State and before that UNC Wilmington. The coaching change has left some of theroster in question, with sophomore forward Devin Booker and Noel Johnson reportedly considering their options and incoming freshman wing Marcus Thornton (the 2010 Mr. Basketball from the state of Georgia) reportedly asking the school for a release from his letter of intent. The first order of business for Brownell will be to find out the status of those three players, all very talented pieces on this Tiger team, but perhaps pieces that won’t necessarily fit in well with the style of basketball that Brownell has historically run. Under Purnell, the Tigers were a high-tempo team, pressing defensively and getting out on the break on offense. On the other hand, Brownell’s team have historically controlled tempo, played tight man defense and gotten most of their offense in the half-court. Of course, even as good as the best of the Wright State or UNC Wilmington teams were, they never had a collection of athletes like Booker, Johnson, Thornton and the like, so while it is unlikely that the Tigers will continue to play the type of ball they did under Purnell, they may not turn into Wright State overnight.
Beyond the three question marks mentioned above, the Tigers aren’t exactly hurting for talent. Regardless of what happens to Booker, Johnson and Thornton, senior Demontez Stitt will start at the point and senior Jerai Grant will start up front somewhere. If all goes well, sophomore Milton Jennings will start alongside Grant, and then one of Booker, Johnson and Thornton will complete the Tiger front line while the other two provide depth, with junior Tanner Smith likely manning the two-guard spot. If Brownell can get all three of the question marks to return, the Tigers will have plenty of athletic depth, but even if only one of them remains, this isn’t a Clemson team that is going to immediately sink in the ACC standings. Junior Andre Young will likely back up Stitt, junior Brian Narcisse will provide some depth, and plenty of energy, up front, and sophomore Donte Hill may also get some time in the backcourt. Seven-foot-one junior center Catalin Baciu is in intriguing prospect up front, but he’ll need to add some strength to be a legitimate contributor in the ACC.
Clemson can still be in the conversation for one of the 65 tournament spots this season, but it is going to be interesting to see how Brownell imprints his style on a roster full of players who have gotten used to the Purnell way. Brownell may be an upgrade over Purnell in the long run, but the Tigers could suffer some short-term setbacks if their players chafe at the tightened reins.
**Update 4/15** As expected, Marcus Thornton has asked for and received a release from his letter of intent and has opened back up his recruitment. It is possible he will follow Oliver Purnell to DePaul, Memphis has jumped into the discussion, and schools like Kentucky, Florida and Georgia Tech are interested as well.
Devin Booker and Noel Johnson have not yet announced their decisions regarding possibly transferring out of the program.
The big story this offseason for the Eagles is the head coaching change: Al Skinner out, former Cornell head coach Steve Donahue in. And, clearly, along with the change in personnel at the top will come a change in style, as Skinner’s defense-first system goes away and Donahue’s Princeton-style offense takes over. The transition will take time as Donahue will be forced to play with mostly the players that Skinner leaves behind, but there is some talent there, with four players who averaged double-figures returning (seniors Joe Trapani, Rakim Sanders and Corey Raji and junior guard Reggie Jackson). Trapani and his three-point ability may fit in nicely with Donahue’s style, and Jackson is a talented offensive player who can play in several different styles, but Donahue will have to get improvement from others on the roster to contend for a NCAA tournament bid (and, for the record, in these posts, I am going to assume that the size of the tournament does not increase this offseason, perhaps a sketchy assumption). Returning point guard Biko Paris will need to improve his ball control, cutting the turnovers and getting the Eagles into some more effective offense, all of which will enable Jackson to play off the ball more at his natural position, the two. Senior big guy Josh Southern is going to have to play up to his talent to give the Eagles a legitimate interior threat. Raji and Sanders may not be natural fits for Donahue’s offense, but they are both athletic wings, with Raji capable of playing bigger than his six-foot-five frame on the interior and Sanders capable of knocking down threes or scoring off of his athleticism. Juniors Evan Ravenel and Dallas Elmore along with senior Courtney Dunn will provide depth along the frontline as will incoming freshmen Kevin Noreen and Papa Samba Ndao. Incoming freshman Brady Heslip could backup Paris at the point.
There is some talent on this Eagle team, but already some around the program are looking towards 2011-12, when Donahue will have six open scholarships with which to begin to mold this team and this program in keeping with his vision.
**Update: 4/15/10**
As can be expected when coaching changes are made, personnel changes. Rakim Sanders has announced his intentions to transfer out of the BC program, a blow to a program in transition. It will be interesting to see if this is an isolated incident or if this is the beginning of Donahue remaking the program in his image, but I suspect Donahue would have rather had Sanders stick around for his senior season, as he is clearly a talented player.
As you may have heard, I'm a basketball junkie. I like playing basketball, I like watching basketball, I like reading about basketball and I like writing about basketball.
And, as a hoops junkie, it's never too early to start thinking about the next basketball season, and so, a week or so after the 09-10 season ended, I'll start putting up some previews of next year's landscape, and hopefully one a day for the next seven months or so as a way of whiling away the time, starting with the ACC.
With the an excellent college basketball season and one of the most exciting Tournaments in history squarely in our rearview mirror now, it’s time to take a look back at the season, hand out some awards and recognize some of the players that made this season a memorable one.
To start with, we’ll dive right in with our best players in the nation. While other organizations hand out their All-American awards based on the strength of a player during the regular season, we’ll take the entire season, including post-season play into account. All-Murawa Player of the Year Evan Turner, Jr, Ohio State
Evan Turner takes down Player of the Year despite missing a stretch of games in December following his scary fall after a dunk that fractured his back. However, after being clearly the best player in the nation prior to the injury, Turner was able to return to form ahead of schedule and lead his Buckeyes to a Big Ten championship.
All-Murawa Coach of the Year Brad Stevens, Butler
Stevens clearly won his award on the basis of his team’s post-season run (and his brilliant job during that run), squeaking past guys like Mike Krzyzewski and Jim Boeheim to earn my award.
All-Murawa Team, First Team G Da’Sean Butler, Sr, West Virginia G Jon Scheyer, Sr, Duke G Evan Turner, Jr, Ohio State F Wesley Johnson, So, Syracuse C DeMarcus Cousins, Fr, Kentucky
Second Team G James Anderson, Jr, Oklahoma State G Greivis Vasquez, Sr, Maryland G John Wall, Fr, Kentucky F Quincy Pondexter, Sr, Washington F Ekpe Udoh, Jr, Baylor
Third Team G Jordan Crawford, So, Xavier G Jacob Pullen, Jr, Kansas State G Scottie Reynolds, Sr, Villanova F Gordon Hayward, So, Butler F Darington Hobson, Jr, New Mexico
For some reason Wall was being mentioned in the same breath as Turner in regards to player of the year consideration. In my estimation, Wall wasn’t even the best player on his team, and was at best the fourth best guard in the nation; I could find no way to put Wall ahead of any of the guards that made my first team.
Scheyer was perhaps the most efficient point guard in the country, running a potent Duke offensive to near-perfection, handing out assists while taking care of the ball and maintaining his ability to knock down threes with the slimmest bit of space, and even adding some slippery moves in the teeth of the defense.
Butler, meanwhile was perhaps the nation’s most clutch player, time and again knocking down game winners despite entire buildings understanding that he would have the ball in his hand. His career ended in heartbreak, as he lay on the floor in Lucas Oil Stadium with a serious knee injury and a looming semifinal loss, but Butler was not only a great player for the Mountaineers, he was a great leader, a great student and a great citizen.
Johnson was on target for this type of honor since his play in the Coaches vs. Cancer tournament in Madison Square Garden in mid-November. His play dropped off slightly down the stretch of the regular season due in part to a wrist injury, but he picked things back up in March to finish a great season in Syracuse.
While it was Wall that got much of the press for Kentucky, it was Cousins who was their most unstoppable force. The best per-40-minute rebounder in the country, an active quick offensive post-player and a solid defensive force, Cousins was clearly the best big man in the country in his one season at this level.
Other people whose post-season play changed their positions on (or even off) of this team: Reynolds – clearly swooned down the stretch, a tough end to an otherwise stellar career in Philly. Hayward – went from an honorable mention type guy to one who was seriously considered for a second-team spot. Pullen – along with teammate Denis Clemente, Pullen was somewhere in this neighborhood all season long, but his play in the tournament definitely solidified his place on this team. If this were Bracketology, Clemente would likely be the first name listed under the “First Four Out” header.
All-Defensive Team, First Team G Jermaine Dixon, Sr, Pitt G Venoy Overton, Jr, Washington F Ekpe Udoh, Jr, Baylor C Jarvis Varnado, Sr, Mississippi State C Hassan Whiteside, Fr, Marshall
Second Team G Ronald Nored, So, Butler G J.P. Prince, Sr, Tennessee F Devin Ebanks, So, West Virginia F Kawhi Leonard, Fr, San Diego State C Cole Aldrich, Jr, Kansas
The highlight of this team may be the trio of shotblocking big men on the first team, impressive enough to relegate an All-American type center like Aldrich to the second team. If Whiteside were to remain in school for four years (increasingly unlikely, as he may not even see a sophomore season), he would put up Varnado-like numbers in the blocks column.
Dixon, Overton, Nored and Prince proved to be versatile man defenders that could lock up with just about anybody in the country, and Leonard is a rising star who does a ton of things well, but it is his ability to defend inside and out, bigger guys and smaller guys, that earns the freshman his spot on this list.
Ebanks did not play his best basketball on either end of the court in the Mountaineers season-ending loss to Kentucky, but he was a tough presence both in the WVU defense with the ability to take on players from point guards to power forwards, and even man the point when Bob Huggins switched to zone.
All-Freshman Team, First Team G Eric Bledsoe, Kentucky G John Wall, Kentucky F Xavier Henry, Kansas F Kawhi Leonard, San Diego State C DeMarcus Cousins, Kentucky
Second Team G Avery Bradley, Texas G Derek Needhman, Fairfield F Derrick Williams, Arizona F Elias Harris, Gonzaga C Derrick Favors, Georgia Tech
Clearly John Calipari does the recruiting thing very well. Three Wildcats man our first team, with Cousins and Wall also earning spots on our national teams. Bledsoe was excellent as well, despite the natural point guard playing somewhat out of place next to Wall in the backcourt.
Henry and Leonard perhaps represent opposite ends of the forward spectrum, with Henry a smooth offensive wing while Leonard was a tough, grind-it-out rebounder and defender.
Prior to the season, Favors was right there with Wall and Cousins as the best recruits in the nation, and while Favors did average 12 points, eight rebounds and two blocks per game, he never really lived up to expectations in his first (and perhaps only?) year in Atlanta.
All-Glue Team, First Team G Chris Kramer, Sr, Purdue G D.J. Gay, Jr, San Diego State G Joe Mazulla, Jr, West Virginia F Willie Veasley, Sr, Butler F Draymond Green, So, Michigan State
Second Team G Eric Hayes, Sr, Maryland G Ronald Nored, So, Butler G Keiton Page, So, Oklahoma State F Dominique Sutton, Jr Kansas State F Cam Thoroughman, Jr, West Virginia
This group of guys may not always put up impressive numbers, but they are each indispensible to their team’s success.
Kramer was the tough, strong man defender, capable of grabbing rebounds, running the offense for a possession or two, and even taking over during crunch time like he did against Texas A&M in the tournament.
The diminutive Gay had less than impressive numbers throughout the season for the Aztecs, but anytime a big play was called for, he was there ready to step up.
Mazulla played much of the season one-armed, unable to effectively use his right arm due to a shoulder injury, he even shot free throws left-handed, but still gutted it out on both ends of the floor for his Mounties.
Veasley is just a six-foot-three do-everything guy for the Bulldogs. At various times this season, he guarded guys like Clemson’s power forward Trevor Booker, Kansas State guard Jacob Pullen, even Minnesota’s seven-footer Ralph Sampson III.
And Green, Michigan State’s sixth-man did a bit of everything for Izzo, running some point-forward in the absence of injured point-guard Kalin Lucas, grabbing rebounds, defending in the post, and even becoming their go-to offensive player when the season was on the line.
Onions Squad – Big shots by the bushel, often causing the other team to cry Da’Sean Butler, Sr, West Virginia Ali Farokmanesh, Sr, Northern Iowa Jacob Pullen, Jr, Kansas State Jordan Crawford, So, Xavier Austin Freeman, Jr, Georgetown Chandler Parsons, Jr, Florida Devan Downey, Sr, South Carolina Andy Rautins, Sr, Syracuse Evan Turner, Jr, Ohio State Quincy Pondexter, Sr , Washington
The only thing that needs to be said about these guys is that if your team is playing against one of them, and you’re up a couple points late, don’t get comfortable. Some guys hit big winners every now and then; these guys make a career out of it.
All-Non-BCS Team, First Team G Kevin Anderson, Jr Richmond G Jordan Crawford, So, Xavier G Jimmer Fredette, Jr, BYU F Gordon Hayward, So, Butler F Darington Hobson, Jr, New Mexico
Second Team G Aubrey Coleman, Sr, Houston G Randy Culpepper, Jr, UTEP F Elias Harris, Fr, Gonzaga F Adam Koch, Sr, Northern Iowa C Omar Samhan, Sr, St. Mary’s
Third Team G Shelvin Mack, So Butler G Jared Quayle, Sr, Utah State G Randy Wittman, Sr, Cornell F Edwin Ubiles, Sr, Siena C Derrick Caracter, Jr, UTEP
Since some of these players’ programs don’t particularly like the “Mid-Major” label, we’ll just call these the non-BCS awards. Why make a special category just for these guys? Well, really, these schools and these players are to me what makes college basketball so special. Sure, guys like John Wall and Evan Turner and Wesley Johnson are fun to watch, but to me, it is even more fun to watch a guy like Adam Koch or Kevin Anderson or Darington Hobson, guys who were passed over for one reason or another by the “big boys”, lead their teams on a charge against the Goliaths of the world. And in a year like this one, when one of their own made it all the way to the last second of the last game with that slingshot still firing at the giants, we definitely need to recognize these types of guys from some of the smaller schools that make college basketball what it is.
Most Improved G Ashton Gibbs, So, Pitt G Scoop Jardine, So, Syracuse F Ekpe Udoh, Jr, Baylor C Derrick Caracter, Jr, UTEP C Greg Zoubek, Sr, Duke
Zoubek’s the man here. For three years he was little more than the big pudgy guy that Coach K would bring off the bench to pick up a few fouls when his regulars needed a break for a few minutes. This year, he turned into a major factor for the National Champion, a guy without whom Duke would likely have been left for dead far short of Indianapolis. He turned into a monster rebounder, especially on the offensive end, and excellent passer out of the post (again, especially off of those offensive rebounds) and a solid interior defender. Zoubek’s senior season was a good summary of everything that is good about college basketball.
Jardine bounced back from last year’s redshirt season due to an injury to become one of the Orange’s “seven starters” system as Syracuse took home the regular season Big East title.
Pitt needed some young guys to step up to replace the production of ex-Panthers like LeVance Fields and without missing a beat Gibbs did just that, jumping from averaging just four points in ten minutes a game last season to almost 16 ppg in over 34 minutes.
Udoh took advantage of his year off after transferring from Michigan and took his game to a whole new level in Waco, keeping all of the devastating shotblocking and defensive ability he had displayed previously and adding a seriously skilled and fluid offensive game.
And Caracter reappeared on the basketball landscape after seemingly burning all of his bridges in his first tour of duty under Rick Pitino in Louisville. Caracter brought all of the talent that he had shown since his high schools days to El Paso, and left the attitude behind, giving head coach Tony Barbee plenty of production and minimal headaches.
Senior Class Awards – seniors who did not make any of the above teams, who we nevertheless want to give some props to for great careers, just to be able to write their names again one last time.
Kwadzo Ahelegbe, G, Northern Iowa Bilal Benn, F, Niagara Eric Boateng, C, Arizona State Trevor Booker, F, Clemson Matt Bouldin, G, Gonzaga Jamal Boykin, F, California Ryan Brooks, G, Temple Tweeny Carter, G, Baylor Wayne Chism, F, Tennessee Patrick Christopher, G, California Sherron Collins, G, Kansas Bryan Davis, F, Texas A&M Kelvin Davis, G, San Diego State Jerome Dyson, G, Connecticut Landry Fields, F, Stanford Derek Glasser, G, Arizona State Luke Harangody, F, Notre Dame Lazar Hayward, F, Marquette Trevon Hughes, G, Wisconsin Matt Janning, F, Northeastern Anthony Johnson, G, Montana Jerome Jordan, C, Tulsa Gerald Lee, F, Old Dominion Tyrone Lewis, G Niagara Jason Love, C, Xavier Roman Martinez, F, New Mexico Tasmin Mitchell, F, LSU Jerome Randle, G, California Theo Robertson, F, California Stanley Robinson, F, Connecticut Derrick Roland, G, Texas A&M Donald Sloan, G, Texas A&M Ishmael Smith, G, Wake Forest JT Tiller, G, Missouri Nic Wise, G, Arizona
The NBA Can Wait Team
Even before seeing Da’Sean Butler lying on the floor at the Final Four with a busted knee, I wouldn’t really begrudge a guy if he chose to leave school early to pursue a job playing basketball elsewhere. That being said, it does make me sad to see some of these guys go, knowing that with the little I watch the NBA, I will likely never see them play again once their gone. And so, I’ve got a team of players who I’d like to see stick around for another year (or two… or three), either because they could really use some more time before they go to the next level, or because I just really want to see them some more.
Solomon Alabi, So, C, Florida State Alabi could leave now and perhaps even get picked in the lottery. Being 7-foot-1 will do that for you, but he could really use some more time to work on his offensive game, otherwise he’ll go sit on an NBA bench for a few years, never improve and turn into Kelvin Cato or something. Eric Bledsoe, Fr, G, Kentucky John Wall is gone, that is a given. But I’d sure like to see Bledsoe play a year at the point before heading to the NBA, and it likely would help his draft stock as well. Consider this one a tie between what is good for the player and what is good for the basketball fan. But, he’s probably gone anyway. Avery Bradley, Fr, G, Texas A defender beyond his years, a great athlete, and a guy who will likely be a first round pick if he leaves this year. But come back for a year, entertain us all, and work on your offensive game and perhaps you start working your way up near the lottery. Devin Ebanks, So, F, West Virginia Long, super-athletic, stellar defender, offensively skilled. You just need a little more polish offensively before you’re ready to go. Derrick Favors, Fr, C, Georgia Tech With all the hype that preceded Favors into the ACC, I just want to see this guy put together one all-conference type season before he heads off into the sunset. Probably a pipe-dream, however, as he is a near-lock to be a high-lottery guy. Jimmer Fredette, Jr, G, BYU Okay, Fredette’s on this list for purely selfish reasons. We all got cheated out of watching him in the New Mexico/BYU game for the MWC regular season championship due to illness, and I want to see one fully healthy season out of this guy to see what kind of amazing things he can do. Elias Harris, Fr, F, Gonzaga Another purely selfish one here. I want to see what this guy can do once he learns the game a bit. He could be the best thing ever to go through Spokane, and as of today, it looks like Harris will be around for at least another year. Manny Harris, Jr, G, Michigan A terribly disappointing season in Ann Arbor, and given that Harris’ draft stock ain’t exactly sky high, it wouldn’t hurt anybody to have him return to school, improve his game and maybe get his Wolverines back into the tournament. But, he and his agent that he is hiring obviously have different ideas. Darington Hobson, Jr, F, New Mexico Tough one. His draft stock may be as high as it ever gets, but imagine is this guy developed a consistent outside shot. Patrick Patterson, Jr, F, Kentucky Much like Bledsoe, I just want to see what Patterson can do out of the shadow of Wall/Cousins. However, it seems doubtful that we’ll get that chance. Greg Monroe, So, C, Georgetown Purely selfish again. Monroe can leave and immediately be a lottery pick, and likely a high-lottery pick. That said, I’d sure love to see him play just a little bit more, and he is so far teasing us with that possibility. If he returns for his junior year, the Hoyas have to be considered a Final Four favorite. Evan Turner, Jr, G, Ohio State Turner is as gone as the rotary telephone. Doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like to see him lead a Buckeye charge to the Final Four as a senior. But I’m sure that back injury will have something to say about his decision. Willie Warren, So, G Things weren’t pretty in Norman this season; things have gotten far uglier since the season ended, with reports of players being paid and with anyone with any talent heading for the hills. But Warren was terrible this season (although he likely would have been a first-round pick if he left after last season). The NBA would like to see that he has some little bit of maturity to go along with his loads of talent, and I would like to see him live up to his expectations at the college level. Go ahead. Stick around.
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