The College Basketball Post

[langfor5]

Big, big game on Sat against the Buckeyes. Def. a mid season measuring stick to see where we are at as a team. If we can handle Thomas I think we have a good chance of stealing one on the road.

 

[osh kosh bosh]

I caaaan't wait to see North Carolina vs UNLV


also


http://t.co/EwqHi4TZ


ohhhhhhhhh

 

[al3xis]

We are one month into the college basketball season, and if you are a NBA draftnik like us, you might be losing hope. With no clear No. 1 prospect at the top of the draft, the inevitable "what's happened to all the talent in college hoops?" debates have begun.

However, if you pause for just a minute and look forward a year, the news gets much brighter. On Friday, Chicago prep star Jabari Parker announced his decision to go to Duke with a lot of fanfare. Parker got a 30-minute special on ESPNU, and he's neither 1 nor 2 on our 2014 Big Board.

Next year's draft class is shaping up to be pretty spectacular thanks to a stellar incoming freshman class.

So before we go back to the dreariness that is the draft class of 2013, I thought it would be wise to remind our draftniks and NBA GMs alike that it gets better. Next year, there are four incoming freshmen who NBA scouts feel could be franchise-changers.

After speaking with numerous NBA scouts and some of our own high school recruiting gurus, here's a sneak preview at the top four players on our 2014 Big Board. These guys should dominate the first five spots in the 2014 NBA draft.

1. Andrew Wiggins, G/F, Undecided

The buzz surrounding Wiggins started during the 2012 Nike Hoop Summit when the 16-year-old was the standout among players two classes ahead of him. Since then, Wiggins has solidified his place as the consensus No. 1 pick in the 2014 NBA draft. He dominated summer ball to the point that many NBA scouts believe he's a once-a-decade type of prospect. If he were in the 2013 NBA draft, he would be, hands down, the No. 1 pick.


What makes Wiggins so special? He's an uber athletic wing who can score from anywhere on the floor. He glides in transition, attacks the basket and finishes with flair, and can shoot the ball with deep range. He has a high basketball IQ and is super aggressive. In other words, he's almost a perfect prototype of an NBA wing. NBA guys not prone to hyperbole have compared him to a young Tracy McGrady with a better motor.

He's reportedly narrowed his choices down to Florida State, North Carolina and Kentucky. Of the three, Florida State is a bit of an odd choice. Both parents went to school there, but Leonard Hamilton's slow-down, grind-it-out offense doesn't exactly showcase NBA talent. Nevertheless, I don't think it will matter. Barring some sort of major injury, Wiggins is the clear favorite to be the No. 1 pick in 2014 and a potential franchise-changing player.

2. Andrew Harrison, PG, Kentucky

NBA scouts love big point guards -- especially ones who are truly point guards. Add to the mix that he's playing for John Calipari (who coached both Derrick Rose and John Wall to the No. 1 pick), and you can understand that if anyone challenges Wiggins for the No. 1 pick, it might be Harrison.

Harrison is also an elite athlete, a fierce competitor and a natural leader. His ability to finish through contact at the rim is special. He's tough, physical and always is attacking the basket. His jump shot is also very solid for a player his age. You hear a lot of comps to Jason Kidd and Deron Williams when scouts talk about him.

3. Jabari Parker, SF, Duke

The hype surrounding Parker has leveled off a bit the past year. Why? Wiggins' rise explains some of the waning attention. There's also a bit of Parker fatigue among NBA scouts. Parker has been on the NBA radar since he was a freshman. At a certain point, scouts just start picking players apart. Finally, a foot injury has kept him at less than 100 percent since this summer.

However, I have feeling more and more scouts will start getting back on the bandwagon after a year at Duke. Simply put, Parker's just a special basketball player. He can score from anywhere, he can handle, rebound, shoot, drive, post up. He has a pheonomenal basketball IQ. He has a great work ethic. He's a high character player. You name it. If he was an elite athlete, he'd be the No. 1 pick in the draft. As it stands, he's still likely to go in the top five in 2014.

4. Julius Randle, PF, Undecided

Randle is the last of the four elite prospects from this class and is the only one of the group with the size to play in the front court. He's a very unique player who can bang down low or step out on the perimeter and pick you apart with his jump shot.

Some NBA scouts think he's the second-best prospect in the draft behind Wiggins, while others have him ranked at the bottom of the top four. For the scouts who love him, they see a little Chris Webber in him. For those that think he spends too much time shooting jumpers and is a tweener, you hear some Terrence Jones comps.

Randle fractured his right foot in late November and will be out until late February. Randle is considering Kentucky, Florida, Kansas and North Carolina State.

Other potential one-and-dones: James Young, G/F, Kentucky; Noah Vonieh, F, Indiana; Aaron Gordon, PF, Undecided; Aaron Harrison, SG, Kentucky

 

[rook]

Parker isn't going to have a MAJOR impact next season like the media hypes him
up. Jay Williams compared him to Paul Pierce earlier..I had the biggest stoneface.
Duke still gonna be nasty though.
Syracuse vs Duke gonna become the new greatest rivalary

Shutup.

And I haven't seen much on 'Bari but I'ma take my dude Cake's word on this matter. On the real though, even with 'Bari I still think we need another big man. Who the @#$% is gonna rebound for us and give us a lil' something on the offensive end down low?

Man hop off. Damb

 

[wings90]

Kabongo suspension reduced to 23 games.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ncaab-...irst-23-games--must-repay--475-001321491.html

 

[buc em]

This is the first time I've seen Isaiah Austin play. Dude looks like Anthony Davis's twin...but he can't block shots for **** and doesn't use his length like he should.

 

[アミーゴ]

So you don't think the SI cover enhanced him?  Lebron was worthy of the cover....Telfair wasn't and he was media enhanced doesn't mean he wasn't the best PG in his class. The SI cover is fact that he was media enhanced the title is almost comical "best HS player since LeBron"....really?

Bassy was a PRO in high school. He never got better. Bari will get better. Working for SI I hear all day about the hype machine, and honestly no one expects Bari to be like LeBron.

"

I take it there will be 2 jobs open in LA this year.

Think SC turns it up in league...Also think UCLA get's going here soon and saves Ben's job for the time being.

 

[doitallpaul]

stop it. unless you wanna say what a Major impact constist of.

not too far fetched...austin rivers didn't have the impact at duke like everyone thought he would...the fact is that at duke coach K teaches team basketball which is the right thing, some players can't adjust to that right away...this is not to say that parker won't be great but it certainly can happen

 

[doitallpaul]

I caaaan't wait to see North Carolina vs UNLV
also
http://t.co/EwqHi4TZ
ohhhhhhhhh

if you guys want espn insider articles just pm me the link, have been mooching off my boy from HS account for like 6 years now lol

 

[doitallpaul]

MCW needs to stop throwing up an ally oop 5x a game...4 out of the 5 result in at turnover, he also needs to stop leaving his feet before making a play...this dude russ smith also scores a lot bc he shoots like 18x a game, media always needs to find someone from a top team to promote as the best

 

[ezflash26]

After Parker first mentioned that one of his reasons for not choosing Michigan State was because of a potential position conflict with current Spartan sophomore forward Branden Dawson, I asked him
just how big that played in the ultimate decision.

I was actually pretty stunned to hear his answer, which was, "I think it was the main reason why I didn't pick them today."

Wait, what? The main reason?

Something just didn't seem right about that statement, which wasn't made in front of live TV cameras but was made in front of many reporters with Parker standing behind a podium with a bank of microphones on it.

What I can say is that from my vantage point, about 10 feet away, he seemed very sincere about it - and went on to say that Dawson is a friend of his from nearby Gary, Ind., and he didn't want to have any potential playing time conflicts with him. That was his story and he stuck to it - and I didn't really want to continue pressing him about it in front of a big room full of reporters on the day he picked Duke.

Just suffice it to say that he said it once, was given another chance to downplay it and reaffirmed it even stronger the second time.

Yea, reading that made me .... When I was envisioning MSU's team next year potentially w/ Jabari, the main thing I got excited about was how him & Dawson would have been able to play off eachother. Jabari in the paint/high post with Dawson cutting, similar to what Dawson was doing w/ Draymond but more effective. Just seemed they would've mask each others flaws perfectly on both ends.

As far as Jabari is concerned, I always thought of him as potentially a rich-man's Draymond Green, which may not sound like the biggest compliment considering who some people compare him to (Melo, Pierce), but Day-Day quietly had one of the most statistically efficiently seasons in years last year (1st player since Duncan in '97 to avg at least 15-10-3). They have a similar skill set, except Jabari is bigger/more athletic. Can see him becoming Pierce-esque scoring wise (not Pierce in his prime tho, maybe 08 finals run Pierce).

Answer IV DMX

Fam, raised dead in the heart of the eastside, fully aware of what the city limits are. You pointing that out was irrelevant anyway being that most kids out the city w/ major D-1 potential are sent to the charter schools or somewhere in the surrounding areas nowdays anyway. Was talking about the area as a whole, Flint included b/c I had Monte Morris in mind as well. James Young, Derrick Walton & EC Matthews all have NBA potential, w/ Matthews being by far the most raw but having most potential out of the 3 imo. Walton (who I think is the best right now) is a Trey Burke clone who displays even more ability to make teammates better than Burke did at this same point. Dominated Kasey Hill/Chris Walker in the Adidas Super 64 & won MVP of the whole tourney. And Burke is gone after this year, so.....

Not gonna sit up here and name everybody, but the area was loaded this year. As of last June, 2013 had 35 players w/ D-1 offers, which was second to the Chicagland area.....My point was tho that in the past few years Izzo stayed offering mediocre players out the area, and for the first time in years where there is finally some potentially high level talent (all of which actually had MSU as their top school at some point), he passed on all of them and made Jabari his only priority. Now after being left in the cold, they're probably going to fill that spot with somebody who won't play a key role until his Junior year...

 

[finallyfamous]

Can't lose to Kansas again.......

 

[young thundercat]

i absolutely love MCW game...the dude is so under control and makes everybody better. i just have a thing for long and linky guards. pause.



Def my favorite player this year.

 

[young thundercat]

not too far fetched...austin rivers didn't have the impact at duke like everyone thought he would...the fact is that at duke coach K teaches team basketball which is the right thing, some players can't adjust to that right away...this is not to say that parker won't be great but it certainly can happen

nah wont happen...two completely different players. Rivers needed the ball to be good. River could only do one thing, get buckets. Bari can catch the ball anywhere and get a bucket plus i think hes not scared of getting on the glass. i look for great things out of the kid and i think K will only make him better.

 

[dacomeup]

not too far fetched...austin rivers didn't have the impact at duke like everyone thought he would...the fact is that at duke coach K teaches team basketball which is the right thing, some players can't adjust to that right away...this is not to say that parker won't be great but it certainly can happen

No, Austin Rivers didn't have the impact that everyone who fell into the YouTube video highlight and Doc Rivers' son hype thought he would. Bari is a much smarter player than Rivers and I suspect that he won't have many of the issues that Rivers did. Not sold on Paul Pierce comparisons yet either.

I read that article about him not choosing MSU because Dawson was there, but Rodney Hood will be at Duke and he's better than Bari right now as well. *headscratcher*

 

[young thundercat]

i think K goes small next year...

Cook
Sheed
Hood
Bari

i think Bari and Hood together will be a great thing to watch.
no damn clue who fills the middle but that will be a struggle.

 

[answer iv dmx]

Fam, raised dead in the heart of the eastside, fully aware of what the city limits are. You pointing that out was irrelevant anyway being that most kids out the city w/ major D-1 potential are sent to the charter schools or somewhere in the surrounding areas nowdays anyway. Was talking about the area as a whole, Flint included b/c I had Monte Morris in mind as well. James Young, Derrick Walton & EC Matthews all have NBA potential, w/ Matthews being by far the most raw but having most potential out of the 3 imo. Walton (who I think is the best right now) is a Trey Burke clone who displays even more ability to make teammates better than Burke did at this same point. Dominated Kasey Hill/Chris Walker in the Adidas Super 64 & won MVP of the whole tourney. And Burke is gone after this year, so.....
Not gonna sit up here and name everybody, but the area was loaded this year. As of last June, 2013 had 35 players w/ D-1 offers, which was second to the Chicagland area.....My point was tho that in the past few years Izzo stayed offering mediocre players out the area, and for the first time in years where there is finally some potentially high level talent (all of which actually had MSU as their top school at some point), he passed on all of them and made Jabari his only priority. Now after being left in the cold, they're probably going to fill that spot with somebody who won't play a key role until his Junior year...

True about city limits.. (sad, another topic). I'll admit I haven't watched much tape of EC Matthews, probably whatever was available a year ago when his recruiting was going down. Walton did explode on the summer circuit (Zak Irving too... you've probably watched more tape on him because of Gary Harris, any thoughts on his ceiling?), similar size and build, but I don't see the same kind of athleticism as Burke. Worried about his outside game too. Burke is a sneaky good shooter.

I question what Izzo is doing up there in EL too. He's having a tough time developing post guys lately and no one is ready to make an immediate impact. Costello gets some minutes, Kaminski (RS?), Guana (bad), Sherman (transfer), Payne (huge disappointment IMO), Nix (better than advertised). None really play Izzo style defense either. He almost seems a step slow, not quite up to the times in recruiting. I need to watch the full UT/MSU game today. Pretty good match up.

Mizz/Ill
KU/O$U
Florida/K-State

Another good weekend on tap

 

[seymore cake]

not too far fetched...austin rivers didn't have the impact at duke like everyone thought he would...the fact is that at duke coach K teaches team basketball which is the right thing, some players can't adjust to that right away...this is not to say that parker won't be great but it certainly can happen

No, Austin Rivers didn't have the impact that everyone who fell into the YouTube video highlight and Doc Rivers' son hype thought he would. Bari is a much smarter player than Rivers and I suspect that he won't have many of the issues that Rivers did. Not sold on Paul Pierce comparisons yet either.

I read that article about him not choosing MSU because Dawson was there, but Rodney Hood will be at Duke and he's better than Bari right now as well. *headscratcher*

I think it was more about taking the shine away from a friend than actually playing the same positions. I could be wrong.

As far as Bari not fitting in with the "team ball" concept I don't see that as a problem considering he's played other D1 prospect every since he's stepped foot in a Simeon uni and their coach preaches that component. While he may be "The Guy" Kendrick Nunn & Jaylon Tate are both high caliber players.

I'd liken it more to Kyrie playing with MKG & Dexter Strickland than Rivers who played with nobody I can name.

 

[zs05wc]

Zak Irving's development reminds me of Glenn Robinson's in a way. He was 3* then had a good summer in AAU and now he's a top-50-100ish kid. What I like from reading about him in AAU is his defense. He's about 6'7 with long arms and can pretty much guard every spot on the floor. Attacking the rim was the one area I read he had to work on and so far this season they said he's been doing pretty well.

Good game to start the day.

 

[duba169]

Boheim yelling at the refs

Temp went hard on the offensive boards

 

[magikmike]

who saw MCW try to trip the ref after the buzzer?

 

[answer iv dmx]

Talking heads in metro Detroit made a good point on 'Bari. "It comes down to the fact that Coach K puts people in the league. Izzo doesn't. Period."

Truth... and another reason why Izzo's recruiting is just lukewarm right now.

Still not overly impressed with Dawson.

Derrick Nix of Josh Smith?

 

[scuse7]

Mclemore is a beastttttttt

MCW looked terrible today. He was trying to become a scorer or something. I had no idea what he was doing today. Our interior rebounding got exposed as well, no toughness. And the free throws. Basura.

 

[awwsome]

I think it was more about taking the shine away from a friend than actually playing the same positions. I could be wrong.
As far as Bari not fitting in with the "team ball" concept I don't see that as a problem considering he's played other D1 prospect every since he's stepped foot in a Simeon uni and their coach preaches that component. While he may be "The Guy" Kendrick Nunn & Jaylon Tate are both high caliber players.
I'd liken it more to Kyrie playing with MKG & Dexter Strickland than Rivers who played with nobody I can name.

Another reason why I think Bari will excel and maybe even be an All American at Duke. He's used to playing around and leading great talent (HS & USA ball).
Not only that but his game is made for college more so than the L, Solid mid range game, could hit the 3 if necessary, great vision for his size and will be able to get buckets down low.
Watching him before his injury I honestly saw the hype, his game is just smooth, he knows how to use his body and is very aware of his strengths on the floor.
Once his conditioning is right, he sheds all the baby weight and gets in the weight room he will be a star. There just aren't a lot of players his size who can do what he does.

 

[wildkycat]

http://www.coachcal.com/19331/2012/12/a-suite-for-champions-uks-new-rupp-arena-locker-room/

:x