<tt>Fictional Class 8
Overall Grade C+
National Championship
Michigan State - 71
Kansas - 77
Point Guards
Michigan State Spartan Freshman Will Galloway is used to being the center of attention and he's never been one to shy away from the spotlight. With that being said, it is no surprise that Galloway has been the talk of the point guard position this year. Galloway, who was the second rated point guard and 9th rated overall player coming out of high school had no problem letting his destination before his first game last November. "I love Michigan State" Galloway said. "But this is just a brief stop on my way to the NBA. So I'm going to go hard every game cause I won't be playing many here". Not everyone is sold on Will Galloway as an NBA prospect however. When asked about Galloway an unnamed Big Ten Coach said "The kid was in our backyard coming out of high school but there's a reason we didn't go after him. The kid is addicted to attention and its negative attention if you ask me". Galloway averaged 14.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists per game on his way to the national championship game.
Other Notable Point Guards:
UNC Charlotte Senior Roy Stokes 19.8 points, 1.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.8 steals per game
Pittsburgh Sophomore James Drew 12.6 points, 4.6 assists per game
Shooting Guard
Stanford Sophomore James Porter was a player that was on everyone's radar after earning all conference honors as a freshman. After many speculated that he would bolt to the NBA, Porter shocked everyone by returning. It appears that the extra year was beneficial because Porter added an extra dimension to his game. "As a freshman he never had to necessarily be the primary ball handler" Stanford coach Johnny Dawkins said. "His sophomore year we really needed him to step up and I was shocked at how effective he was handling the ball". Porter averaged 16.9 points, 4.6 assists per game on the way to being named to the all conference team once again.
Other Notable Shooting Guards:
North Carolina State Senior Allen Roberts 13.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists per game
Mexico Alejandro Cardona 6'4 215 lbs. 12.7 points, 2.6 rebounds per game
Texas Tech Sophomore Juan Conway 16.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists per game
Small Forward
Kansas Freshman D.J. Young is not used to being at the tip of everyone's tongue the way he is right now. As a freshman, Young was the second ranked player in the country. The first you ask? Jonathan Blackwell who just happened to be located 20 miles down the road from his high school. "To be honest, I liked being second fiddle" Young said. "I like being off the radar. I guess it couldn't last forever though". At it definitely didn't as Young shined bright as a Jayhawk. After averaging 17.9 points, 7.1 rebounds per game and leading the Jayhawks to a national championship, Young became the clear number one prospect this year. "The kid can do everything" Kansas junior SG Adam Peters said. "He stepped on campus and just took over. He's mature beyond his years. He's ready to be a star". Everyone expects to hear Young's name called at the number one spot.
Other notable Small Forwards:
Washington Sophomore Glenn McDaniel 14.9 points, 5.1 rebounds per game
Romania Florin Bacu SF 18.9 points, 3.4 rebounds per game
Power Forward
North Carolina Sophomore Cam Richardson has been a friend of adversity these past couple of years. As a freshman, was falsely accused of sexual by a female student. Although it was proved that the accusations were completely false, many fans continued to voice their displeasure and hate for Richardson. Although many attempted to convince Richardson to go pro after his freshman year, Richardson made the decision to stay. Before the season started, Richardson attended a party where he was stabbed in the shoulder while trying to break up a fight between teammate Albert Jenkins and an unidentified student. Richardson made a quick recovery and averaged 14.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.3 blocks per game and not missing any games. When asked about his struggles at UNC, Richardson simply said "I'm just ready to turn over a new leaf". Richardson shouldn't have to wait too long to begin that new chapter of his life as he is predicted to go in the top 5.
Other Notable Power Forwards:
Indiana Freshman Hakeem Hodges 10.2 points, 10.1 rebounds per game
Mississippi Senior Sergio Daniels 11.0 points, 9.9 rebounds per game
Center
To say that Georgetown Sophomore Steven Jefferson is disliked is a bit of an understatement. Steven Jefferson is... well.... hated. Jefferson has made a habit out of insulting, bullying and provoking opponents. Jefferson has made such a habit out of getting techs that Georgetown head coach John Thompson III began bringing in Jefferson off the bench so that he would not get himself kicked out of games too early. What's even more interesting about Jefferson is that he appears to have complete control over his outburst. When many experts stated that Jefferson needed anger management to control his anger Jefferson simply stated that he had control and could prove it. Jefferson proceeded to go one whole week without a technical foul and even occasionally helped opposing players off of the ground. Following that one week of angelic behavior, Jefferson went back to cheap shots and bullying. When asked about his behavior on the court, Jefferson said "I'm not an angry person, I just play one on the court. I'm in to doing whatever it takes to give me a competitive advantage. This isn't mindless insanity. I'm a lot smarter than you guys give me credit for". One thing that no one denies is that Jefferson is a top talent that should be off the board very early.
Other notable centers:
UCLA Freshman Austin Clark 12.2 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.1 blocks per game
Michigan State Freshman Jonathan Blackwell 14.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.1 blocks per game
Top 5 Prospects:
1) Kansas Freshman D.J. Young SF 6'6 229 lbs 17.9 points, 7.1 rebounds per game
Biggest Strength: Excellent mid range game. Extremely fast for his size.
Biggest Weakness: Below average passer. Could improve rebounding ability
NBA Comparison: Paul Pierce
2) Georgetown Sophomore Steven Jefferson Center 6'11 258 lbs. 15.6 points, 10.1 rebounds, 1.9 blocks per game
Biggest Strength: Very balanced player. Very good offensively and defensively in the post. Great rebounder.
Biggest Weakness: Needs to get stronger.
NBA Comparison: Al Jefferson
3) UCLA Freshman Austin Clark Center 6'10 249 lbs. 12.2 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.1 blocks per game
Biggest Strength: Best rebounder in the draft. Above average defender.
Biggest Weaknesses: Scoring ability is limited.
NBA Comparison: Andrew Bogut
4) Washington Sophomore Glenn McDaniel SF 6'7 217 lbs. 14.9 points, 5.1 rebounds per game
Biggest Strength: Very athletic. High flyer that can score in traffic.
Biggest Weakness: Needs to improve on ball defense.
NBA Comparison: Thaddeus Young
5) North Carolina Sophomore Cam Richardson PF 6'11 230 lbs. 14.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.3 blocks per game
Biggest Strength: Good scorer in the post and from from mid range.
Biggest Weakness: Post defense is average at best
NBA Comparison: Luis Scola
Lottery Predictions (Best of the Rest)
6) Stanford Sophomore James Porter SG 6'5 220 lbs. 16.9 points, 4.6 assists per game Biggest Strength: Best passer in the draft at his position. Good on ball defender. Biggest Weakness: Lacks superstar level speed
NBA Comparison: Stephen Jackson
7) Romania Florin Bacu SF 6'9 212 lbs. 18.9 points, 3.4 rebounds per game
Biggest Strength: Excellent range. Above average offensive awareness.
Biggest Weakness: All around poor defender
NBA Comparison: Jason Kapono
8) North Carolina State Senior Allen Roberts SG 6'6 219 lbs. 13.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists per game
Biggest Strength: Very good athlete. One of the fastest SG in the draft. High flyer that can throw it down.
Biggest Weakness: Limited shooting range. Poor passer.
NBA Comparison: Ronnie Brewer
9) Mexico Alejandro Cardona SG 6'4 215 lbs. 12.7 points, 2.6 rebounds per game
Biggest Strength: Very good on ball defender. Hustler that plays 100 percent every play.
Biggest Weakness: Often times looks lost on offense. Average scorer at best.
NBA Comparison: Keith Bogans
10) Michigan State Freshman Jonathan Blackwell Center 6'11 244 lbs. 14.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.1 blocks per game
Biggest Strength: Can protect the paint. Above average inside scorer.
Biggest Weakness: Needs to get stronger. Also, many other centers in the draft are faster and quicker.
NBA Comparison: Joel Anthony
11) Michigan State Freshman Will Galloway PG 6'5 203 lbs 14.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists per game
Biggest Strength: Great at getting in to the lane and finishing with authority.
Biggest Weakness: Not a very good passer. Turnover prone.
NBA Comparison: Nate Robinson
12) Texas Tech Sophomore Juan Conway SG 6'9 194 lbs. 16.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists per game
Biggest Strength: Best rebounder at the position. Superb combination of speed and quickness. One of the best dunkers coming out in several years. Could be a slam dunk champion in the future.
Biggest Weakness: Not a very good ball handler. Was injury prone while at Texas Tech. Very weak (reminiscent of Shaun Livingston several years prior).
NBA Comparison: Corey Brewer
13) Indiana Freshman Hakeem Hodges PF 6'10 225 lbs. 10.2 points, 10.1 rebounds per game Biggest Strength: Very good rebounder. Probably the faster player at this position. Biggest Weakness: Terrible from 10+ feet. Only adequate blocker. Doesn't use his height and athletisism to his advantage like he should.
NBA Comparison: Ed Davis
14) UNC Charlotte Senior Roy Stokes PG 6'3 209 lbs. 19.8 points, 1.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.8 steals per game
Biggest Strength: Can stroke it from deep with ease. Quick hands that will pick an opponent's pocket.
Biggest Weakness: Not very consistent. Relatively slow compared to the other top point guards in the draft.
NBA Comparison: Sasha Vujacic </tt>
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