Fictional Draft Classes for the Playstation 4

[fnz21]

DUKE vs. OHIO STATE

Usually led by senior guard Markus Jefferson, the Blue Devils can score in a lot of ways. Tonight was Shawn Vincent’s night. Duke got the ball to him early and often, and, while he made less than 50% of his shots, the volume of shots taken led to a solid night for the sophomore forward. He finished with 19 points and 5 boards in a tough game against Ohio State. Ohio State led by four at halftime, but struggled to maintain consistency offensively in the second half. Ben Turner had 20 points, and Stephen Castellanos had 17 off the bench. The problem is, both players play the same position and rarely see the floor together. Duke figured this out early in the second half and forced Turner to go 5-13 (but make all 10 of his free throws). Duke found a way to limit both players’ touches and held on for a 66-63 victory.

CINCINNATI vs. PURDUE

For all the praise that Purdue forward Derek Stewart gets for his offensive ability, defense is where he shines the most. He spent all night on the Bearcats two best scorers (Taj Myles and Montrell Baker), who combined to shoot 5-18. In fact, when he wasn’t guarding them, they went 4 of 6 from the field. Cincinnati only had 1 double-digit scorer in Kamarr Mathis, who did his damage off the bench. Purdue also only had 1 double-digit scorer: La’Ryan Brzelton, who had a career high 15 points. Cincinnati held Derek Stewart to just 4 points, but Armando Childress managed 14 rebounds, and Purdue advanced the Final Four, 67-61.

VALPARAISO vs. UCLA

In the only double-digit win of the round, UCLA shut down Valpo’s Courtland Cambridge and rode that success to a 77-64 victory. Cambridge had 7 points and 8 rebounds on 3-11 shooting and only made it to the free throw line on one occasion. Raheem Douglas led the Crusaders with 16 points and 9 assists. For the Bruins, Reggie Miller-Williams had 12 assists and Brandon Bishop had an all-around 24-5-7 performance. Christian Anderson had 14 rebounds.

SYRACUSE vs. GEORGIA TECH

From the opening tip, Syracuse seemed to be nervously clinging to a lead. Even when it was 0-0, even when they had an 11 point lead in the first half. The team had 21 turnovers, in a sloppy game from both teams. Both teams had their bright spots: The Orange’s Michael Pittman had 20 points, Orlando Dobson had 4 steals, Keena Banjo had 5 blocks. The Yellow Jackets’ Justin Lucas had 15 points and 3 steals, Kris Perkins had 10 rebounds. But even Georgia Tech had 19 turnovers. Syrcause still managed to eek out a win, despite this game not being their best execution. They advance the Final Four, 74-67.

[fnz21]

DUKE vs. PURDUE
In the first semifinal, the big matchup was on the wing: Markus Jefferson vs. Derek Stewart. 2nd team All-American vs 1st team All-American. Derek Stewart won the battle, but his team struggled out of the gate and couldn’t win the war. Duke led 43-31 at halftime, and never let up, winning 70-55 and advancing the National Championship. Jefferson went 1-8 form the field and finished with 2 points and 4 rebounds. Chris Crawford had 18 points off the bench to lead the Blue Devils. Derek Stewart led Purdue with 11 points. Senior forward managed zero points on no shot attempts which really stalled the Boilermakers’ offense. La’Ryan Brazelton added 6 blocks to his 6 points and 6 rebounds.

UCLA vs. SYRACUSE
The second semifinal definitely proved more exciting. Despite Syracuse leading for the entire first half, there were 12 lead changes in the second half in a game that came down the final possession. With 40 seconds left, Syracuse held the ball for as long as they could, but Michael Pittman couldn’t pass on an open drive to the basket with 17 seconds left. This gave the Orange the lead, but gave the Bruins time to get a good look to tie, or win, the game. Brandon Bishop drove the lane and got blocked by Erwin Billings with 6 seconds left, but managed to get the ball back seconds later. He hoisted up a three pointer (he was 3-4 from there before that point), but it hit the backboard and missed the rim completely. Syracuse advanced, 71-69, to face conference rival, Duke, a team that they split their previous meetings with this season. For UCLA, Bishop finished with 19 points. Lou Gaines added 1 rebounds, but had 4 turnovers. Michael Pittman had 14 points and 8 rebounds for Syracuse, and Erwin Billings led the team with 16 points.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: DUKE vs. SYRACUSE
It was clear after the first 6 minutes that this would be a classic Markus Jefferson performance: “I’ll take care of the scoring, you take care of everything else.” Jefferson made his first 4 shots and scored 10 of the Blue Devils’ first 19, but could his teammates “take care of everything else?” Duke stormed out of the gate to an 11-4 lead, but Syracuse went on an 11-0 run late in the first half to gain a 37-29 lead. They led 41-33 at the half. Duke then started the second half with an 11-0 run of their own, but were plagued by turnovers caused by the Orange’s press all game, ever really allowing themselves to break away for too long. Duke PG Marshawn Williams took a while to get going, going 0-4 from the field in the first half, but ended the game with 10 points and 9 rebounds. The Blue Devils eventually took a 72-63 lead on back to back to back three with 2:48 remaining but turned the ball over on three of the next four possessions to allow Syracuse back in the game. With a 78-70 lead with 21.4 seconds left, the game seemed all but over. Syracuse had the ball and Michael Pittman made a three 11 seconds later. Syracuse was fouled on the inbounds, but Marshawn Williams missed the first free throw and Syracuse got the rebound, drove the length of the court and Orlando Dobson got fouled. He made both free throws, and Syracuse was down three with 9 seconds. Senior Adam Kron was fouled, after replacing Marshawn Williams for free throw purposes, and the senior sealed the National Championship for the Blue Devils at the free throw line. Duke won, 80-75. For the Orange, Orlando Dobson finished with 21 points, 7 assists, and 4 steals. For Duke, Markus Jefferson was name MOP with 31 points on 11-13 shooting (6-7 from three). As a team Duke went 11-19 from beyond the arc.



OFFSEASON STORYLINES

DRAFT DECISIONS

Central Florida junior Joe Sherrill fulfilled his graduation promise and will leave the school after his junior season, degree in hand. Sherrill is the most hyped player in a long time. Many NBA front offices have been position themselves to trade up in whatever draft Sherrill was part of.

Duke freshman Marshawn Williams is leaving school after one year. As one of the top freshmen recruits, it wasn’t a shock to anyone. Many people feel that he’s the second best prospect in the draft.

Dominique Morales is leaving Ohio State after just one year post-transfer from Penn State. He is expected to be a mid-first round pick, and could wind up in the lottery with a good workout. Ben Turner is also leaving OSU.

Richard Ziri and Duncan Atkinson both wrapped up their collegiate careers. The senior wings should both be drafted in the middle third of the draft.

Qa’rraan King is forgoing his senior year at UNC and entering the draft. C Justin Turner will return for his senior season for the Tar Heels. He is an All-American favorite.

PG Clifford Martin is leaving the University of Cincinnati after two seasons, just like Leroy Bradford did two years earlier.

PG Trevor McCalebb is leaving Tennessee after his sophomore season, and PG LaRon Williams is leaving Wake Forest after one season. Both should be lottery picks.

Sophomore PF Tahj Bailey is leaving the University of Kentucky after two seasons. This is no surprise as he could have easily left after last year. Bailey is the only early loss for Kentucky (Brice Holcomb is graduating). Whitney Miller, Scottie Matela, Omari Matthews, Jr. and Gabriel Wilkerson will all return in key roles for the Wildcats.

Florida State C Alonzo Sullivan is leaving after one season in Tallahassee.

UCLA is losing a trio of forwards: Lou Gaines, Christian Anderson and Nathaniel Augustine are all leaing for the NBA. Gaines figures to be a top 5 pick. Augustine has a chance to be a lottery pick after his one season as a Bruin after transferring from Kentucky. Sophomore guard Brandon Bishop has elected to remain at the university, and figures to be the team’s key weapon next season.

Syracuse’s only early NBA departure will be junior forward Michael Pittman (Dugan St. Clair and Randall Madison are both seniors). Both Erwin Billings and Orlando Dobson surprised some by staying in school.

UNLV stars, freshman Jared West, and sophomore Donte Holloway are returning for another year.

Michigan’s Kyle Williams will return or his senior season. Antwan Babcock will be the only key loss for the Wolverines.

Star freshman Justin Lucas is leaving after his lone season at Georgia Tech. He figures to be a top 5 pick.

OTHER NEWS

PF Keena Banjo is transferring from Syracuse to Marshall to be closer to his ailing grandmother. He will be eligible to play immediately.

Michigan State senior Dru Gaffney is using the graduate transfer rule to stick around in the college ranks for one more season. HE will enroll at Cincinnati and should replace Clifford Martin as the team’s starting point guard.

Markus Jefferson may have graduated from Duke this past season, but the family tradition continues in Durham. Markus’s brother Malik, and small forward, sat out this past season after transferring from Rutgers. He will have three years of eligibility remaining. Also in the fold now is Mikal Jefferson, a freshman who will be Dannorriss Perry’s primary backup at the PG spot.

C Barkley Weatherspoon will be eligible to play at Indiana this season after transferring from Louisiana Tech. He should for a formidable tag team in the post with budding star Malcom Porter in Bloomington.

West Virginia transfer Kevon Clinton will join UNC castoff Vincent Alexander at Charlotte this season. Both were former top 25 recruits. Alexander played in 21 games last year, as a nagging wrist injusry kept him out for a third of the season.

Duke forward Genesis Tatum has packed his bags and headed for Spokane, WA. Tatum will enroll at Gonzaga and will three years of eligibility remaining after he sits out a year.

[MarvellousOne]

I really love the depth that has been put into your draft classes. Keep up the good work! Can't wait until DC3 is out!

[fnz21]

Quote: Originally Posted by MarvellousOne

I really love the depth that has been put into your draft classes. Keep up the good work! Can't wait until DC3 is out!

They should be out later today!

I'm getting anxious to actually get to play my MyLeague with these. I'm still in my first season (with at least one Real Class, can't decide if I'm going to go with a second real class or not).

So hopefully these should be out in a few hours, then the work begins on class 4.

[fnz21]

Draft Class 3 Overview
POINT GUARDS
TIER 1
Marshawn Williams – Duke – Fr.
Trevor McCalebb – Tennessee – So.
Laron Williams – Wake Forest – Fr.
Clifford Martin – Cincinnati – So.

Marshawn Williams is the star of this point guard class, and projects to be a franchise-changing addition to any team. McCalebb draws comparisons to Steph Curry.

TIER 2
Raheem Douglas – Valparaiso – Sr.
Jabbar Chambers – Louisiana Tech – Sr.
Vladmir Stojic – Lithuania

Douglas and Chambers were great floor leaders at smaller schools. Stojic is a gifted passer.
TIER 3
Isaiah Burton – Purdue – Sr.
Kamarr Webb – Kansas – Fr.
Darryl Jones – Virginia – Sr.

Webb could have used another year at Kansas. Burton is older than most of the draftees after transferring from Miami (OH). Jones is a good shooter.

TIER 4
Melville Goulet - France
Phillip Barth - Germany
Wilson Lacy – Louisville – Sr.
Stefan Thurman – UNLV – Sr.
Jeffrey Briggs – Texas Tech – Sr.
Rico Moore – Arizona – So.

This draft is not big on international guards, because there weren’t many good ones coming over to the NBA, Goulet and Barth are pretty much it. Rico Moore got some really bad advice from his agent and should have returned to school.

SHOOTING GUARDS
TIER 1
Rydell Dawson – California – Jr.
Montrell Baker – Cincinnati – Sr.
Ben Turner – Ohio State – So.

All 3 of these guards are dynamic scorers who can shoot and get to the rim.

TIER 2
Richard Ziri – Arkansas – Sr.
Qa’Rraan King – North Carolina – Jr.
Markus Jefferson – Duke – Sr.
Trevor Bell – Penn State – Jr.

Ziri and King could use some added weight over the next half of a year. Bell is a great defender.

TIER 3
Jordan Jackson – DePaul – Sr.
Stephen Castellanos – Ohio State – Sr.
Brice Holcomb – Kentucky – Sr.
Roderick Warner – Alabama – Sr.
Cameron Mitchell – Indian Hills CC – So.

Castellanos is a great shooter, Warner is a solid defender. Mitchell is older than his “Sophomore” label suggests.

TIER 4
Alex Williams – St. Joseph’s – So.
Marcus Washington – Mississippi State – So.
Dugan St. Clair – Syracuse – Sr.
Solomon Sanders – Central Florida – Sr.
Kory Kyle – Louisiana Tech – Sr.
Martin Russell – Creighton – Sr.
Malik Daley – Iona – Sr.

St. Clair, Sanders, and Kyle are one-dimensional three point shooters.

SMALL FORWARDS
TIER 1
Joe Sherrill – Central Florida – Jr.
Justin Lucas – Georgia Tech – Fr.
Michael Pittman – Syracuse – Jr.

Pittman and Lucas are nothing to scoff at, but its Joe Sherrill and then everyone else, in this entire draft class.

TIER 2
Derek Stewart – Purdue – Sr.
Ramon Cruz – Puerto Rico
Nathaniel Augustine – UCLA – Jr.
Duncan Atkinson – Arkansas – Sr.
Mario Mendez - Mexico

Stewart was an All-American and is the best Tier 2 players in the draft. Some GMs believe Augustine is the sleeper of the draft.

TIER 3
Wendell Lalugba – Princeton – Sr.
Jakob Del Rosario – North Carolina – Sr.
Reggie Parada – Jackson State – Sr.

Parada and Lalugba were small school stars, and Del Rosario didn’t start until his senior year. All three have the skills to get drafted, however.

TIER 4
Dexter Marshall – Texas – Sr.
Adam Martinez – Yale – Sr.
Michael Moss – Florida – Sr.
Damien Carson – Arizona State – Sr.

Carson is a great dunker, but no real other skills stand out enough to get these four great looks to get drafted.

POWER FORWARDS
TIER 1
Lou Gaines – UCLA – So.
Dominique Morales – Ohio State – Sr.
Tahj Bailey – Kentucky – So.

Bailey shocked everyone by staying school last year, yet it didn’t really effect his draft stock. Morales is a gifted overall basketball talent. Gaines is viewed as the 3rd best prospect overall in this class.

TIER 2
Jarryd Simon – Arizona – Fr.
Rakim Stanley – Louisiana-Lafayette – Sr.
Matthew Mulligan – Michigan State – Jr.

Simon is the younger brother of Julio Simon (out of UTEP) who declared last year. He has terrific defensive instincts but needs to add some weight. Stanley is a great offensive rebounder.

TIER 3
Christian Anderson – UCLA – Sr.
Malcom Blalock – Michigan – Sr.
Kendall Childress – Texas – Sr.
Parker Samson – Oklahoma – Jr.
Andre’ Dailey – Georgia Tech – Sr.
Nikola Janasauskas – Central Florida – Sr.

Anderson was a center in college, but will move over to the 4 spot in the NBA. Childress reminds scouts of Jason Maxiell: what he lacks in height he makes up for in wingspan and rebound instincts. Janasauskas is a great shooter.

TIER 4
Wilson Randall – North Carolina – Sr.
DeAndre Richardson – Valparaiso – Sr.
Armando Childress – Purdue – Sr.
Lavelle Wagner – Missouri – Sr.
Ramon Acevedo – Miami (FL) – Sr.

Acevedo is a big body, but a gifted passer. Richardson is a forward trapped in a guard’s body. Scouts love his nose for the ball, but have no idea how he’ll fit in an NBA lineup.

CENTERS
TIER 1
Courtland Cambridge – Valparaiso – Sr.

Center is the weakest part of this draft and Cambridge is most complete of those draft-eligible.

TIER 2
Alonzo Sullivan – Florida State – Fr.
Marco Jackson – Kansas – So.
Tariq Stockwell – Kent State – Sr.

Sullivan is great shot-blocker, but many fell Jackson projects as the best center in this class.

TIER 3
Bradford Atkins – Wake Forest – Fr.
Roosevelt Carney – Minnesota – So.
Randall Madison – Syracuse – Sr.
La’Ryan Brazelton – Purdue – Sr.

Carney is a big body in the post. Brazelton has great shot-blocking ability.

TIER 4
Eric Milton – George Mason – Sr.
Ryan Evans – Notre Dame – Sr.
Jose Guzman – Spain
Arnold Forte – Memphis – Jr.
Janko Bagaric – Croatia

Guzman draws comparisons to Boris Diaw, and is a great passer. Janko Bagaric stands 7’2” and has an even bigger wingspan. He’s a liability offensively, but would be a top shot-blocker immediately.

[fnz21]

Draft Class 3 is now live!


DC 3: fnz21 Ficitonal Draft 3v1 (OS)

[SwaggerCoach]

Downloading class 3 now

[janmagn]

How did you decide the colleges?