nic wise

Pac-10 Basketball: Top 25 Players

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:22:04 -0800

Ranking players is more art then science. How do you compare the potential of freshmen with seniors who have already peaked? How much does physical talent come into play versus intangibles and experience? How big a role do numbers play? All of these questions make lists like this fun and debatable.. if you disagree with CHN's rankings, post what you think below.

PG
1. Jerome Randle - Cal
2. Nic Wise - Arizona
3. Abdul Gaddy - Washington
4. Malcolm Lee - UCLA
5. Derek Glasser - Arizona State

SG
1. Patrick Christopher - Cal
2. Isaiah Thomas - Washington
3. Dwight Lewis - USC
4. Tajuan Porter - Oregon
5. Calvin Haynes - Oregon State

- Impressive that Cal owns the two top spots here, but Washington's backcourt is no joke either. Shooting guard in the Pac-10 is a bit weak compared to the other BCS leagues, even with Thomas included, even though he could have been listed as a PG.

PAC-10

SF
1. Klay Thompson - Washington St
2. Quincy Pondexter - Washington
3. Theo Robertson - Cal
4. Landry Fields - Stanford
5. Rihards Kuksiks - Arizona State

PF
1. Nikola Dragovic - UCLA
2. Tyler Honeycutt - UCLA
3. Matthew Bryan-Amaning - Washington
4. Alex Stepheson - USC
5. Leonard Washington - USC
C
1. Roeland Schaftenaar - Oregon State
2. Drew Gordon - UCLA
3. Kyryl Natyazhko - Arizona
4. Michael Dunigan - Oregon
5. DeAngelo Castro - Washington State

- The frontcourt talent just doesn't come close to matching the other power-conferences. In fact, most of the PF's and C's were secondary players for their teams last year, or are unproven.

College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews

Arizona Basketball Preview: #56

Joel Welser — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 07:28:39 -0700

Overall Rank: #56

Conference Rank: #5 Pacific 10

2008-09: 21-14, 9-9

2008-09 postseason: NCAA

Coach: Sean Miller (First year at Arizona, 120-47 overall)

The turmoil at Arizona appears to be over with the hiring of Coach Sean Miller. Even though the Wildcats reached the NCAA Tournament last year, it was still a tough year marred with inconsistency. With Coach Miller on the sidelines, who had taken Xavier to four straight NCAA Tournaments, the questions have seemed to be answered for now.

Key Losses: F Chase Budinger, F Jordan Hill, F Zane Johnson

Key Newcomers:

With some stability on the sidelines, the Wildcats were finally able to get the type of recruiting class that they have become accustomed to getting. Small forwards Solomon Hill and Kevin Parrom are two of the best in the nation and they should do a decent job of easing the loss of Chase Budinger. Add shooting guard Lamont Jones to the mix and Arizona has some talent to work with on the wings. Depth up front has been improved thanks to Derrick Williams and Kyryl Natyazhko. Natyazhko, a 6-10, 250 pound Ukrainian, has the size and strength to play a significant role on this team right away.

Backcourt:

Fortunately, the Wildcats have a couple scoring options returning and one of them is the dynamic Nic Wise. The 5-10 senior averaged 15.7 points per game last year and he may be asked to score even more now that Jordan Hill and Budinger, the team’s top scorers a year ago, are gone. Wise is a very consistent outside shooter, but he is also aggressive with the ball and will finish around the basket even against much bigger defenders. But Wise is not just a scorer, he is also the point guard. He dished out 4.6 assists per game last year and the Wildcats will need him to find some new scorers and emerge as the team’s unquestioned leader on the floor.

Frontcourt:

Replacing Hill in the frontcourt will be a big problem as he averaged 18.3 points and 11.0 rebounds. Jamelle Horne is back after tallying 6.8 points and 5.1 rebounds last year and he will be expected to put up much better numbers without Hill on the floor. However, Horne is not a typical big man who is going to block shots and eat up space in the paint. His outside shooting ability will be a plus, but Arizona has to find a big man who can consistently score under the basket. Alex Jacobson could be that guy, but he only averaged 6.9 minutes per game as a freshman. He has the skills to emerge as a force under the basket, but he will be pushed by Natyazhko.

Who to Watch:

It is on the wings where this team lacks proven firepower. Kyle Fogg started 27 games last year, but left most of the perimeter scoring to Wise and Budinger. Nobody expects Fogg to score 18.0 points per game like Budinger did last year, but if he could provide another long range shooting threat to the team it would be very beneficial. Garland Judkins and redshirt freshman D.J. Shumpert will battle with the newcomers for minutes on the wings and will be forced to play some minutes off the bench.

Final Projection:

Thanks to the return of Wise, this could be a surprisingly good team. Arizona will go as far as Wise can take them, but he needs help from the newcomers and some of the younger players like Jacobson. If this turns into a team that has to rely on Wise and Horne every single game, there will be disappointment and nothing is more disappointing to the Wildcats than a trip to the NIT.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NIT

Projected Starting Five:

Nic Wise, Senior, Guard, 15.7 points per game

Kyle Fogg, Sophomore, Guard, 6.1 points per game

Solomon Hill, Freshman, Forward, DNP last season

Jamelle Horne, Junior, Forward, 6.8 points per game

Alex Jacobson, Sophomore, Center, 1.0 points per game

Next Top 144 Teams
58		59		60		61

College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews

NBA Draft: Questionable & Bad Decisions

Jason Brubaker — Tue, 12 May 2009 07:53:23 -0700

2009 NBA DRAFT: NBA Team Needs/Capsules - NBA Mock Draft - Top 100 Prospects

Draft Decisions: Good, Bad and Everything In-Between

Part Two

The deadline for underclassmen to declare for the Draft has long passed, but the fun part is just beginning. Those who haven’t signed with an agent are eligible to return to school, while others are already picking out their suits for Draft Night. Patrick Patterson is the first big name who entered the Draft but has returned to school. As is usually the case, the list of remaining underclassmen includes some…how should I put this…interesting names. How many people watched Texas A&M this year and thought Chinemelu Elonu was a future NBA player? Or that two players from DePaul, who went 0-18 in the Big East, would feel they were NBA-ready?

>> Return to Part One: Good Decisions

Questionable Decisions

• Paul Harris/Eric Devendorf, Syracuse. Both are talented players who helped the Orange make memorable runs through the Big East and NCAA Tourney. However, neither projects well at the next level. Devendorf is an undersize shooting guard with average athleticism, and he brings little else to the table besides scoring. Harris is an undersized power forward with very little perimeter game, and his inconsistency drove Syracuse coaches crazy. Both players will likely end up playing professionally somewhere, just not in the NBA.

• Nick Calathes, Florida. Calathes did a little of everything for the Gators this year, but he still has never played in an NCAA Tournament game. He has a great feel for the game, but his average athleticism and so-so team results hurt his stock. Some team could take a chance on him late in the first round, but he’d be much better served going back to school and trying to prove he can lead a winning team.

• Jrue Holiday, UCLA. Holiday arrived with plenty of fanfare, but did little to prove he was worthy of it. Despite having a terrific skill set, Holiday would sometimes seem invisible on the floor, never displaying the aggressive nature he should have. He could still impress scouts enough in workouts to climb into the middle of the first round, but he would be drastically help his stock by going back to campus to prove he can lead a team.

• DaJuan Summers, Georgetown. Summers has NBA skills, but declaring after a sub-par year is a little puzzling. Summers didn’t make the expected jump to team leader that many thought he would, and the Hoyas badly underachieved, missing the NCAA Tournament. Summers hired an agent meaning he can’t go back to school, but he could have helped his stock by going back. He has a chance to sneak into the late first round, but it’s still a questionable decision.

Bad Decisions

• Brandon Costner, NC State. Costner has an intriguing combination of size and ability, but he very rarely showed it. Costner disappeared in too many games, earned a reputation for being soft and unwilling to work, and never developed after a solid freshman year. NBA GMs will take chances on players with size, but even Costner might be too big of a risk, given his attitude and inconsistent play. Look for him to go undrafted, and his chances of playing professionally overseas don’t look to be overly promising either, given his attitude concerns.

• Ater Majok, UConn. Remember that game this year, when Majok led the Huskies to victory with a terrific double-double effort? Yeah, me neither. That’s because this guy didn’t even play this year, yet somehow he feels he should explore the NBA. In all likelihood, Majok will end up returning to school, although his name has been mentioned in the recruiting allegations leveled against the Huskies in March. But with players only having one time when they can “test the waters”, Majok is making a mistake by using his now, rather than waiting until after a year in which he..you know…actually played in a game and showed some skills.

• Austin Daye, Gonzaga. Daye entered the season with people mentioning his name as a potential lottery pick, with comparisons to Kevin Durant not out of the question. He ended the season as a cautionary tale of desire and attitude overshadowing talent. Daye has a ton of skill, but he disappears too often during games, and is unwilling to bang in the post. He also showed a less than stellar on-court attitude throughout the season, arguing calls and hanging his head when things didn’t go his way. For a guy with his talent, it’s very concerning to see him have little to no impact on games. Daye could still impress during workouts, but he’s not exactly striking while the iron is hot, and NBA teams are very weary of underachievers, no matter their potential.

• Nic Wise, Arizona. It’s hard to blame Wise for entering his name and trying to escape the drama he’s endured, but unlike teammates Hill and Budinger, Wise’s NBA potential is very limited. He’s undersized and not a terrific defender. He’s more of a scoring point guard than a pure point guard, and he’s prone to making very questionable decisions on the court. I don’t blame Wise for wanting to find a way out of Tucson, but I don’t see him even getting a sniff from NBA teams, and he needs to return to school.

• Dominique Archie/Devan Downey, South Carolina. Yes, the Gamecocks were a pleasant surprise this year, just missing out on the NCAA Tournament under first-year Coach Darrin Horn. Yes, Downey was their best player, and Archie a consistent contributor. But are they really NBA-ready? Both players have severe shortcomings that worry scouts, and neither is anywhere close to ready to contribute to an NBA team. If they stay in, neither will hear their name called.

• Gary Flowers, Chipola JC/D’Mond Grismore, Houston-Tillotson/Kevin Harris, Northwest Mississippi CC/James Lewis, Fresno Pacific/Dior Lowhorn, San Francisco/Ronald Ogoke, Paul Quinn College/Malcolm Thomas, San Diego City College/Martez Walker, Riverside CC. Come on guys…really?

>> Return to Part One: Good Decisions

2009 NBA DRAFT: NBA Team Needs/Capsules - NBA Mock Draft - Top 100 Prospects