With the NBA draft concluded, college basketball can now look forward to next season. Many players who submitted their names for the NBA draft withdrew before the June 21st deadline and are returning to college for the 2005-06 season. The players who stayed in the draft and those returning to school can drastically alter the landscape for the following season.
Past entrants who have returned to school after submitting their name for the draft include Jason Gardner of Arizona and Chris Thomas of Notre Dame. Gardner helped lead his team to the Elite Eight as a senior after entering and then withdrawing from the draft as a sophomore.
The early entry candidates and the players who decided to return to school all will have a major impact on which teams will march into Indianapolis and which will fade into the pack and possibly become bubble teams.
It took Roy Williams 17 years as a college basketball coach to finally grab the elusive title. His 18th, however, will be one of his most trying. No one was more impacted by early entry candidates than Williams' North Carolina Tar Heels. The second pick in the NBA draft, Marvin Williams, the NCAA's most outstanding player, Scott May, Rashad McCants, and point guard Raymond Felton all gave up eligibility in Chapel Hill. The former Heels comprised four of the top 14 picks in the 2005 draft. Williams will face a rebuilding job in 2006.
Not much is left in Williams' cupboard. David Noel is the only player with significant experience returning next season. The dream season of 2005 will be next to impossible to duplicate in 2006.
Illinois enjoyed its best season ever in 2005. They made only their third Final Four appearance in school history and played in the national championship game for the first time. The Illini completed the season a school record 38-2. After three years in Champaign, the junior class might be regarded as the best in school history. James Augustine, Dee Brown, and Deron Williams have all been three-year starters. Brown and Williams, along with Luther Head, were the catalysts behind the Illini's high-octane perimeter attack.
While Brown provided the slash and sizzle, Williams was quietly the team leader both on and off the court. Williams has two Big 10 titles and two Big 10 tournament championships After three stellar seasons in Champaign and not much left to accomplish individually, Williams will take his game to the Wasatch Mountains next season and suit up for the Utah Jazz. Williams was picked third overall in the draft by the Jazz. Brown had to withdraw his name from the draft after being breaking his foot in the tryout camp in Chicago.
Augustine was the workhorse down low for Illinois and was often the Illini's only legitimate big man. He will return for his senior season and figures to become more of a focal point for the Illini on the offensive end in 206. To improve his draft status, Augustine has a lot to work on. He will have to improve his footwork in the halfcourt, his strength, and scoring ability. Channing Frye destroyed the Illini front line in the regional final with 26 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 blocks. Brown will also have to improve his strength, as well as his shooting percentage.
With Augustine and Brown returning, the Illini will have great senior leadership next season. But the losses appear to be too great for Illinois to be among the national title contenders again.
After failing to close out Illinois and missing a potential game-winning shot in overtime, Hassan Adams' return has Arizona primed to stay among the nation's elite teams in 2006. With the losses of seniors Salim Stoudamire and Channing Frye, seniors-to-be Adams and Chris Rodgers and junior Mustafa Shakur will be counted on as the team leaders this coming season.
Jawaan McClellan is being touted as Lute Olsen's next star guard. The 6-5 Texan averaged 7 points per game during the Wildcats' run to the Elite Eight and will challenge Rogers for a spot in the starting lineup.
Kirk Walters and Ivan Radenovich will battle for minutes up front. Walters backed up both Frye and Radenovich last season. If Radenovich improves as much as a junior as he did as a sophomore, then the 'Cats will have a solid inside-outside scorer in the post. Other names to watch are swingman sophomores, swingman Jesus Verdejo, and voracious rebounder Mohammed Tangara. Lute Olson calls Tangara the best rebounder he has had in 20 years. A stellar recruiting class with swingman Marcus Williams, point guard J.P. Prince, and power forward Fendi Onobun will position the Wildcats as a possible national title contender again in 2006.
A year after a national championship, Connecticut reloaded. Charlie Villanueva, Josh Boone, Marcus Williams, and Rudy Gay all assumed prominent roles for the Huskies. Only Villanueva decided to ride that success to the NBA. Boone was able to learn from Emeka Okafor as a freshman and is poised to become one of the nation's most dominant big men in 2006. Williams led the Big East in assists in 2005 and Gay was UConn's leading scorer. Talent-wise, this might be Jim Calhoun's best team. Add in redshirt freshman A.J. Price and the Huskies are likely to open the season No. 1 in the nation.
Stanford fans breathed a sigh of relief when star point guard Chris Hernandez decided to return to the farm after originally entering his name into the draft. The Cardinal had already lost seniors Rob Little and Chris Robinson. Hernandez's return is a huge lift for Trent Johnson and company. Center Matt Haryasz (12.5 ppg, 9.1 rpg) and forward Dan Grunfeld (17.9 ppg) will complement Hernandez as the Cardinal seek to challenge Arizona and Washington for Pac-10 supremacy. After not being invited to the NBA pre-draft camp, Hernandez has work to do. He has to prove he can stay healthy, improve his field goal percentage, and cut down on his turnovers. The Cardinal also are hopeful that Grunfeld can return to his old form after a torn ACL in 2005.
Once known as strictly a football school, Billy Donovan has turned the Florida basketball program into on of the elite teams in the SEC. Despite the loss of big man David Lee, many were excited in Gainesville for the 2006 season. The excitement was dealt a double dose of reality with the early departures of Matt Walsh and Anthony Roberson. Both went undrafted. Walsh has since signed a non-guaranteed two-year contract with Miami. Walsh was an excellent three-point shooter and Roberson ran Donovan's fast-paced offense. Sophomores-to-be Al Horford, Corey Brewer, and Lee Humphrey will be counted on to step up.
Lorenzo Romar has built Washington into a national force in just four seasons in Seattle. The Huskies earned their first number one seed ever, captured the Pac-10 tournament title, and was the Pac-10 regular season runner-up. Expectations are now as high in Seattle as they were for the football team during the '80s and early-'90s. In addition to the loss of senior Tre' Simmons, Nate Robinson entered the NBA a year early and incoming freshman Martell Webster decided to forego college altogether.
After being part of a great perimeter attack the past three seasons, Brandon Roy will now be asked to step up his game and become the team leader. Bobby Jones played a big role in Washington's success the past two years and should shoulder much of the load with Roy. Sophomore-to-be Joel Smith, seniors to be Jamaal Williams and Mike Jensen, and incoming freshman Jon Brockman should solidify the front line. Despite the loses, Washington should still be among the best in the west in 2006.
No one might have been bolstered more than Duke by the return of possible early entry candidates. Shelden Williams and J.J. Reddick were both probable first-round picks. That the duo decided to return to Duke to get an elusive title in their Duke tenure says a lot about their loyalty and dedication. The Blue Devils did lose backup C-F Shavlik Randolph a year early to the NBA. Randolph was highly-touted entering Durham, but never lived up to his potential. The Blue Devils will easily replace Randolph with incoming freshman center Josh McRoberts. Seven years after playing for a national championship, Duke and UConn continue to be national title favorites.
Kentucky's losses to the NBA might be the most puzzling. Kelenna Azubuike migrated to the NBA a year early to help his father pay for legal expenses and Randolph Morris left after one year in Lexington. Morris needs to bulk up and polish his offensive game before being able to compete at the NBA level. Both former Wildcats went undrafted. Morris has petitioned the NCAA for reinstatement and might regain eligibility by repaying draft expenses and serving a suspension. Kentucky still figures to be among the SEC's elite teams with the return of guards Rajon Rando and Patrick Sparks.
Karl Hobbs has done an outstanding job to get George Washington back among the top team in Atlantic 10. After winning the West division and tournament title a lot was expected from the Colonials in 2006. GW fans were crushed when star forwards Mike Hall and Pops Mensa-Bonsu decided to enter their names in the NBA draft. Their decision to return has the Colonials on many preseason top-25 lists. With Mensa-Bonsu and Hall returning, Hobbs has the potential to get GW to its first Sweet 16 since Mike Jarvis led Yinka Dare and company to the NCAA's third round in 1993.
Their miracle run to the Elite Eight in 2005 was the deepest West Virginia had advanced into to the NCAA tournament since Jerry West led the Mountaineers to the Final Four in 1959. Leading the way was sharp-shooting center-forward Kevin Pittsnogle. After his stellar performance, Pittsnogle decided to return to school after originally declaring for the draft. The Mountaineer will have to improve his ball handling and defense before becoming ready to compete in the NBA.
The Chris Paul era at Wake Forest was a definite hit in Winston-Salem. Under Paul, the Demon Deacons advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2004 and earned a No. 1 seed in this year's tournament. After being upset in the second round in 2005, many Wake fans were hopeful that Paul would return to try and take the Deacons to their first Final Four since 1962. His draft status and the NBA riches were just too much to pass up. Paul was picked fourth in the draft by the New Orleans Hornets.
Losing Paul was a huge hit, but when big center Eric Williams decided to throw his name into the draft, many Demon Deacon observers were resigned to a tough season in 2006. After realizing he wouldn't be a first round pick, Williams withdrew his name from the draft and Deacon nation breathed a sigh of relief. With Williams and Justin Gray both returning, Wake should still be in the tournament, but in the middle of the ACC pack.
In the past, college basketball was all about recruiting and what you did in March. The late spring has now become about re-recruiting your own players for the big schools. Who enters their name into the NBA draft, who withdraws, and which players return or leave can have an impact on the college basketball landscape for the following two to three years.
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