Post by aar on Nov 24, 2008 1:59:53 GMT -5
THE TOP FBB PROSPECTS IN 2015
1) Nathaniel Davidson PG 6'2'' 208 18 C B- A- B- C A
Davidson is a dual sport athlete who was an All-American quarterback in high school, but after many scouts said that he was too soft for the collegiate football ranks, he decided to play basketball where he has dominated his freshman year. Davidson is also an Academic All-American, skipping a year of high school in the process and will be draft-eligible at age 18.
The biggest knock on Davidson is that he doesn’t use his size to his advantage. He has Baron Davis’s body with Steve Blake’s mentality. He likes to defer to his teammates, which is never a bad thing and at his age, scouts absolutely love his upside. He doesn’t drive to the hoop, but is an improving shooter who sees the floor better than most professional point guards.
2) Alfonso Robinson C 6'11'' 271 21 B+ D C- B- B- B
Known by his teammates as “The Fonz” for his fun-loving attitude off the court and his cool, collected nature on the court. Robinson’s demeanor is reminiscent of Michael Beasley’s. People question how passionate he is about the game, but are just wowed by his skills.
His upside is questionable due to how easy the game comes to him and it is up to him how much work he puts towards improving. He absolutely dominates opponents with his size and strength in the post and will average double-digits for his entire career.
In terms of his abilities, he is a solid post defender and uses his strength to outmuscle his opponents for rebounds. He doesn’t care to improve his shooting and understands his strength is to beat up on opposing players in the paint. He is relatively fast for someone of his stature, but is often sloppy with the ball and his post moves have become predictable.
With Robinson, you know what you are getting. He has a ton of natural skill and great size.
3) Nate Terry PG 6'1'' 191 22 B C B+ B D B
Similar to Nathaniel Davidson, Nate Terry is a dual-athlete, but he was known for playing the running back position. Terry fears nobody and drives to the hoop at will. He is exceptionally fast and plays with the heart of a lion. He loves to interrupt passing lanes for steals and is impossible to catch in the open court.
Terry’s downside is his horrid shooting ability and he is also somewhat carefree off the dribble, which will not translate well in the pro game. He also shows no desire to grab rebounds, despite his fantastic athleticism.
4) Ernest Panariello SF 6'7'' 238 20 B- B- D+ B- C- A
Panariello is an up-and-comer in the collegiate ranks who has shown enough skill to make him a lock for the draft. His upside is unquestionable and his offensive skills, while raw, often allow him to take over games.
However, Panariello has his share of issues as a player.
He isn’t very fast, has very poor vision and does not use his size to attack the boards. Panariello is a two-way player who works hard on offense and defense, but his athleticism is exceptionally underwhelming. In order to succeed on the pro level, he is going to have to overcome this wealth of weaknesses.
5) Bryan Guyton SF 6'8'' 224 19 C+ C+ C- C+ C- A
Guyton oozes potential and coaches loved watching him drive to the basket as a freshman. Guyton will be a pro-calibre small forward who could either be an all-star if he taps his well of potential or be a career free agent after his rookie deal expires.
All of Guyton’s teammates say that he works really hard behind the scenes and will not allow failure to be an option, but his coaches are quite disappointed that he is leaving after his freshman year because they feel that he could use another year or two in college before becoming a success on the collegiate level. They know that he will be riding the pine for the first few years in the pros and feel that getting playing time would be incredibly valuable for his progress.
6) Pete Walker C 7'1'' 241 22 B- C+ D+ B+ B- B
Walker is the type of do-it-all player that coaches love. He can hit the outside jumper with regularity, take it strong inside, locks down on defense in the post and grabs boards with ease.
Walker was the consummate college center who got better and better each year. Coming out of Roanoke, Virginia as a white string bean freshman, he added mass and worked hard on his game to get it to where it is right now.
The problem is that with the incredible amount of big white stiffs that the college ranks have produced, many GMs are going to waver about whether to take him or not. At age 22, he isn’t a very attractive prospect. Think Tyler Hansbrough, but taller and with less creative post moves. College coaches swear that he will make the jump with ease, but pro scouts aren’t as confident.
7) Hahn Owens SG 6'3'' 203 22 B- B C- C+ C- B
Owens is the typical undersized college shooting guard that hopes to make the move seamlessly to the pro level. His offensive game is refined at the shooting guard position, but it is an impossibility that he has the ability to transition to the point.
Owens is a great three-point shooter and has the agility to drive to the hoop with ease. Don’t let his handling ratings fool you, he is lightning fast and everyone says that he is a Dwyane Wade clone in terms of his collegiate career. He got better and better and was always a huge factor during the tournament.
The big question mark with Owens is his suspect handling, especially since he loves having the ball in his hands, his age and upside and most importantly, his inability to play the point.
8) Braden Issel SG 6'6'' 213 21 A- C+ C C C C
Issel is an athletic freak. He can absolutely jump out of the gym and he will win essentially every dunk contest that he enters because his hang time is absolutely mind boggling. Usually that means that he isn’t good for much else, but Issel is a fierce competitor. He vows that he will not be just a James White, a one-trick pony who dunks. His skill set allows him to stroke his money mid-range shot and drive to the basket with creativity.
Issel isn’t very strong, but he is very quick and is careful with the ball in his hands. He will also grab rebounds and do the dirty work that will make sure that he does not fade away on the pro ranks.
However, coaches have questioned his work ethic and desire to get better. Issel swears to scouts and coaches that he has a lot of room for growth, but insiders say that he is more likely to be seen at the night club than the gym club.
9) Cody English PF 6'9'' 249 22 B+ C C- C+ C F
Cody English is an incredible basketball player, but an absolute headcase. He went to three universities in four years and got kicked out of his most recent one. He then proceeded to hire an agent and declare for the draft. He scheduled some private workouts and absolutely shocked coaches and scouts with his skills.
English has recently attended counseling and anger management as part of his community service and to send a message, continued to attend the meetings on his own dime. English says that he is serious about succeeding, but his career is one giant red flag.
As for his skills, his offensive post game is as polished, if not more polished than Elton Brand’s was when he entered the draft. He can hit mid-range shots easily, is quite fast and is an able defender.
However, English does not work for rebounds and needs to hustle more when it comes to hitting the floor for a loose ball or pulling a rebound out of the sky.
10) Paul Likens PG 6'0'' 189 22 C B- B B- C- B
College coaches say that you know what you are getting with Paul Likens – a fundamentally sound point guard who will be an immediate backup and potentially a future starter.
There is not much more you can say about his game other than what you see is what you get. He moves the ball around, takes care of the ball and has average speed. He can hit the occasional jumper and is tenacious on defense.
He has a lot of room for improvement, but at age 22, is his potential tapped?
1) Nathaniel Davidson PG 6'2'' 208 18 C B- A- B- C A
Davidson is a dual sport athlete who was an All-American quarterback in high school, but after many scouts said that he was too soft for the collegiate football ranks, he decided to play basketball where he has dominated his freshman year. Davidson is also an Academic All-American, skipping a year of high school in the process and will be draft-eligible at age 18.
The biggest knock on Davidson is that he doesn’t use his size to his advantage. He has Baron Davis’s body with Steve Blake’s mentality. He likes to defer to his teammates, which is never a bad thing and at his age, scouts absolutely love his upside. He doesn’t drive to the hoop, but is an improving shooter who sees the floor better than most professional point guards.
2) Alfonso Robinson C 6'11'' 271 21 B+ D C- B- B- B
Known by his teammates as “The Fonz” for his fun-loving attitude off the court and his cool, collected nature on the court. Robinson’s demeanor is reminiscent of Michael Beasley’s. People question how passionate he is about the game, but are just wowed by his skills.
His upside is questionable due to how easy the game comes to him and it is up to him how much work he puts towards improving. He absolutely dominates opponents with his size and strength in the post and will average double-digits for his entire career.
In terms of his abilities, he is a solid post defender and uses his strength to outmuscle his opponents for rebounds. He doesn’t care to improve his shooting and understands his strength is to beat up on opposing players in the paint. He is relatively fast for someone of his stature, but is often sloppy with the ball and his post moves have become predictable.
With Robinson, you know what you are getting. He has a ton of natural skill and great size.
3) Nate Terry PG 6'1'' 191 22 B C B+ B D B
Similar to Nathaniel Davidson, Nate Terry is a dual-athlete, but he was known for playing the running back position. Terry fears nobody and drives to the hoop at will. He is exceptionally fast and plays with the heart of a lion. He loves to interrupt passing lanes for steals and is impossible to catch in the open court.
Terry’s downside is his horrid shooting ability and he is also somewhat carefree off the dribble, which will not translate well in the pro game. He also shows no desire to grab rebounds, despite his fantastic athleticism.
4) Ernest Panariello SF 6'7'' 238 20 B- B- D+ B- C- A
Panariello is an up-and-comer in the collegiate ranks who has shown enough skill to make him a lock for the draft. His upside is unquestionable and his offensive skills, while raw, often allow him to take over games.
However, Panariello has his share of issues as a player.
He isn’t very fast, has very poor vision and does not use his size to attack the boards. Panariello is a two-way player who works hard on offense and defense, but his athleticism is exceptionally underwhelming. In order to succeed on the pro level, he is going to have to overcome this wealth of weaknesses.
5) Bryan Guyton SF 6'8'' 224 19 C+ C+ C- C+ C- A
Guyton oozes potential and coaches loved watching him drive to the basket as a freshman. Guyton will be a pro-calibre small forward who could either be an all-star if he taps his well of potential or be a career free agent after his rookie deal expires.
All of Guyton’s teammates say that he works really hard behind the scenes and will not allow failure to be an option, but his coaches are quite disappointed that he is leaving after his freshman year because they feel that he could use another year or two in college before becoming a success on the collegiate level. They know that he will be riding the pine for the first few years in the pros and feel that getting playing time would be incredibly valuable for his progress.
6) Pete Walker C 7'1'' 241 22 B- C+ D+ B+ B- B
Walker is the type of do-it-all player that coaches love. He can hit the outside jumper with regularity, take it strong inside, locks down on defense in the post and grabs boards with ease.
Walker was the consummate college center who got better and better each year. Coming out of Roanoke, Virginia as a white string bean freshman, he added mass and worked hard on his game to get it to where it is right now.
The problem is that with the incredible amount of big white stiffs that the college ranks have produced, many GMs are going to waver about whether to take him or not. At age 22, he isn’t a very attractive prospect. Think Tyler Hansbrough, but taller and with less creative post moves. College coaches swear that he will make the jump with ease, but pro scouts aren’t as confident.
7) Hahn Owens SG 6'3'' 203 22 B- B C- C+ C- B
Owens is the typical undersized college shooting guard that hopes to make the move seamlessly to the pro level. His offensive game is refined at the shooting guard position, but it is an impossibility that he has the ability to transition to the point.
Owens is a great three-point shooter and has the agility to drive to the hoop with ease. Don’t let his handling ratings fool you, he is lightning fast and everyone says that he is a Dwyane Wade clone in terms of his collegiate career. He got better and better and was always a huge factor during the tournament.
The big question mark with Owens is his suspect handling, especially since he loves having the ball in his hands, his age and upside and most importantly, his inability to play the point.
8) Braden Issel SG 6'6'' 213 21 A- C+ C C C C
Issel is an athletic freak. He can absolutely jump out of the gym and he will win essentially every dunk contest that he enters because his hang time is absolutely mind boggling. Usually that means that he isn’t good for much else, but Issel is a fierce competitor. He vows that he will not be just a James White, a one-trick pony who dunks. His skill set allows him to stroke his money mid-range shot and drive to the basket with creativity.
Issel isn’t very strong, but he is very quick and is careful with the ball in his hands. He will also grab rebounds and do the dirty work that will make sure that he does not fade away on the pro ranks.
However, coaches have questioned his work ethic and desire to get better. Issel swears to scouts and coaches that he has a lot of room for growth, but insiders say that he is more likely to be seen at the night club than the gym club.
9) Cody English PF 6'9'' 249 22 B+ C C- C+ C F
Cody English is an incredible basketball player, but an absolute headcase. He went to three universities in four years and got kicked out of his most recent one. He then proceeded to hire an agent and declare for the draft. He scheduled some private workouts and absolutely shocked coaches and scouts with his skills.
English has recently attended counseling and anger management as part of his community service and to send a message, continued to attend the meetings on his own dime. English says that he is serious about succeeding, but his career is one giant red flag.
As for his skills, his offensive post game is as polished, if not more polished than Elton Brand’s was when he entered the draft. He can hit mid-range shots easily, is quite fast and is an able defender.
However, English does not work for rebounds and needs to hustle more when it comes to hitting the floor for a loose ball or pulling a rebound out of the sky.
10) Paul Likens PG 6'0'' 189 22 C B- B B- C- B
College coaches say that you know what you are getting with Paul Likens – a fundamentally sound point guard who will be an immediate backup and potentially a future starter.
There is not much more you can say about his game other than what you see is what you get. He moves the ball around, takes care of the ball and has average speed. He can hit the occasional jumper and is tenacious on defense.
He has a lot of room for improvement, but at age 22, is his potential tapped?
