Big East NBA Prospects

Cincy:

Yancy Gates- Big bodied 6’9 265 lb post man at the PF spot…Has a (pretty inconsistent) jumper with range to the college 3…Good turnaround jumper down low…At his best, he can mix power and finesse moves down low…Shaky rebounder for his size…Can disappear for stretches of games… Gets out of shape…2nd round type of prospect until he gets more productive

UConn:

Jeremy Lamb- Thin 6’5 185 Soph. SG/SF…Late bloomer…Monster wingspan (supposedly 7’2)…Pretty good talent on offense…Decent handle and mid-range game…Nice athleticism…Nice rebounder for a wing his size, especially offensively…Can play in transition…Loves to get in the passing lanes…Pretty weak…Needs more polish in his game…Will he produce the season expected with defenses not keying on Walker?…Getting alot of hype this off-season

Shabazz Napier- Long-term prospect as a 6’0 PG…Very quick…Developing into a saavy playmaker…Not selfish…Sticky on-ball defender…Poised for a guard his age…Needs to improve his jump shot…Not very strong…Not a true scorer

Alex Oriakhi- Rugged 6’9 PF who isn’t a talented scorer or offensive player…Good rebounder and post defender…Nice length and athleticism…High motor…Has to be set up around the rim to score…Role player potential

Louisville:

Peyton Siva- Love this 6’1 PG’s talent…Very nice shot…Great athlete with a flashy game fans love…Makes truly dazzling slashes and finishes at the rim…Good handles and passing skills…TO prone with shaky decision-making skills…Sometimes gets tunnel vision looking for his shots…Risky defender, which kept him off the floor at times

Wayne Blackshear- A physically gifted 6’5 SG with nice length…Looks like an NBA SG already…Very nice athlete…Good shot…Unselfish passer…Willing defender…Should improve his handle

Marquette:

Darius Johnson-Odom- Strong 6’2 guard with a nice left-handed shooting stroke..Good athlete…Defends like you’d expect a Marquette guy to…Not a PG…Has mediocre handles for a guy his size…He’s a 2012 or 2013 guy

Vander Blue- Very athletic guard with high-level defensive skills…6’3 without much PG skills…Can slash to the rim…Needs to improve shot..Seems like a 3 or 4 year guy

Jamail Jones- SLEEPER…Great athlete with an NBA body already (6’6 200)…Decent shooter…Can slash to the rim in straight-lines…Plays strong D…Needs to improve his handle…You heard it here 1st, he will be a highly-discussed 2012 or 2013 prospect

Jae Crowder- 6’6 230 combo forward with interesting skills…Has the grittiness and toughness down low of a big, and the shooting touch and size of a wing…Competes on the glass…Can stretch the D if you leave him free on the wing…Strong…Can defend all 3 frontcourt spots at the college level…Can be shot over by tall bigs…Has the obvious questions about a 6’6 PF, especially since he appears to only have average length

Pitt:

Ashton Gibbs- Jump shot is cash…Really can get his shots of in different ways with his lightning quick release…More than a spot-up guy…Makes no mistakes from the free throw stripe…Your man in the clutch…Supreme confidence…Should be a darkhorse All-American pick once again…At 6’2 he’s a combo guard which limits his NBA upside..Not a very good ball-handler or athlete…Or slasher…Decent on D in college, but limited potential on that end

Dante Taylor- Athletic and raw PF with upside…6’8 245 whose big frame has developed a good bit since he 1^st arrived in college…Has developing face-up and post skills, but both are a bit erratic at times…Seems lazy…Chris Taft 2.0?

Talib Zanna- 6’8 240 PF…Solid athlete…Has a strong build…Flashes a mid-range shot…Plays hard and competes…Runs the floor…Vocal and smart defender…Works hard on the glass…Not going to create offense…Should scale back on the fouls…Hasn’t put it together yet, but he does have the tools to get looks

Khem Birch- Athletic and long 6’9 PF with a very skinny frame…Quick leaper…Runs the floor well…Shot-blocker…Will be a weapon on D as a pick and roll defender…As good an offensive rebounder as there was in the 2011 class…Underdeveloped skill level…Extremely weak and narrow…Will struggle in the physical Big East with his lack of strength…Needs alot of time in the weight room and should put on alot more weight before he’ll contribute much for Pitt…Will probably struggle with fouls, as he hunts for blocks too much…Long term intrigue

Rutgers:

Dane Miller- 6’6 swingman with nice upside…Good athlete with long arms…Decent defender…Decent handles and passing skills…Needs to greatly improve his jump shot and basketball IQ…Long term prospect with some talent

Syracuse:

Kris Joseph- Can handle the ball and has some raw point-forward skills at 6’7….Very good athlete…Long frame…Excellent defensive and rebounding potential on the wing…Still has a shaky jump shot…Can be TO prone..Floats too much…Plays a bit like a Stacey Augmon

Fab Melo- 7’0 285 lb C with huge defensive presence…Shot-blocker…Has huge potential…Needs polish on both ends…Fouls alot…A bit robotic on offense…Needs time to reach potential…Has got in trouble with the law this off-season

Brandon Triche- At 6’4 has nice size and strength…Can score a little…Will make open shots…OK athlete…Not a PG at all really right now…Very important year for him

Scoop Jardine- Unorthodox 6’1 PG…Very confident…Great at using change of pace moves to set up his drives…Pretty good passing skills…Will step up and score when asked to…Not very quick…Lacks athleticism…Will struggle on D…Doesn’t look like an NBA player, with his chubby, top-heavy build although he has improved his body

Rakeem Christmas- 6’10 230 PF/C prospect with the frame to easily put on 10 lbs…Very long…Big hands…Pretty good athlete with nice fluidity…Runs the floor well…Solid rebounder…A big shot blocking presence…Can beat slower bigs to the rim from the high post…Effective drop step…Not bad passing ability…No real moves right now, and should look to get a jump hook…Not a great low post scorer…Improvable fundamentals on both ends

Michael-Carter Williams- Long, thin 6’5 guard…Aggressive combo guard scorer in the mold of Manny Harris, now of the Cleveland Cavs…Can play both guard spots…Nice handle and plays aggressive…Likes to attack the basket…Can hit the 3-ball and has NBA range…Can be a bit of a ballhog at times…Pretty skinny…Style of play for his size makes it likely that he will struggle to finish at the rim in half-court until he puts on weight…Gambler on D…Attitude concerns?

Villanova:

Maalik Wayns- 6’1 PG prospect with big-time speed and quickness…Built like a running back…Likes to push the ball down the defenses throat…Gets to the rim very well…Likes to look for his own shots on his drives, but will find guys in the drive and dish with creativity at times…Pesky on-ball defender…Not a very good shooter…Struggles to finish around the rim in half-court offense…Doesn’t show more than sporadic flashes of an in-between game…Would be well served to understand how to play at different speeds…Inefficient and wild…Not all that pure a PG…Will shoulder a huge scoring load for Villanova, and could put up a Kemba Walker-esque numbers if he learns how to play at more than 1 speed

Dominik Cheek- A wing shooter with upside and good athleticism at 6’6…Sweet jump shot…Looks the part of a SG prospect with a prototype frame and length…Plays solid D, but can fall asleep…Needs to get stronger and improve his handle to take the next step…

MouphtaouYarou- A 6’10 banger…Has the potential to rebound and defend well down low…Good athlete with great strength..Surprisingly decent mid-range shot when left open…Doesn’t have a high skill-level…A bit foul prone

West Virginia:

Kevin Jones- A mismatch PF who among the most energetic players in all of college basketball…Decent length…Great offensive rebounder…Not a big talent…Makes open jump shots…Poor ball-handler