Sophomore Rankings ReleasedBy: Aran_Smith

NCAA Sophomore
Rankings – Class of 2011

Despite losing a slew of talented players, the cream of the
2011 (sophomore) class (Blake Griffin
and James Harden) still matches
up favorably with the best that the freshman class has to offer (BJ
Mullens and DeMar Derozan).

Gone are Rose, Beasley and Mayo, as well as 7 other extremely
talented members of the class who became first rounders in ’08. But since this
was perhaps the top class ever, the talent level remains extremely high. This
class still might be the best in college basketball.

Blake Griffin‘s combination
of strength and athleticism and package of skills is absolutely unheard of in
a power forward. Aside from obliterating every opponent put in his way in the
post, it is Blake’s passing and ball handling ability that is so remarkable.

Griffin can break the press with his guard like ball handling ability, and his
vision and passing skills allow him to make defenses pay for doubling him.

Word is that had Griffin entered the 2008 draft, he would have remained in Oklahoma
as the soon to be Oklahoma City Thunder would have made him the 4^th
overall pick. By returning to Norman, Blake has become the prohibitive favorite
to go first in the 2009 draft.

Watching James Harden compete
in Dallas (adidas Nation’s camp) against other collegiate players was like watching
a man amongst boys. Whoever decided this guy is not athletic should tune into
a few more Sun Devil games next season. Harden is a borderline freak athlete,
and has a rare ability to make those around him better from the 2-guard position.

Comparing Harden to Derozan is sort of like comparing Manu Ginobili to Vince Carter.
A perennial losing team might prefer the gate attraction (Carter), while a team
such as San Antonio would opt for the player that gives you the best chance to
win (Ginobili) every time. Harden has a Ginobili quality to his game, an
underlying swagger and confidence and will to win.

	James Harden

Most impressive in Dallas was his ability to avoid what looked
like a terrible knee injury. It was the type of play that most players would have
been out for months, but chalk it up to good genes as Harden stayed on the court
and played through the pain. Harden is a likely top 10 pick with a good chance
to crack the top 5.

Speaking of knee injuries, Austin
Daye avoided what had originally been diagnosed as an ACL tear of his knee
playing at the LeBron skills camp. The injury did not require surgery, however
it did slow down some of his development over the summer. Regardless Daye is one
of the most talented wing players in the nation.

Daye has a silky jumper and a freakishly long build, as well as ball handling
and offensive skills to create for himself. Where he must show improvement is
with his strength and athleticism.

Another adidas Nation’s camp standout Gani
Lawal might be a year away from stardom, but his physical development, which
was one of the question marks for him, is extremely encouraging. He appears to
have hit the weightroom hard and looks a legit 230-235 pounds.

Lawal had a few monster dunks over Kansas bigman Aldrich, and appears to have
added some moves around the basket.

Aussie bigman Andrew Ogilvy
is 6-foot-10 and full of muscles. He can run the floor and has nice strength inside
for rebounds and although his game lacks flash, it is highly effective. He was
one of the most productive freshman in the country last year (17 pts and 6.7 reb)
and should look to improve on those stats.

If he was a legit 7-footer we’d be talking about a lottery pick, however likely
being closer to 6-10, it’s more likely he’s a mid-to-late (18-25) first rounder.

When he wasn’t getting dunked on by Lawal in Dallas, Cole
Aldrich looked excellent. He’s got an enormous wingspan (7-5) allowing him
to play at the center position despite being just 6-10. He’s a good athlete with
a solid feel for the game, however his shot release is a little awkward.

With Darrell Arthur and Darnell Jackson taking their games to the next level,
Aldrich is set to take over as the focal point for Kansas in the paint.

Duke’s do-everything forward Kyle
Singler has been asked to play inside due to the Blue Devils lack of post
players. Singler has held his own despite matching up at times against bigger
and stronger players. His versatility and ability to seal the cracks has made
him extremely valuable to the team.

Although his foot speed is below average, his polished offensive skills make him
an intriguing wing prospect who could develop into a lottery selection in the
next two years. However, don’t look for Coach K to let him slip away too quickly.

The injury theme continues with Patrick
Patterson who missed the final 5 games of the season due to a stress fracture
in his foot. While the Kentucky post player is undersized, his long arms and tremendous
explosiveness make him a beast inside.

If he bounces back from the foot injury, and measures well, Patterson could get
looks in the late lottery area. But if he’s in fact 6-7 in shoes, it’s more likely
he will be seen as an undersized, Jason Maxiell type, and be taken in the late
first found (20-30) range.

Iowa State forward Craig Brackens
is a long athlete with excellent offensive ability and versatility. Brackens could
develop into a lottery pick if his body and skills continue to develop. He’s more
of a long, finesse forward ala Shareef Abdur-Rahim, and if he adds some muscle
it will help him battle inside.

No one used the Olympics to improve their stock more than St Mary’s Patrick
Mills. Mills showed once again that nothing seems to faze him. After scoring
37 points in just his fourth career college game, Mills was impressive at the
international level scoring in a variety of ways against some of the top guards
in the World Chris Paul and Deron Williams.

If Mills can show the ability to set the table for teammates and measures a legitimate
6-feet, he could conceivably skyrocket into the lottery ala DJ Augustin.

	Anatoly Bose

Sleepers:

While fellow Wake Forest sophomore James
Johnson gets most of the pub, point guard Jeff
Teague showed great leadership and clutch play throughout his freshman season,
and may have the brighter future. He could be the top point guard prospect (Ty
Lawson included) in the ACC.

Like Wake’s guys, Florida’s sophomore duo Nick
Calethes and Chandler Parsons
are top 20 sophomore prospects. While Calethes is no sleeper receiving plenty
of accolades after a huge freshman season, his teammate Parsons might be the better
pro prospect.

Watch out for Arizona wing Jamelle
Horne. He’s an absolute freakish athlete who after a year learning the ropes
should be ready for a breakout season.

With 2 Aussies in the top 10, let’s throw in an Aussie sleeper. It’s difficult
to garner much attention playing at Nicholls State, but Anatoly
Bose has the goods to play at the next level someday. He’s a 6-6 wing with
a smooth offensive game who put up a solid 10 ppg on excellent shooting from the
field (near 40% from 3).

With Anthony Randolph at the same position, it was tough for Garrett
Green to get much playing time as a freshman. Now, Green will get his chance.
He may not erupt immediately, but look for big things from him in the next couple
seasons. He’s got a terrific size/athleticism combination and appears to have
the desire and skill set to become a pro.