clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

NCAA Sweet Sixteen: Grading the D-League Prospects (Part 3)

Part 3 of 4. Moving right along here, folks! To distract from the lack of content before the jump, here's a picture of Chris Singleton looking upset. Not something you're likely to see very much of this weekend (and yes, that was a prediction).

Southwest Regional:

 

#1 Kansas Jayhawks

G #10- Tyshawn Taylor (6-3, 185. Junior) Tyshawn is the third of the recent Kansas point guard prospects, following in the steps of Mario Chalmers and Sherron Collins. His pro career will probably follow closer to that of the latter, which gives him a pretty good shot at being a D-Leaguer in the next couple of years. He's exactly the type of undersized scoring guard that tends to thrive in the D-League (Scottie Reynolds, anyone?)

SG #12- Brady Morningstar (6-4, 185. Senior) By name alone, Brady should be playing somewhere where I can see him on a regular basis. On talent? I'm not as sure. I wouldn't be shocked by it, though.

FC #21- Markieff Morris (6-10, 245. Junior) Coming into the 2010-11 season, Markieff was the lesser NBA prospect of the Morris twins, the Robin to his brother Marcus' Brook. Suddenly, that's not quite the case. Becoming a starter has enable Markieff to drastically elevate his draft stock to the point where he's a borderline lottery pick. His stock will never be higher. Look for him to enter himself in the draft this summer and possibly be a D-Leaguer after that.

F #9- Marcus Morris (6-9, 235. Junior) I don't see Marcus Morris being a D-Leaguer next season. I do, however, see him being a solid pro for a long time.

G #32- Josh Selby (6-1, 200. Freshman) First off, if Josh Selby is smart, there's no way he leaves after this season. He look to have a lot of ability, but has not put it all together yet. Still, I suppose there's a way he's a D-Leaguer a couple years from now.

 

#12 Richmond Spiders

G #14- Kevin Anderson (6-0, 175. Senior) He's been at Richmond for what feels like an eternity, and I still really can't figure out where his future lies. He's a smart player, and the second leading scorer on a sweet sixteen team. Don't be surprised if you see him playing somewhere for a long time.

C #41- Dan Geriot (6-9, 235. Senior) I remember hearing how knee injuries have really slowed Geriot's college career, which is never a good thing to hear about a young big man. I don't really think he has any real pro potential, but he can shoot a little, and the one thing the D-League will always have (aside from combo forwards) is undersized five men.

F #32- Justin Harper (6-10, 225. Senior) The Spiders' leading scorer, Justin Harper is an intriguing prospect. He's long, athletic and can create his own shot. I see a little bit of Danny Granger in him. Regardless of where he's drafted (I think he will be, somewhere), I can see Justin being a very good D-League player in the future.

 

#11 VCU Rams

G #20- Bradford Burgess (6-6, 225. Junior) Burgess out ran and out-jumped the seemingly overmatched Purdue backcourt, scoring 25 big points in the Rams domination of Purdue. Having not seen VCU beforehand, I found his play the most impressive (and the most easily translatable to the pros).

PG #12- Joey Rodriguez (5-10, 175. Senior) Rodriguez ran VCU's offense to perfection against Purdue, and was probably the biggest reason why the Rams are the only "First Four" squad in the Sweet Sixteen. He's fast and smart, but I don't really think I can guarantee he'll be a pro, at least in the NBA or the D-League.

 

#10 Florida State Seminoles

F #5- Bernard James (6-10, 240. Junior) First off, Bernard James has possibly the best possible name for a scoring small forward with NBA aspirations. Bernard King + LeBron James = NBA legend. Joking aside, Bernard was everywhere during FSU's romp over Notre Dame. I could see him in the D-League next season.

G #22- Derwin Kitchen (6-4, 205. Senior) Derwin has prototypical 2 guard size, and a pretty prototypical D-League name. That's all I need to know.

PG #30- Ian Miller (6-3, 190. Freshman) Ian Miller is a future NBA player. That doesn't mean he's not a future NBA D-League player.

F #31- Chris Singleton (6-9, 225. Junior) The ACC Defensive Player of the Year has missed a pretty large portion of the second half of the season, so he might be better served staying and improving his draft stock. Then again, he might be better coming out now before he gets hurt again. Either way, he's probably not a future D-Leaguer.

SG #21- Michael Snaer (6-5, 225. Sophomore) Very atheltic, if not very skilled. Sounds like a D-Leaguer to me. He could be a good one, too.