| | By Andy Katz
ESPN.com
The season's over, but that doesn't mean the Word's Answer Man is taking any time off. If you want to send a question to the Word, click here and check back each week to see if your question was answered.
What seems to be the consensus about the potential NBA futures of Gonzaga's Matt Santangelo, Richie Frahm and Axel Dench? Will Frahm's broken foot prevent him from getting a shot at the league?
Santangelo looks like a second-round pick, but Frahm and Dench will struggle to get into the second round. Frahm's broken foot will prevent him from convincing scouts that he's worth taking in the second round. Both will probably get into a free-agent camp. At the very least, both will play somewhere on the globe.
What's the deal with Chris Porter's draft status? For a year and a half, he was a sure lock as a lottery pick. Now he isn't even projected to go in the first round. What gives?
Porter's game never changed. He was an athlete who could run, dunk and
blocks shots. He was a very good college player, but that doesn't mean he'll
to be an NBA talent. Porter has slipped in the minds of the scouts and isn't
mentioned by them as a first-round pick. That could change if he plays well
in Chicago or gets some individual workouts. Porter needs to show that he
can do more than dunk.
Will Louisville ever see Muhammad Lasege or Ben Eze suit up?
-- Kevin, Bloomington, Ind.
Lesage could be in a Louisville uniform next season if he takes care of his
academics this spring. Eze wasn't on campus and went to a junior college in
Idaho. Eze needs to earn his associate of arts degree (two years) before he
can transfer to a Division I school.
I read ESPN's first round projections for the NBA draft, but one name was missing, and I could not figure out why. Mark Madsen works harder than anyone in college basketball. He proved in the pre-draft camps that nobody can handle him under the boards. Granted his shooting range isnt much, but inside the paint there are not many better. Where do you think he will
go in the draft?
-- Matt Lees, Flagstaff, Ariz.
Madsen could sneak into the first round. He's a lot like Brian Cardinal but doesn't have the same range. Both are potential first-round picks. Madsen didn't make our first cut because we needed to trim a few names of the players on the bubble. Madsen could raise his stock in Chicago. He had to prove he belonged when he got to Stanford, and now he's having to do the same. He'll end up in the league, but it may not be as easy to get his first contract.
Can you name the fifth player of the fab five of Michigan? Chris Webber, Jimmy King, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard and ... ?
-- Victor M. Torres, Bensalem, Pa.
The answer is Ray Jackson.
Andy -- I don't understand why Bootsy Thornton is so underrated. He
is a player that rises to the occasion and has had great games against all
of the premier guards that are rated ahead of him. Erick Barkley didn't do it
alone in the backcourt this season, or last season. So, why is Bootsy not a
quality first-round pick? Please explain your position on this.
-- Lamont Alston, Philadelphia
Thornton was erratic in Phoenix. So many of these players looked similar, and
Thornton wasn't able to stand out enough to where he's a lock for the first
round. He's in the second, but he could slip out of the draft and make a team's
free-agent camp. If he plays well in Chicago that could change.
Where do you see Jimmy "Snap" Hunter being taken in the NBA Draft, and how does he compare to others
at his position?
-- Quentin Cleaves, Memphis
Hunter needs to get to Chicago to prove that he's one of the better shooting
guards. If he's not really 6-foot-4, he could have a hard time getting drafted
higher than late in the second round. Justin Love played well in Portsmouth
and Phoenix and raised his stock. Hunter needs to do the same.
I'm just curious what it is you have against Erick Barkley. It has been going on for quite some time, the latest installment
your leaving him off you list of potential first rounders, only to correct yourself a week later after discovering that he is a certain first rounder and probably the best point guard in the draft. You should hide your personal biases a little more carefully. A real college basketball observer will pick up on them with ease.
-- Phil Pinelli, Mineola, N.Y.
I have nothing against Barkley. You're right to call me out on the omission.
That was my fault after I failed to include all the underclassmen who had
declared. But he's not the best point guard. Call the NBA scouts and you'll
see that he's rated in the top three, probably third right now behind
Michigan State's Mateen Cleaves and Hofstra's Craig Claxton.
It has been a while since Pitt was competitive in the Big East. With the return of Brandon Knight, Ricardo Greer and injured forward Isaac Hawkins, Pitt will have a good nucleus of talent. I also heard that coach Ben Howland has a solid recruiting class led by 6-7 forward Zelimar Stevanovic that could finally give Pitt some depth on the bench and allow Howland to play the type of basketball he did at Northern Arizona. Should Pitt fans be optimistic that the Panthers can turn it around this year?
-- Roman Trebon, Oxford, Ohio
Howland is recruiting a higher level of player than he had at Northern
Arizona, but he's going with a similar type of athlete. He's trying to get
the guys other schools aren't in on and make them players once they're on
campus. Pittsburgh should move up in the Big East but probably won't be a
postseason team (NIT) next season. Give him another year and he could have
the Panthers at .500 or a game or two over.
Is there any truth to the rumor that Alton Ford has opted out of
his scholarship to Houston and is entertaining other offers, namely from
N.C. State?
-- Edward Poplin, Cary, N.C.
None. Ford can't get out of his letter. The only way that could happen is if
he's not eligible. The letter becomes void if Ford is ineligible when school
starts at Houston. Only then could Ford try to move in the fall. But he
wouldn't be able to play at another Division I school until he's eligible.
After Pepe Sanchez got hurt at Phoenix, you said he's a second rounder or even a free agent. With more than a month to get healthy, don't you think he could get back in to the first round? A lot of people comment on his lack of quickness, but he had four steals against the Globetrotters, which was man-to-man, and he is a lot better than people give him credit for. I think he plays a lot like the Pacers' Mark Jackson and the Cavs' Andre Miller, who has shown that sometimes even the almighty scouts are wrong!
-- Brian Marsh, Philadelphia
I hope you're right. Sanchez deserves to make an NBA team and probably will.
But he may have to go to a free-agent camp to prove he belongs. Sanchez may
not get drafted because of the injury. He won't go higher than the middle of
the second round if he does get drafted. Sanchez is a system point guard, and
he'd be better served by going to the right team that fits his style.
With the addition of Johnnie Selvie and if Caron Butler becomes elligible, where do you think UConn's recruiting class ranks? And what are their chances in the NCAA tournament?
-- Jamil Ramsey, Atlanta, Ga.
Selvie gives the Huskies the rebounder they lacked consistently last season. He also could allow Ajou Deng to play strictly on the perimeter. Deng wasn't strong enough to play inside. If Butler gets eligible, he'll be the scorer they lacked. Doug Wrenn is still planning on staying, and he needs to be more assertive and consistent offensively, too. Scott Hazleton probably isn't
ready to be a contributor, but Taliek Brown will be thrust into the lineup. Albert Mouring and Tony Robertson give the Huskies experience in the backcourt, while they should be set up front with Edmund Saunders and Souleymane Wane, who should be back for his second senior season after graduating.
Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com. His Weekly Word on college basketball runs Thursdays throughout the off season. | |
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