Don't recognize most of the names on the NBA draft board? Don't worry -- neither does your team's GM. Chances are the first three names called to the podium in New York on June 27 will have a combined one season of college exposure. So forget drafting finished products -- if you can't project, you're hopelessly out of it. Here's your peek into the future.

FRANCHISES
The search for a foundation starts -- and ends -- here.

Kwame Brown
Glynn (Ga.) Academy I 6'11", 240 pounds, SF/PF
As one of seven children of a single mother on disability, the 19-year-old Brown surprised nobody by skipping college for the pros. He wouldn't surprise anybody by going No. 1, either. Think KG six years ago, but with more strength. And rare is the big man who runs the floor better than Brown. Kwame needs to work on his ballhandling, but once that happens, he'll be a matchup nightmare anywhere on the court.

Eddy Curry
Thornwood (Ill.) High School I 6'11", 290, C
If you're looking for power, soft hands, a sweet baby hook and someone to hang your hopes on, stop here. You also get a defensive project and questionable work habits, but remember, he's just 18. Will he be the No. 1 pick? Well, MJ said he'd have taken Darius Miles No. 1 last year if he'd had the pick, and Curry is at least as accomplished as D-Miles -- 21.6 ppg, 9 rpg, 7 bpg. And dominant centers don't come around every day.

Tyson Chandler
Dominguez (Calif.) H.S. I 7'1", 230, SF/PF
As a 6'8" freshman, he studied Dominguez teammate TayShaun Prince's perimeter game. When Prince left for Kentucky a year later, Chandler had it down. Five inches later, he has evolved into another KG clone, capable of running the break, knocking down the 17-footer, banging the boards and blocking shots. Incredibly fluid and agile, Chandler needs to get stronger to dominate in the pros. If he does, he'll live up to his Dominguez nickname -- Franchise.

STARS
You'll soon be punching these names on All-Star ballots.

Eddie Griffin
Seton Hall, freshman I 6'9", 225, SF/PF
Few question his game: Griffin's an outstanding shotblocker (4.4, second in the nation) and rebounder (10.8, fifth) with range out to 18 feet. But his attitude has everyone guessing. Got into two fights with teammates (high school and college) 10 months apart, the second pretty much wrecking Seton Hall's season. Ignore the 'tude, and Eddie's a franchise pick. But he may be Derrick Coleman all over again.

Jason Richardson
Michigan State, sophomore I 6'6", 215, SG/SF
If it's pure athletic ability you're drafting for, Richardson is your man. He has the explosiveness to get to the hole and the upper-body strength to finish. His J is shaky, but that's what summers are for. The first underclassman to leave Michigan State since that Magic guy, he could be the first perimeter player taken.

Gilbert Arenas
Arizona, sophomore I 6'3", 188, SG
You don't find many college stars with braces, but Hollywood-born Arenas wants to be prepared for an acting career. After a summer in which he scored 32 points against an MJ-led pickup team -- and two productive seasons at Zona -- Arenas feels he's already prepared for the NBA. His quickness, handle and accurate J compensate for his lack of height.

PROS' PROS
Just plug these guys in and forget about them.

Shane Battier
Duke, senior I 6'8", 220, SF
Okay, here's one player you should know. Battier could have more college experience than the top seven picks combined. While he won't have the impact of fellow Country Day (Detroit) School grad CWebb, Shane is probably the safest pick in the draft. Solid in all phases of the game, he figures to be good for 10 seasons of 14 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists a game. Any problems with that?

Richard Jefferson
Arizona, junior I 6'7", 222, SF/SG
Jefferson arrived at Arizona three years ago as an explosive scorer and left as a defensive specialist. In other words, here's a guy who will do whatever's needed. His size and quick feet (think Pippen) could spell lottery, and his maturity could make him a team leader. Arizona coach Lute Olson was so taken by the junior, he asked him to speak at Bobbi Olson's funeral.

Joseph Forte
North Carolina, sophomore I 6'4", 192, SG
Doesn't have world-class athletic ability, but his jump shot and fundamentals are probably the best in the draft. The ACC's co-Player of the Year (with Dookie Battier), Forte hit 55 of 145 three-point tries while averaging 20.9 ppg. Excellent passing out of double teams, which he saw nightly at UNC, is a plus. Expect Forte to fill a Morris Peterson-type role.

Jamaal Tinsley
Iowa State, senior I 6'3", 185, PG
One year ago, Tinsley's passing got Marcus Fizer into the lottery. Not a great shooter (and Eric Snow is?), Tinsley has devastating quickness that gets him into the paint time and again. He never played high school ball, then temped at Mt. San Jacinto Junior College before stunning the Big 12. Might be the only point guard taken in the first round.

Zach Randolph
Michigan State, freshman I 6'9", 270, PF
Most NBA scouts aren't too concerned that Randolph spent 26 days in a juvenile center before his senior year in high school for receiving stolen guns. He's flown right ever since -- and he hasn't done too poorly on the basketball court, either. Randolph's such a lock when he gets the ball down low, he could spend his entire career within 10 feet of the hoop.

Trenton Hassell
Austin Peay, senior I 6'5", 200, SG
Bust out your pillows -- this guy's the sleeper of the draft. Hassell sports a nice blend of 20-footers and ferocious slams. The Ohio Valley Conference's Player of the Year was the only player in the nation last season to rank in his conference's top five in points (21.7), rebounds (6.8) and assists (4.5). Hoping to follow former high school teammate Shawn Marion, who went straight from obscurity to stardom in Phoenix.

PROJECTS
Franchise, star or solid pro waiting to happen. Or not. Draft at your own risk.

DeSagana Diop
Oak Hill (Va.) Academy I Seven feet, 310, C
In his two years in the U.S., the Senegalese expatriate went from speaking almost no English to volunteering for his high school's "Read With a Friend" program for kids. If he can make that sort of progress in the NBA, he's a cornerstone player. Diop, who's played just four years of organized ball, has soft hands, a sweet turnaround jumper and a reliable jump hook. His most telling stat: 8 assists a game in his senior year.

Samuel Dalembert
Seton Hall, sophomore I 6'11", 232, C
Spent his first 14 years in Haiti, moved to Montreal with his family, then spent the past five years in New Jersey. Next stop: the draft's first round. Al Harrington's former high school teammate didn't begin playing organized hoops until 10th grade, but his 7'7" wingspan and excellent lateral movement make him a natural shotblocker. Raw offensively -- he averaged only 8.3 ppg -- but he'll get lots of hustle tip-ins while his game develops.

SirValiant Brown
George Washington, sophomore I 6'1", 158, PG
Brown knows how to survey the field. With point guards like Jason Williams, Frank Williams and Dajuan Wagner waiting at least another year to enter the draft, Brown knew his time was now. Led the nation in scoring as a freshman (24.6 ppg), but scouts look at his size and see a point. Has the tools -- super quickness, 40-inch vertical -- but now needs to learn the position.

Will Solomon
Clemson, junior I 6'1", 185, PG
Another guard trying to make the transition from scorer to the point. Led the ACC in scoring a year ago (21.3 ppg), but those 25-attempt games as Clemson's lone scoring threat are gone. Has the quickness to penetrate and the shot to keep the D honest. If his floor game develops, he's a steal.

This article appears in the June 25 issue of ESPN The Magazine.