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Tuesday, May 15
Updated: May 16, 9:15 AM ET
Who's left with what?
By Andy Katz
ESPN.com
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Memphis coach John Calipari wants a copy of whatever Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said to Blue Devils point guard Jason Williams. He wants something to go on if he finds himself with a recruit, or underclassman, who is considered the consensus No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft.
He didn't need it this season when it came to prize recruit DaJuan Wagner. But he might need it as soon as next season if Wagner lives up to his reputation, which was built with a 100-point game, 3,311 career points and state championship at Camden High in New Jersey.
"What did (Krzyzewski) say?" the Memphis coach asked. "You're talking about being the No. 1 pick. If DaJuan was No. 1 or 1 through 5, then he's not staying (at Memphis). I told him that.
"If players are in the top seven then they should go, but sometimes people write or say that to get them out. The reality is, if (DaJuan) didn't come then he wouldn't come. I would have been fine with that."
By Sunday night, there was no indication that Williams or Wagner had declared for the NBA draft by the early-entry deadline. That's what was expected from both players, although the official NBA list won't be out until sometime this week.
Williams was and still is the top college basketball choice in this year's draft (Sorry, but Yao Ming might have gone No. 1). But Williams turned down the guaranteed multi-million deal to remain at Duke for his junior season, try to repeat as national champion and possibly win national player of the year.
Expectations are that Duke, Memphis and UCLA will be the top three programs to escape the early-entry process unscathed. All three could have been emotionally crushed had their star players declared for the draft. They wouldn't have been destitute, but the chances for a deep run in the NCAA Tournament would have been slim.
Conversely, Arizona, Michigan State and North Carolina are left picking up the pieces. None of the schools will be decimated by the premature departures of All-Americans, but each lost their chance at competing for a Final Four berth again.
Here's a look at which schools survived the past six weeks and who were left scrambling to fill holes:
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Survivors
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 Duke still has sophomore point guard Jason Williams and sophomore forward Carlos Boozer. Enough said. Williams never moved off his original statement that he wouldn't declare for the draft. He said he wanted to come back and earn his degree in three years and then possibly declare for the draft. Boozer was originally thought to be gone after this past season, but a broken foot seemed to ground him, even though he returned for the Sweet 16. He has spent the offseason working out, attempting to be even more effective in the post. Add these two to a stable of starters of Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Chris Duhon on the wings, and Casey Sanders inside, sprinkle in scoring guard Dahntay Jones and skilled shooting forward Nick Horvath and the Blue Devils should enter the season as the preseason No. 1. "We count our blessings every day that we've got the kind of quality kids who value education and want a degree," Duke assistant Steve Wojciechowski said. "A kid like Jason could have easily left but he and his family want to see him graduate." Wojciechowski said Duke has seen an unrivaled month of stability since winning the national title. They've already received three verbal commitments from juniors – 6-foot-5 J.J. Redick, 6-7 Lee Milkioni and 6-11 Mike Thompson. The good news keeps getting better for Duke while other programs fight off the early-entry departures. "I wasn't amazed that he stayed because Jason is the one kid on the other side of the argument," Wojciechowski said. "He's a 19-year old kid who wants things that are important to him and his family. Our guys are as excited as we were last year and we have similar potential, even though the team is different."
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 Calipari had to coach this past season with what was left at Memphis, and it wasn't all that bad. He had Kelly Wise, one of the best forwards in Conference USA. He still does. Calipari was assured that Wise wasn't on the early-entry list after the junior flirted with declaring for the draft. Wise was the only player who he could have lost off last season's team. But, the Tigers could have lost Wagner, the team's likely ignition next season at the point or shooting guard, not to mention junior college big guard/small forward Chris Massie. The junior college forward was mentioned as a possible early entrant, but at least for another season, he's off the list. Calipari will likely have to go through the process again next season with 2002 newcomer Qyntel Woods, Wagner and Amare Stoudemire – the likely No. 1 player in the class of 2002, who committed to the Tigers. "There's a risk of this happening anytime you recruit the best players," Calipari said. "We're going to recruit them every time. Hopefully, they'll always say no." The Tigers have a shot to be an NCAA Tournament team with Wagner, Scooter McFagdon, Massie and possibly Courtney Trask and John Grice scoring from the perimeter and Wise, Modibo Diarra and Earl Baron causing problems inside. Defensively, the Tigers could be a problem to match up against with Wagner at the top of any press or halfcourt set.
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 Here's a shocker: For the first time since Steve Lavin can remember, he won't lose a player to the NBA draft. No Jelani McCoy, Baron Davis, Jerome Moiso or JaRon Rush situations. No, instead, sophomore guard Jason Kapono and junior center Dan Gadzuric said "no" to the NBA, or at least, "not yet". "We kept our guys because they felt it would be beneficial to stay in school and their value should go up as they mature on the court," UCLA assistant Jim Saia said. "It means we're finally getting players who are staying in college. We've had a lot of players defect and we're finally getting a chance to develop high-level players and see the fruits of them as juniors and seniors to have a good team." UCLA will be the overwhelming favorite to win the Pac-10 with the return of Kapono and Gadzuric. The only question haunting this team will be replacing senior point guard Earl Watson. The Bruins added one of the top recruiting classes in the nation with Cedric Bozeman likely taking over the point and Dijon Thompson and Andre Patterson pushing Kapono, Matt Barnes, Billy Knight and Ray Young for time. A stronger T.J. Cummings inside, Princeton transfer big guard/small forward Spencer Gloger, and a healthier Rico Hines should give the Bruins their deepest and possibly most talented team under Lavin. "We just have to get chemistry," Saia said. "We're excited about our pressing system and keeping something in place for a long time." |
 Bill Self had reason to worry about Frank Williams. He was the Big Ten's most valuable player and would have been a likely lock for the lottery. But all of the talk was about whether or not the other Williams was going to declare. That made Self even more concerned, enough that he sweated out until Williams made it official after the season that he would return to the Illini. Having Williams back at point means the Illini can compete for the Big Ten title again and subsequently a Final Four berth after losing in the Elite Eight this season. They lose seniors Sergio McClain and Marcus Griffin, but the return of Williams, a more consistent – hopefully – Cory Bradford, a more productive Brian Cook, still pestering Lucas Johnson and low-post scorer Robert Archibald make the Illini a national threat. Williams can take over a game and his decision to stay with Illinois means they will be a threat to come back in any situation. Self will likely have to deal with this issue again next season unless Williams earns his fourth year of eligibility back. But Self can't complain if he gets him for another season after thinking he might have had him for only one.
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 Troy Bell never made his potential candidacy for early entry an issue. But it was still hanging over the Eagles. If his name appeared on the early-entry list, without giving them time to try and find a replacement, then the Eagles good vibes might have been lost. Boston College couldn't afford to lose the Big East player of the year without a chance to replace him. His value to the Eagles is similar to Williams at Illinois. Bell is the team's go-to player, its leader and one of its top defenders. Bell, Ryan Sidney and newcomer Jermaine Watson give the Eagles one of the top backcourts in the nation. They will still struggle to score in the post, even with Uka Agbai, and need to rely heavily on their defense to get them points. But the Eagles can remain atop the Big East and enter the season as one of the favorites because of Bell's decision to stay. Boston College will likely go through this same process next year after Bell's junior season. But they will be prepared, knowing in the fall that it could occur in the spring. No one could have imagined that he would be this close a year ago.
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 For all of Quin Snyder's recruiting success, he would have been running on a treadmill if he kept losing a player. Not having point Keyon Dooling this past season didn't help the Tigers, even though they got consistent play out of Wesley Stokes and Brian Grawer. Losing Kareem Rush for next season would have again stunted the Tigers' growth. Snyder will continue to get high-profile players, but he needs a transition season, allowing some of his stars, like newcomer Najeeb Echols, to serve as an apprentice for a season. Rush's return means Echols will have an elder to learn next to on the court. Rush could have declared and been in the first round like Dooling a year ago and unlike his brother JaRon. But Rush made it quite clear as soon as he had to fight back from a broken thumb that he would return for his junior season. Yet, the early-entry deadline still loomed and the Tigers could never sleep comfortably until it was absolutely clear that he wouldn't have his name on the list. Rush kept his promise and is taking his time before bolting to the NBA.
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 OK, on the surface, the question must be how can Indiana be on this list with Kirk Haston declaring for the draft? Well, it's because the Hoosiers didn't lose Jared Jeffries. Replacing Haston – assuming he doesn't return to Bloomington – won't be easy if George Leach and Jeff Newton don't become more productive inside or newcomer Sean Kline isn't ready to contribute. But Jeffries would have seriously damaged Mike Davis' chances to keep the Hoosiers as an NCAA Tournament team in his first full season as the official head coach. Jeffries could have easily followed his classmates like Gerald Wallace, Alton Ford, Zach Randolph and Eddie Griffin around the country and declared for the draft. He was just like them a year ago, considering bolting out of high school. But he stayed, meaning the Hoosiers have a legit star player to continue to build around. They finally get a true point in Donald Perry, the return of last year's point Tom Coverdale, the team's top defender in Dane Fife and big guard A.J. Moye to provide a different speed. But Jeffries, who has been on a mission in the weight room and on the court since the season ended, means Davis has a bridge to his next great class that could include Chadd Moore and Sean May.
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 The Gators aren't on the losers list for one reason – they only lost Kwame Brown. It could have been worse, much worse. Losing Brown means the Gators lost another low-post scorer, a major defensive threat and likely the preseason No. 1 ranking. They didn't lose a chance at the Final Four because they kept the two other high-profile signees – James White and David Lee – along with center Udonis Haslam and point Brett Nelson. Haslam and Nelson could have bolted like Mike Miller and Donnell Harvey did a year ago. They might not have been first-round picks, but the option could have been there for them to declare. A healthy Teddy DuPay and Justin Hamilton in the backcourt, a more mature Bonnell Colas and Orien Greene and a continuing to improve Matt Bonner means the Gators are the favorite in the SEC. They've also got a legit shot to get to the Final Four for the second time in three seasons. "I like our team," Florida coach Billy Donovan said. "We've still got a chance to be very, very good. You never knew who was advising all these kids and it could have been worse for us." Sure, losing Brown hurts, hurts a lot for Donovan and his staff. They invested time, money and were spent emotionally over the past month. But they didn't lose a chance for a banner season. He was one member of a monster recruiting class that joins a ready-made Final Four-team.
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Outcasts
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 The Wildcats will likely get point guard Jason Gardner back, once he realizes he's not a first-round pick. But losing three other underclassmen starters – Michael Wright, Gilbert Arenas and Richard Jefferson – is hard to come back from in one season. The Wildcats knew this was a possibility. Coach Lute Olson spoke about the issue during a staff meeting last September, he talked about it when practice started in October and was convinced of it after the national title game. But the Wildcats were able to replace – at least in theory – all of the departures but Jefferson's athleticism defensively. They added combo guards Will Bynum and Salim Stoudamire, and got a big wing in Dennis Latimore and a rebounder in Isaiah Fox. Arenas and Jefferson made it clear they were thinking about the NBA before the season began, whereas Wright came to this decision as the season progressed. He didn't give himself an option of returning by dropping out of school. Arizona has a chance to get back to the NCAA Tournament if Gardner returns with Luke Walton and Ricky Anderson giving them experience as finesse forwards. But it won't be easy because of the early departures.
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 The Spartans coaching staff knew they were getting into this business of losing players early when they signed Jason Richardson and Zach Randolph. Richardson was the best college player on the court when a college team played the U.S. Olympians in September in Hawaii. His high-flying act during the season ensured that he was gone. Randolph was a struggle to get into school last summer. Getting him for one season was gravy for the Spartans. But the timing of losing both players doesn't help the Spartans. It comes during a year when they lose five seniors, meaning seven players are gone from last season's Final Four team. The backcourt will be fine with Marcus Taylor at the point, newcomers Alan Anderson and Kelvin Torbert on the wings. But the Spartans' inside game will have to be by committee next season. They'll be in the NCAA Tournament and still could win the Big Ten title. Torbert and Anderson should replace Richardson. But the power and potential for a dominating game from Randolph will be harder to replace.
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 Once again, the timing doesn't help the Tar Heels, either. Losing Joseph Forte, the team's go-to scorer and best perimeter player, doesn't come at a good time. North Carolina was already losing their post presence in Brendan Haywood, but now they're not expecting to get football players – forward Julius Peppers and guard Ronald Curry – back again next season. The Tar Heels also lost out on a high school senior. DeSagna Diop was likely to choose either North Carolina or Virginia. He chose the NBA, leaving the Tar Heels without a low-post player in the class. The newcomers – Jackie Manuel, Jawad Williams and Melvin Scott – will likely contribute immediately. Manuel and Scott could push and replace Brian Morrison and Adam Boone in the backcourt now that Forte is gone. Williams could be a compliment to Jason Capel on the wing as a scoring forward facing the basket. And, as long as Kris Lang is healthy, the Tar Heels have a chance to score in the post. But they won't have the go-to player at the start of the season unless one of the freshmen develops faster than they thought.
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 The Trojans would be removed from this list if Sam Clancy returned to college. But Clancy could and should impress enough in workouts over the next month to stay in the draft. He's a legit first-round pick. If the Trojans lose Clancy, they'll lose their chance to stay atop the Pac-10. Clancy gives them the preseason player of the year in the Pac-10, a legit inside-out scorer and a leader. They already were losing Brian Scalabrine. They need Clancy to be the star so that all the pressure isn't on David Bluthenthal. If defenses can focus solely on Bluthenthal then he won't be as effective. The point guard situation will improve with the arrival of Errick Craven, who could replace erratic Brandon Granville. The continued development of Desmon Farmer should help ease the loss of Jeff Trepagnier. But the Trojans will miss Clancy more than anyone else and keep USC from being an elite team next season.
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 The Tigers were the team that couldn't afford a single early-entry. Scholarship reductions over rules violations before John Brady got the job keep LSU behind everyone else in the SEC. Losing Stromile Swift was hard enough last season. Now the Tigers won't even get a chance to see Kedrick Brown. The Okalaoosa-Walton JC forward would have been an impact player for the Tigers. He would have allowed them to close the gap quicker in the SEC West. "Am I going to cry about it? No," Brady said. "I want to go to the Final Four and win the league and to do that you need NBA-caliber guys. That's what we're going to do here. We lost Swift and now we lose a guy who doesn't even play for us." LSU still got two high-profile junior college forwards in Thomas Davis and Shawnson Johnson, and JC guard Antonio Hudson. But they won't have the star player they needed out of this class. Guard JueMichael Young, who is presently suspended, is expected to be back on the team as is injured forward Brad Bridgewater. Guards Collis Temple III, Toris Bright and Ronald Dupree are all back, along with forward Jermaine Williams, meaning the Tigers will actually have some balance. But they don't have a star.
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 Seton Hall might have better chemistry without Eddie Griffin and possibly Samuel Dalembert, but they can't be a better team in terms of talent. No way. It's still hard to lose the nation's top shot blocker and rebounder – as a freshman – and not feel the effects. Dalembert was developing into a more complete player. He wasn't just a defensive stopper, but was also becoming more of an offensive presence. New coach Louis Orr still has one of the better point guards in the nation in Andre Barrett, wing scorers in Darius Lane and Ty Shine, and one of the top recruits on the East Coast in John Allen. But the Pirates took a double hit when both Griffin and Dalembert declared for the draft without a chance to return (both signed with agents). The coaching change meant they were probably not going to return. Seton Hall has a shot at staying in the top half of the Big East West Division with Georgetown, Notre Dame, Syracuse and Pittsburgh. But they won't have the star player.
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 The Tide still could get Gerald Wallace back if he doesn't get a guarantee that he's in the first round. But Alabama is going ahead without him. Had he stayed – even though there could have been some chemistry issues – the Tide would have been one of the favorites in the SEC. They've got a true point coming in Maurice Williams. He could have found Wallace more shots or at least fed him at the right times on the break. Rod Grizzard and Erwin Dudley are still two of the most talented players in the SEC. Alabama was disappointing last season because the Tide couldn't win on the road. The Tide ended up in the NIT. Even though Wallace might have played more inside than out, he was still a player that had to be watched when he was on the floor. Defenses couldn't slack off him if he was driving (they could if he was shooting). That meant less attention on Dudley and Grizzard. The focus will shift to Williams without Wallace but the complete Alabama team – the one Mark Gottfried had envisioned – won't be seen without Wallace on the roster.
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 The 49ers were an NCAA Tournament team before Rodney White and they'll likely be one without him. But having White for only one season prevents the 49ers from staying at an elite level. The struggle will continue for Charlotte, rather than enjoying a nice little run atop Conference USA. Had White stayed the 49ers would have been able to keep the pressure off the complimentary players like Jobey Thomas and Demon Brown. Now the pressure will be on them to produce with all of the opposing defense's attention on them. Bobby Lutz will get the 49ers' offense chucking up 3s, the defense trying to go at a frenetic pace and the inside game done by committee. But it's harder for programs on the climb to overcome losing a star player after one season. Charlotte wasn't able to get a full year out of him because White had a knee injury. It would have been good to see Charlotte build a team around White before he bolted. |
Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.
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