College Players leaving early thread

[mweb]

Well SportsCenter just said McCants announced that he is most likely leaving. So there's 1 down.

[Sports Guy]

Well SportsCenter just said McCants announced that he is most likely leaving. So there's 1 down.

They are all gone IMO.

[calsmanystances]

I agree with you SG. I think we all assumed Felton and McCants were pretty much gone. I have been a big proponent of May leaving since he is the most dominating factor in UNC's success and the fact that his stock can go no higher. M Williams was always the X factor. In my mind he was gone since he would likely be the highest pick amongst all of the players but I was starting to think ND had it right with all Marv's protestations that he will return for a soph season. Not so anymore. Its at best 50-50 now.

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/news;_ylc=X3oDMTBpc2RicmIxBF9TAzk1ODYyMjM4BHNlYwN0aA--?slug=ap-ncaachampionship-notebook&prov=ap&type=lgns

There's a chance it could be one season and done for North Carolina sixth man Marvin Williams.

The freshman forward, whom coach Roy Williams referred to as his sixth starter throughout the Final Four, left his options wide open after the national championship game. He played 24 minutes in the title game, getting eight points and five rebounds.

``I'll sit down and talk to Coach about it here pretty soon,'' Marvin Williams said. ``I've got to do what's best for me. If it's best for me and my family to stay here, then I'll do that, but if I have to leave I'll do that, too.''

[BrotherLowe]

I said a while ago, if Carolina wins it all, all bets are off, and they will probably all go. If they had lost last night (perish the thought), May and Williams would have stayed, IMO. But now, it is looking ugly for the 'defending' champs.

Which leads me to another question - is it not difficult to justify calling Carolina the 'defending champs' next year? Or any other team that wins and then loses all of their core players? For instance, when Carolina won in 93, almost everybody came back - Montross, Phelps, Reese - those guys. That team was a justifiable defending champ. But what about when a team loses almost everybody, like, I believe, Michigan State did when they lost the Flintstones after the 2000 season? Or like Illinois would have had they won last night?

I guess my point is, its a little unfair to call a Carolina team filled with players like Terry, Thomas, Hansborough, etc. the 'defending champs'. None of them had anything to do with the title in the first place!

But I suppose thats the way it goes. Next year could be a down year, but I know Roy will keep the program at a high level. One way or another, the Heels will make the tourney and attempt to defend their title.

[Sports Guy]

Well, you have to think that GT, Wake and NCSU will take a step back next year.

I think next year will be a year where Clemson and UVA find themselves in the top half of the ACC.

Duke should be the team to beat next year assumign everyone stays and everyone comes to school(Williams and McRoberts are question marks)

MD will be interesting with JG gone but i expect them to be a better team next year.

UNC will struggle to be 7-9 if everyone goes but if just oen of them stays, they could make some noise in conference.

[calsmanystances]

Or like Maryland's 2002 NC which lost starters Dixon, LB, Mouton and Wilcox (soph early draft entry) leaving Blake the lone returnee (and we know now he seriously considered leaving to test the waters but did not because of an injury that needed to heal).

I think nowadays that's just the way it is going to be. The sr.'s will obviously be gone and the underclassmen contributors will bolt.

If Duke's recruits show up they really should run away with it in a down yr for the conference (not that Duke won;t be derserving if SW returns).

GT is in trouble next yr as is UNC and UM (please do not tell me that a lineup of SL[just not an ACC caliber starter, sorry], CM, Hyphen [yuck], TG and Bowers is a good lineup) and NC State.

I agree with SG that a lesser valued program can storm to the top tier for a yr because of the structure of the league next yr.

[Nuclear Dish]

Well, you have to think that GT, Wake and NCSU will take a step back next year.

I think next year will be a year where Clemson and UVA find themselves in the top half of the ACC.

Duke should be the team to beat next year assumign everyone stays and everyone comes to school(Williams and McRoberts are question marks)

MD will be interesting with JG gone but i expect them to be a better team next year.

UNC will struggle to be 7-9 if everyone goes but if just oen of them stays, they could make some noise in conference.

I believe VT has almost everyone back, don't they. I think they and BC will both be top tier teams in the conference.

Also, don't count out WF. They will lose Paul in all likelihood, but they'll still have Gray and E. Williams.

[Sports Guy]

I believe VT has almost everyone back, don't they. I think they and BC will both be top tier teams in the conference.

Also, don't count out WF. They will lose Paul in all likelihood, but they'll still have Gray and E. Williams.

Yea i know but i think they have alot of seniors on their team this year don't they? I may be wrong about that.

Next year, Duke SHOULD(of course, it depends on who comes back) be far and away the best team in the conference and will likely be preseason #1 with their team back and so many other teams losing alot of players.

[Nuclear Dish]

Yea i know but i think they have alot of seniors on their team this year don't they? I may be wrong about that.

Next year, Duke SHOULD(of course, it depends on who comes back) be far and away the best team in the conference and will likely be preseason #1 with their team back and so many other teams losing alot of players.

Andy Katz of ESPN has Dook a close second right now to UConn, even after Villanueva's departure. He said the loss of Ewing is bigger than many people believe.

BTW, Chad Ford rfom ESPN has said that M. Williams and McCants should both stay in school. Williams will go top 3 in all likelihood, but he could use a year of being the superstar. And McCants, he said, has hurt his draft stock to the point of now being a late first-rounder.

He said May should go now because his stock will never get any higher. However, he caustioned that if he declares and measures at below 6'9", his stock will fall precipitously to near the bottom of the 1st round. The range he's been getting from scouts is between 10 and 29, which is a huge range, and very dangerous.

And he said Felton will go in the late lottery, after Paul and Deron Williams, who some scouts project as high as #4 overall.

[Nuclear Dish]

Another thing to note:

NBAdraft.net has stopped listing M. Williams in its projections, as he's too much of a question mark at this point as to whether or not he'lla ctually enter. They have never listed May as he's never been thought to be leaving until now, but he's still not being definitive enough to have them consider him.

They have McCants going #10, Felton #11, and J. Williams at #33.

Of course all of this was before yesterday's game.

The only HSers they have are:

G. Green (OSU recruit) (#7)

M. Ellis (MSU recruit) (#18)

L. Williams (GA recruit) (#35)

S. Williams (Memphis recruit) (#37)

A. Blatche (undecided - likely Syracuse) (#47)

Ewing is slated at #34, Paul at #3, Villanueva at #19, Jack at #24, Elder at #46, and Hodge at #52.

[Nuclear Dish]

Yea i know but i think they have alot of seniors on their team this year don't they? I may be wrong about that.

Next year, Duke SHOULD(of course, it depends on who comes back) be far and away the best team in the conference and will likely be preseason #1 with their team back and so many other teams losing alot of players.

Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has Dook #1, followed by Kentucky and UConn. He says that if May and Williams return, UNC should be #6.

[Nuclear Dish]

Music to SG's ears:

Five of the past seven McDonald's MVPs have skipped college and gone straight to the NBA, but McRoberts said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski need not worry.

"I'm still going to Duke," the 6-10 forward said.

McRoberts said his future roommate at Duke will be point guard Greg Paulus, who had 13 points and nine assists for the East team in the McDonald's game.

-------------------

Getting back to NBAdraft.net, they have Rudy Gay as the #1 pick in the 2006 draft, followed by M. Williams at #2, Boone at #8, S. Williams at #12, May at #20, Redick at #23, and Gilchrist at #24. NCM is at #30. Others include Denham Brown at #49 and E. Williams at #51.

Of course, Gilchrist's inclusion in the 2006 draft makes the whole enterprise suspect, doesn't it?

[calsmanystances]

Music to SG's ears:

Getting back to NBAdraft.net, they have Rudy Gay as the #1 pick in the 2006 draft, followed by M. Williams at #2, Boone at #8, S. Williams at #12, May at #20, Redick at #23, and Gilchrist at #24. NCM is at #30. Others include Denham Brown at #49 and E. Williams at #51.

Of course, Gilchrist's inclusion in the 2006 draft makes the whole enterprise suspect, doesn't it?

Its even more suspect because they list Hyphen boy. Having coached for four years and having watched every UM game thats been televised over three years (thank you TiVo) I can say that any GM who drafts him at all will be in big trouble. He sucks. Worse yet, he makes his team worse (pass? what's a pass? Spacing? What's proper floor spacing? Defense What's defense? Shots attempted that never hit the rim? What's a rim?).

And that does not even include the pain he inflicts on those who wish to watch the team play.

He can stick to lighting up UMES like Exree Hipp did.

[mweb]

All this Duke #1 talk will dissapear in a hurry if Sheldon leaves. Without a doubt their best and most valuable player this year. Please leave Sheldon!

[Sports Guy]

Here is an article that sounds to me that May may very well stay but i get the feeling the other 3 are gone:

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/ncaatourney05/news/story?id=2030658