As June 25th, the date of the 2009 NBA draft looms closer, it is always difficult to predict which college players turning pro will actually be worth while. Those players which are talented enough to move on to the next level from college are the best of the best that the NCAA has to offer. Things tend to change when they start playing alongside the giants in the NBA. They no longer have set plays to allow them an easy three point opportunity ( J.J. Reddick and Salim Stoudamire understand how this sucks) and rarely do post players that are 6′ 10″ have a man shorter than themselves guarding them on defense.

The difference between college ball and professional is the difference when you were a kid playing at your local rec center with your buddies or playing on your high school team. The way the game is played is completely different. So how do NBA scouts know which college players will shine in the league as they did when they were living out of their dorm room in college? Well they really have no way to know and can only make an educated guess.

Here are five players off the top of my head who disappeared from the NBA after shinning bright in college.

1. Sheldon Williams (Duke- drafted 5th overall in 2006 before  Brandon Roy and Rudy Gay)
2. Adam Morrison ( Gonzaga- drafted  3rd overall in 2006 before Sheldon Williams above)
3. Luke Jackson (Oregon- drafted 10th overall in 2004 before J.R. Smith, Jameer Nelson, Kevin Martin)
4. Hassan Adams (Arizona- late second round-dropped before end of his rookie season- now on Toronto)
5. Jerry Mcnamara (Syracuse- undrafted? Can’t find him)

Filed under: General, NCAA News | Tagged: Adam Morrison, Hassan Adams, J.J Reddick, Jerry Mcnamara, Luke Jackson, NBA Draft 2009, Salim Stoudamire, Sheldon Williams | 2 Comments »