From Zero to Hero- Jeff Teague

Jeff Teague is only 178 lbs while standing 6’2. He most likely wears a t-shirt under his jersey while he plays so that it is harder to notice how skinny he is. Either way Teague is lethal with the ball in his hands. He wasn’t recruited heavily out of high school so when he made it to Wake Forest and into the starting lineup it was a huge surprise. He askjeff_teague2ed for the number zero on his jersey to remind himself of all the doubt that was thrown his direction.  Immediately he compared himself to Gilbert Arenas whose nickname reads, Agent Zero. Arenas was also given no chance for stardom since he was a high school baller and was even overlooked in the NBA draft until the second round. As we all know, Arenas is the franchise player for the Washington Wizards now.

Teague was drafted 19th overall in this recent 2009 NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks. He was the 8th point guard chosen to that point, which means 7 other point guards were considered better than him. That doesn’t bother Teague. He charged over to Atlanta for a press conference and a photo op within 24 hours of hearing his name called last Thursday. He is requesting the number zero for his jersey again and is ready to show everyone that he deserved to be the first or second point guard drafted. I understand why Teague feels overlooked. Last year in the ACC he scored 18.8 points a game, pulled down 3.3 rebounds, dished out 3.5 assist every contest, and stole the ball an average of 1.9 times a game all the while shooting an astounding 48.5 % from the field and 44% from behind the arc. He was amazing to watch. With that said. We want to be the first and we want to be remembered for saying that, Teague will be the next Gilbert Arenas and a future NBA all-star.

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College Star disappears from NBA?

Jerry Mcnamara with 2006 Big East Tournament MVP trophy.

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)