UNC's Zeller, Henson Staying, Duke's Irving Leaving; Barnes Still Undecided
I know the whole Yow-Williams-Doyel love triangle is still in full bloom, but in all honesty, the vitriol is getting a little tired. It was a great distraction for a few days, but it's time to go on to new things.
Like, say, ACC players declaring for the NBA draft. Or, in the case of North Carolina's Tyler Zeller and John Henson, not declaring early for the NBA draft. Harrison Barnes, their highly-regarded teammate, is still deliberating as to whether or not he'll jump, though the smart money might be on a return (though that's a guess at best).
With Henson and Zeller coming back, UNC is pretty much guaranteed to have the longest and best front court in the nation, let alone in the ACC. If Barnes returns, they'll have a McDonald's All-American basically seven-deep, along with the clear frontrunner for player of the year with Barnes. There's no way they'll be anything other than the prohibitive ACC favorites, and they'll probably enter the year as #1 in the polls.
That'll probably rub Duke fans the wrong way. They're only hope to prevent it was the return of Kyrie Irving...and that's not happening, either. Irving's going pro for good, which leaves the Blue Devils without their three best players from this year (Irving plus the graduating seniors Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith).
Duke's front-court is solid but not particularly imposing. Their backcourt has ridiculous firepower, especially with Austin Rivers coming in, but also almost no experience. Between Seth Curry, Andre Dawkins, Quinn Cook, and Rivers, there are four gunners that would be welcomed by any ACC team. There's also almost no starting experience and nothing in the way of pure distributors. That'll make for an interesting dynamic back there, but more importantly probably means they're beatable.
Elsewhere in Carolina, C.J. Leslie is going to "wait and see" about declaring, probably to see if Gottfried can talk him into a return.
I'm not sure how much these departures matter, because Carolina is going to be at a different level than the Terps next year. If Jordan Williams goes pro, so, too, will Duke.
About that: the status of Jordan Williams has no apparent answer in sight. He's apparently working out at Impact Academy, a popular gym in Vegas. He could still come or go, and that's not a huge indicator either way. That will have far more of an impact on Maryland next year than any of the other departures will, of course.
(h/t to bshock for getting half of this about two hours ago in the FanPosts)
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that didn't look to good.
he got work to do this summer.
Good thing nobody was there
Were they playing a recording of fans yelling in the background? That was pathetic
Prediction
Barnes is going to go pro. I don’t think he ever planned on staying for a second year. He will be a top 3 pick if he leaves. It’s pretty much a no brainer. You don’t turn down top-3 draft status as a freshman for another year in college 90% of the time. Meanwhile, Zeller and Henson were borderline lottery picks at best and could definitely benefit from another year (providing Zeller avoids further injury). I think it’s good they’re staying and Carolina will be a tough team, as usual, next year.
Irving was right to go pro. He would have to compete for PT with Rivers on a worse team than the one he was on this year, which would leave him further down on GM’s draft boards than he currently is (he could be the #1 pick this year). Honestly, if Cleveland picks first, you think they would pass him up? Who wouldn’t want him in the NBA? I think it’s the same logic for Barnes, and he will realize it eventually.
I think also that Leslie will go too. We could tell from watching him he was uninterested in playing college ball. Talent-wise, he’s NBA quality already. I think he’s pretty much out the door and doing due diligence by staying around and seeing what the new coach has to offer. Just a hunch, but I’d bet money he leaves.
And lastly, I completely believe Jordan Williams will stay. Training in Vegas is something Vasquez did and something a lot of prospective pros do. He will only get better from playing with good players — regardless of whether he stays or goes, be happy he’s out there working already. He’s not an NBA-level player yet, despite how dominant he was (at times) this season. One more year of college with significantly better guard play will only help his draft status.
But if JWill's not going to class
can he actually get eligible in time with summer classes, or are we looking at a mid-January return?
"Complacency is your demise." - Kerry King
Anyone know the status on Pankey?
Has he officially redshirted yet?
by stripesean on Apr 6, 2011 11:27 PM EDT via mobile reply actions

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