Post by John on Feb 6, 2006 2:17:16 GMT -4
So which will have the bigger NBA (or for that matter, SLOX) impact? From the Raleigh News & Observer...
North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough is doing everything coach Roy Williams could have hoped for: bullying through double-teams, battling through fatigue, leading the young Tar Heels in scoring and rebounding.
Duke's Josh McRoberts, meanwhile, is still trying to find his niche in coach Mike Krzyzewski's system: ceding touches to seniors, learning high-post moves and struggling to showcase the athleticism that made him a top prospect out of high school.
Although the two freshmen are having vastly different impacts, they could end up in the same place next season: the NBA.
"It's definitely possible," said NBA draft analyst Chris Monter, who added that both big men would be first-round draft picks right now. "Hansbrough, he's having a terrific year; in my Wooden Award balloting, I ranked him 31 on my list of 30.
"McRoberts' numbers aren't as impressive, but he has Shelden [Williams] and J.J. [Redick] around him ... and he is still playing for the top team [sic] in the country."
As Hansbrough prepares to face Clemson today and McRoberts readies himself for Florida State, both insist it is too early to ponder their futures as professional basketball players.
"I've got a lot of other stuff to focus on; I'm not even thinking about that," said Hansbrough, who is averaging 18.1 points and 7.6 rebounds. His Duke counterpart's response was similar.
"I'm concentrating on this year, this team," said McRoberts, who is averaging 7.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.
But Atlanta Hawks rookie Marvin Williams and second-year Chicago Bulls player Luol Deng had similar sentiments as freshmen -- until the Tar Heels won the national title last season and Duke landed in the Final Four in 2004, respectively.
"A strong NCAA Tournament run sometimes changes perceptions of players," Monter said. "If you win a national title and feel you have done everything you came to college to do ... it may be an easier decision to make."
Plus, this year's draft could be thin, considering that many top would-be juniors (such as LeBron James, Charlie Villanueva) and seniors (Amare Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony) are already in the pros and no U.S. high schoolers will be part of the draft. (Under the NBA's latest collective bargaining agreement, U.S. players must be a year removed from high school and age 19 during the calendar year before they can enter the draft.)
Hansbrough, a 6-foot-9 forward playing center, says he wants to win a title before he goes anywhere. That's a plus for the Tar Heels, who lost four underclassmen to last year's draft.
"Hansbrough, to me, has had the most impact of any freshman in America in terms of a major program," ESPN analyst Dick Vitale said.
Indeed, he has already earned six ACC Rookie of the Week nods and he is on pace to become the first freshman to lead UNC in points and rebounds.
Hansbrough is durable. He's coachable. He has fouled out of only one game this season. And even though he is 20 years old already, he can get stronger.
"If Sean [May] and Marvin still would have been here, I think I could have learned a lot from them," Hansbrough said. "... But with them gone, I fell in the mix real quick. I've had a lot of experience that a lot of freshmen don't get so soon. ... I've learned that way, too."
The 6-10 McRoberts has had to earn, and learn, his way into the Blue Devils' mix.
With senior Williams starting in the low post, McRoberts has had to adjust to the high post -- where he mostly sets screens and did not originally rebound well enough for his coach's taste. McRoberts,18, entered the starting lineup in Duke's second game and has started 18 of 21 contests, averaging 22.2 minutes.
Three games ago, Krzyzewski tweaked the rotation so that McRoberts could get more time in the low post; the freshman has been more productive since. Still, playing behind two All-Americas, McRoberts gets to show only flashes of the ability that the NBA covets: baseline drives-and-dunks, finishes on fast breaks and strong moves on the low block. NBA scouts are not allowed to comment on underclassmen, but they are watching.
"I think his comfort zone will happen next year when he can go back in the post," Vitale said of McRoberts. "Because right now he's trying to do things he didn't do in high school. Obviously, he's a talented player. He shows moments out there [of] passing ability, post-up ability, rebounding ability -- that he's outstanding."
Outstanding enough for the NBA as soon as next season?
Like Hansbrough, his play in the NCAA Tournament may determine that. When No. 2 Duke lost sophomore guard DeMarcus Nelson for a nine-game stretch due to an ankle injury, Krzyzewski said McRoberts had to do more for the Devils both now and in March.
Hansbrough, meanwhile, has shown he must be a consistent star for the Tar Heels to even make the NCAA Tournament.
"It's obvious he [Hansbrough] is their main guy on that team and, at best, I'm like our third option," said McRoberts, who said he didn't want to speculate on what would happen if their roles were reversed. "That's a big difference."
Still, they both could face the same decision: go or stay?
North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough is doing everything coach Roy Williams could have hoped for: bullying through double-teams, battling through fatigue, leading the young Tar Heels in scoring and rebounding.
Duke's Josh McRoberts, meanwhile, is still trying to find his niche in coach Mike Krzyzewski's system: ceding touches to seniors, learning high-post moves and struggling to showcase the athleticism that made him a top prospect out of high school.
Although the two freshmen are having vastly different impacts, they could end up in the same place next season: the NBA.
"It's definitely possible," said NBA draft analyst Chris Monter, who added that both big men would be first-round draft picks right now. "Hansbrough, he's having a terrific year; in my Wooden Award balloting, I ranked him 31 on my list of 30.
"McRoberts' numbers aren't as impressive, but he has Shelden [Williams] and J.J. [Redick] around him ... and he is still playing for the top team [sic] in the country."
As Hansbrough prepares to face Clemson today and McRoberts readies himself for Florida State, both insist it is too early to ponder their futures as professional basketball players.
"I've got a lot of other stuff to focus on; I'm not even thinking about that," said Hansbrough, who is averaging 18.1 points and 7.6 rebounds. His Duke counterpart's response was similar.
"I'm concentrating on this year, this team," said McRoberts, who is averaging 7.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.
But Atlanta Hawks rookie Marvin Williams and second-year Chicago Bulls player Luol Deng had similar sentiments as freshmen -- until the Tar Heels won the national title last season and Duke landed in the Final Four in 2004, respectively.
"A strong NCAA Tournament run sometimes changes perceptions of players," Monter said. "If you win a national title and feel you have done everything you came to college to do ... it may be an easier decision to make."
Plus, this year's draft could be thin, considering that many top would-be juniors (such as LeBron James, Charlie Villanueva) and seniors (Amare Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony) are already in the pros and no U.S. high schoolers will be part of the draft. (Under the NBA's latest collective bargaining agreement, U.S. players must be a year removed from high school and age 19 during the calendar year before they can enter the draft.)
Hansbrough, a 6-foot-9 forward playing center, says he wants to win a title before he goes anywhere. That's a plus for the Tar Heels, who lost four underclassmen to last year's draft.
"Hansbrough, to me, has had the most impact of any freshman in America in terms of a major program," ESPN analyst Dick Vitale said.
Indeed, he has already earned six ACC Rookie of the Week nods and he is on pace to become the first freshman to lead UNC in points and rebounds.
Hansbrough is durable. He's coachable. He has fouled out of only one game this season. And even though he is 20 years old already, he can get stronger.
"If Sean [May] and Marvin still would have been here, I think I could have learned a lot from them," Hansbrough said. "... But with them gone, I fell in the mix real quick. I've had a lot of experience that a lot of freshmen don't get so soon. ... I've learned that way, too."
The 6-10 McRoberts has had to earn, and learn, his way into the Blue Devils' mix.
With senior Williams starting in the low post, McRoberts has had to adjust to the high post -- where he mostly sets screens and did not originally rebound well enough for his coach's taste. McRoberts,18, entered the starting lineup in Duke's second game and has started 18 of 21 contests, averaging 22.2 minutes.
Three games ago, Krzyzewski tweaked the rotation so that McRoberts could get more time in the low post; the freshman has been more productive since. Still, playing behind two All-Americas, McRoberts gets to show only flashes of the ability that the NBA covets: baseline drives-and-dunks, finishes on fast breaks and strong moves on the low block. NBA scouts are not allowed to comment on underclassmen, but they are watching.
"I think his comfort zone will happen next year when he can go back in the post," Vitale said of McRoberts. "Because right now he's trying to do things he didn't do in high school. Obviously, he's a talented player. He shows moments out there [of] passing ability, post-up ability, rebounding ability -- that he's outstanding."
Outstanding enough for the NBA as soon as next season?
Like Hansbrough, his play in the NCAA Tournament may determine that. When No. 2 Duke lost sophomore guard DeMarcus Nelson for a nine-game stretch due to an ankle injury, Krzyzewski said McRoberts had to do more for the Devils both now and in March.
Hansbrough, meanwhile, has shown he must be a consistent star for the Tar Heels to even make the NCAA Tournament.
"It's obvious he [Hansbrough] is their main guy on that team and, at best, I'm like our third option," said McRoberts, who said he didn't want to speculate on what would happen if their roles were reversed. "That's a big difference."
Still, they both could face the same decision: go or stay?