There used to be
a stigma on junior college players that they were just athletic players who
often play out of control and rarely play defense. There were also questions
about whether the players have what it takes to make it academically.
However, that
perception has changed as many teams have utilized the juco ranks to add talent
to their roster.
Iowa State
advanced to the Elite Eight last season after a 15-15 finish in 1998-99. Big 12
Player of the Year Marcus Fizer was the key player for the Cyclones, but Iowa
State fans will tell you that the team needed the addition of Big 12 Newcomer
of the Year Jamaal Tinsley to run the team at the point guard spot.
Tinsley never played high school basketball, but emerged as one of the top
junior college guard at Mt. San Jacinto (CA) CC. He is a projected first round
pick and despite the loss of Fizer, the Cyclones are back in the Top 25.
6-5 Michael
Hicks averaged 22.2 points and 9.2 points per game for Texas A&M-Corpus
Christi last season and this year, he is second in the country with 26.4 points
per game. The Islanders finished 13-13 last season in their first season as a
Division I school and upset NCAA tournament team Samford. Hicks is a member of
the Panama national team and may be the best player in the country that you
never heard of. He could be a NBA Draft pick in June.
NBA scouts are
starting to scouts more junior college games as a chance to get to know some of
the top players in the country. This has led to more former juco standouts
being drafted.
Steve Francis
was the second overall pick in the 1999 NBA draft and was the co-winner of the
1999-2000 Schick Rookie of the Year Award. He played just one season at
Maryland after playing one season each at San Jacinto (TX) JC and Allegany (MD)
CC.
Larry Johnson
shined at UNLV and was the first pick in the 1991. He starred at Odessa (TX) JC
before becoming a Running Rebel.
In fact, two of
the top junior college players last season decided to enter the NBA Draft.
Ernest Brown of Indian Hills (IA) CC was the 52nd pick by Miami.
Brown played well for the Heat, averaging 12.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game
at the Atlanta summer League. However, the Heat felt that he would benefit from
more seasoning and decided to not invite him to training camp. He is expected
to play overseas this year. Teammate Cory Hightower was the 54th
overall pick by San Antonio. He was dealt to the Lakers on draft night for two
future second round picks. Hightower averaged 9.8 points per game during the
L.A. Summer League. Hightower is battling for a spot on the Lakers’ roster.
Chris Massie
is considered to be one of the top junior college players in the country. He
recently turned 23 years old and did not play high school basketball. He worked
as a machinist’s assistant for a few years after graduating high school before
deciding to play juco ball. There has been some talk that he may explore
entering the NBA draft. Massie is a good inside player, but he needs to watch
his weight. He was recently suspended indefinitely for not returning to the
team immediately after the Christmas break. Massie is averaging 17.6 points and
12.8 rebounds per game.
Another top junior college player had difficulty finding his
way back to school. Barton County point guard Eric Bush missed the start
of the second semester as he stayed at home for personal reason. He started his
career at Illinois State, but left within the week. He wound up finishing as
the Cougars' leading scorer and the Jayhawk West MVP last season. Bush has
excellent quickness and can push the ball. He is a good creator. There was talk
of him landing at Fordham last season, but he decided to return for his
sophomore season. Bush is averaging 19.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game and
is being recruited by Cincinnati, Mississippi State among others. .
Bush is not the only talented
Barton County player this season. Forwards Carlton Baker and Ebi Ere
are being recruited by many of the top college programs. Baker is an effective
inside player who is active on the glass. He was averaging 21.9 points and 9.5
rebounds per game before he was recently suspended for the season. Baker was
ejected from his second game of the season and as part of Jayhawk Conference
rules, he can’t play again this year. Ere has seen his scoring rise with the
loss of Baker and he is currently leading the conference with 23.2 points per
game. He signed with Oklahoma out of high school and the Sooners would love to
land him again.
Barton County had another top
forward prospect Travis Robinson, but he recently left the team due to
frustration on his role. Robinson, you might recall, left Fresno State after
just six games last season and announced that he was going to enter the NBA
Draft. He decided wisely to go the JC route, but his recent departure cause
questions on his future plans.
6-2 sophomore Marcus
Hatten of Tallahassee (FL) CC has paced his team to the #2 spot in
the country and he is leading the Panhandle Conference in scoring with 23.4
points per game. He was the Pandhandle’s Freshman of the Year last season. He
is being recruited by St. John’s and Minnesota among others.
Conference rival Kedrick Brown of Okalooa-Walton has
also shined this season. He missed
three games recently, due to a turf toe, only to comeback to score a
season-high 37 points. He signed with LSU in the early signing period. Brown is
averaging 23 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. The 6-7 forward is
shooting 53% from the field and 40% from three-point range. Three NBA scouts
recently watch his team play Hatten’s squad.
Jerry Holman has helped pace his Minneapolis CC team
to a number two spot in Division II basketball. He was an unknown coming out of
high school, but he emerged at Jerry Mullen’s camp in Tulsa after his freshman
season. Holman sat out last to work on his academics, but shined in the summer,
helping lead his team to the championship in the Minneapolis Summer League. He
outshine lottery pick Joel Przybilla in the championship, which led to some
speculation that he might enter the NBA Draft. Holman has gained ground on his
schoolwork and it appears that he will be eligible next season. He and top ten
recruit Rick Rickert could help combine to give Minnesota one of the top young
frontcourts in the country. Holman is leading the Minnesota junior colleges in
scoring (19.1), field goal percentage (61.7%), rebounding (15.9) and blocked
shots. His team remains undefeated.
These players are
hoping that they can become the next group of junior college stars that can
make the transition to Division I basketball as seamlessly as their
highly-touted predecessors.
The following is
a look at some of the top junior college sophomores.
|
NAME |
HT |
POS |
JUNIOR COLLEGE |
COLLEGE CHOICE |
|
Carlton Baker |
6-7 |
SF |
Barton County (KS) CC |
SAN JOSE STATE |
|
Marcus Banks |
6-2 |
PG |
Dixie (UT) JC |
UNLV |
|
Josh Bernard |
6-6 |
SG |
Tacoma (WA) CC |
WASHINGTON |
|
Winston Brooks |
6-0 |
PG |
Northern Idaho (ID) JC |
GONZAGA |
|
Jamal Brown |
6-7 |
PF |
Seward County (KS) CC |
TCU |
|
Kedrick Brown |
6-7 |
PF |
Okaloosa-Walton (FL) CC |
LOUISIANA STATE |
|
Kenny Brown |
6-9 |
C |
Iowa Western (IA) CC |
ST. LOUIS |
|
Eric Bush |
5-10 |
PG |
Barton County (KS) CC |
UAB |
|
Cardell Butler |
6-4 |
SG |
Southern Idaho (ID) JC |
|
|
Lou Chapman |
5-11 |
PG |
Colby (KS) JC |
NORTH CAROLINA-WILMINGTON |
|
Brennon Clemmons |
6-2 |
PG |
Olney (IL) JC |
NEBRASKA |
|
Leroy Davis |
6-4 |
SG |
Southern Union (AL) JC |
LOUISVILLE |
|
Thomas Davis |
6-8 |
PF |
Kilgore (TX) JC |
LOUISIANA STATE |
|
Gilson DeJesus |
6-4 |
SG |
Trinidad State (CO) JC |
KANSAS STATE |
|
Jason Detrick |
6-5 |
SF |
SMSU-West Plains (MO) CC |
OKLAHOMA |
|
Moustapha Diagne |
7-0 |
C |
Trinity Valley (TX) CC |
|
|
Jerry Dupree |
6-7 |
SF |
San Bernardino (CA) JC |
|
|
Ebi Ere |
6-6 |
SF |
Barton County (KS) CC |
|
|
Nicola Evola |
6-8 |
PF |
Schoolcraft (MI) College |
WESTERN MICHIGAN |
|
Antonio Falu |
6-5 |
SG |
San Jacinto (TX) JC |
VALPARAISO |
|
Blandon Ferguson |
6-3 |
SG |
Southern Idaho (ID) JC |
|
|
Hiram Fuller |
6-9 |
PF |
Wabash Valley (IL) JC |
FRESNO STATE |
|
Derek Glasper |
6-3 |
SG |
Neosho (KS) CC |
|
|
Victor Goncalves |
6-9 |
C |
Utah Valley (UT) JC |
|
|
Trevor Harvey |
6-11 |
C |
Marshalltown (IA) CC |
|
|
Marcus Hatten |
6-2 |
SG |
Tallahassee (FL) CC |
|
|
Mike Hayes |
6-8 |
PF |
Cowley County (KS) CC |
XAVIER |
|
Jamal Holden |
6-9 |
PF |
Westark (AR) JC |
TEXAS TECH |
|
Thaydeus Holden |
6-1 |
PG |
Seward County (KS) CC |
TENNESSEE |
|
Jerome Holman |
5-10 |
PG |
Trinity Valley (TX) CC |
|
|
Jerry Holman |
6-10 |
PF |
Minneapolis Tech (MN) CC |
MINNESOTA |
|
Sam Hoskins |
6-8 |
PF |
Schoolcraft (MI) JC |
DEPAUL |
|
Larry House |
6-5 |
SG |
Colby (KS) JC |
CREIGHTON |
|
Jimmy Hubbard |
6-6 |
SF |
Johnson County (KS) CC |
CINCINNATI |
|
John Humphrey |
6-1 |
PG |
Louisburg (NC) CC |
MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE |
|
Bradley Jackson |
5-9 |
PG |
Southern Idaho (ID) JC |
|
|
Chris Jackson |
6-9 |
PF |
Garden City (KS) CC |
NEW MEXICO STATE |
|
David Johnson |
6-10 |
C |
Weatherford (TX) CC |
TEXAS A&M CORPUS CHRISTI |
|
Greg Johnson |
6-8 |
SF |
Southern Union (AL) CC |
AUBURN |
|
Marcus Johnson |
6-2 |
SG |
Trinity Valley (TX) CC |
|
|
Shawnson Johnson |
6-9 |
PF |
Lee (TX) JC |
LOUISIANA STATE |
|
Darmetreis Kilgore |
6-5 |
SF |
Tyler (TX) JC |
PURDUE |
|
Tommie King |
6-7 |
SF |
Western Nebraska (NE) CC |
IOWA STATE |
|
Ermal Kuqo |
6-10 |
C |
Seminole State (OK) JC |
TEXAS TECH |
|
Benjamin Lambert |
6-8 |
PF |
Okaloosa-Walton (FL) CC |
SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI |
|
Chauncey Leslie |
6-1 |
SG |
Indian Hills (IA) CC |
IOWA |
|
Mike Mackell |
6-9 |
PF |
Porterville (CA) CC |
SAN DIEGO STATE |
|
Kei Madison |
6-8 |
SF |
Southern Union (AL) JC |
ALABAMA |
|
Chris Massie |
6-8 |
PF |
Oxnard (CA) JC |
MEMPHIS |
|
Uche Okafor |
7-0 |
C |
Southern Idaho (ID) JC |
|
|
Stalin Ortiz |
6-3 |
SG |
Three Rivers (MO) CC |
VALPARAISO |
|
Pervis Pasco |
6-9 |
C |
Pensacola (FL) JC |
KANSAS STATE |
|
Desmond Penigar |
6-7 |
PF |
Ventura (CA) JC |
UTAH STATE |
|
Billy Pharis |
6-8 |
PF |
Westark (AR) JC |
|
|
Kasib Powell |
6-6 |
SF |
Butler (KS) CC |
TEXAS TECH |
|
Willie Puckett |
6-5 |
SF |
Odessa (TX) JC |
GEORGIA SOUTHERN |
|
Ryan Randle |
6-9 |
PF |
Allegany (MD) JC |
MARYLAND |
|
Donta Richardson |
6-2 |
SG |
Sheridan (WY) CC |
WYOMING |
|
Jamaicus Ricks |
5-10 |
PG |
Independence (KS) CC |
|
|
Antonae Roberson |
6-5 |
SF |
San Jose (CA) CC |
UAB |
|
Sylbrin Robinson |
6-9 |
PF |
Odessa (TX) JC |
NORTHEASTERN |
|
Travis Robinson |
6-7 |
SF |
Barton County (KS) CC |
|
|
Hector Romero |
6-6 |
SF |
Independence (KS) CC |
|
|
Janerio Spurlock |
6-6 |
SF |
Chipola (FL) JC |
KANSAS STATE |
|
Pawel Storozynski |
6-8 |
SF |
Dodge City (KS) CC |
TEXAS TECH |
|
Darren Tarver |
6-2 |
SG |
Wabash Valley (IL) JC |
GEORGE MASON |
|
Garnett Thompson |
6-9 |
PF |
Suffolk (NY) CC |
PROVIDENCE |
|
Darnell Tyler |
6-9 |
PF |
Tallahassee (FL) CC |
RHODE ISLAND |
|
Luc-Arthur Vebobe |
6-9 |
PF |
Foothill (CA) JC |
|
|
Marshall Williams |
6-5 |
SF |
Vincennes (IN) CC |
|