Mock Draft: College Players

Now that we are well into the season we’ve had a chance to meet the nation. We figured it was time to have a mock draft and debate and defend our picks. The draft was a snake format, five rounds, with three teams choosing: A-Train, Sawdog and 49ways. Coaches were picked at completion of the draft. A-Train won the toss and selected first.

Round 1

1. A-Train–John Wall, Kentucky (Freshman, 6’4, PG)
2. 49ways–Wesley Johnson, Syracuse (Junior, 6’7, SF)
3. Sawdog–DeMarcus Cousins, Kentucky (Freshman, 6’10, C)

Round 2

4. Sawdog–Derrick Favors, Georgia Tech (Freshman, 6’10, PF)
5. 49ways–Jerome Randle, California (Senior, 5’10, PG)
6. A-Train–Scottie Reynolds, Villanova (Senior, 6’2, SG)

Round 3

7. A-Train–Gani Lawal, Georgia Tech (Junior, 6’9, PF)
8. 49ways–Cole Aldrich, Kansas (Junior, 6’11, C)
9. Sawdog–Evan Turner, Ohio State (Junior, 6’7, SF)

Round 4

10. Sawdog–James Anderson, Oklahoma State (Junior, 6’6, SG)
11. 49ways–Al-Farouq Aminu, Wake Forest (Sophomore, 6’9, PF)
12. A-Train–Damion James, Texas (Senior, 6’7, SF)

Round 5

13. A-Train–Jarvis Varnado, Mississippi State (Senior, 6’9, C)
14. 49ways–Marquez Haynes, Texas-Arlington (Senior, 6’3, SG)
15. Sawdog–Eric Bledsoe, Kentucky (Freshman, 6’1, PG)

Coaches
Sawdog–John Calipari, Kentucky
49ways–Frank Martin, Kansas State
A-Train–Mike Krzyzewski, Duke

Sawdog answers questions first:

Did you have a draft strategy?
No. Honestly, I normally go with guards but I had the third pick and I wanted Cousins. There’s only a couple of guys in college that literally dominate with their presence and he is one of them. So basically I ran with the punches in this one. I’m not even sure who I would have taken if I had the #1 overall…maybe Cousins. The dude is crazy good.

What’s your weakest pick?
I erroneously took Eric Bledsoe as my point guard when my brain was abducted by a giant heap of stupidity. Honestly, Sherron Collins should have been my choice. My problem there is that I have to combat Wall somehow, and I tend to think I’ve got to have someone with comparable vertical athletic ability. Plus, I know Bledsoe faces Wall in practice and can handle the pressure of checking him. Although Bledsoe has some great attributes, and at one point was considered a potential lottery pick in next year’s draft, he has considerable issues dribbling the basketball. In a draft like this one you have to have a supreme ballhandler at the point guard spot, and I don’t have that with my selection. This is a major concern.

When you look at each team, which position has the best matchups across the board?
I really like the small forward matchups. Turner, Johnson, and James. Turner is deceptively good–real good. Johnson is a freakshow athlete that has range on his shot. James is a tremendous rebounder with a sweet outside shot. There could be some serious fun watching these guys tangle for 40 minutes.

Is there a player you picked that you might not have if this draft were done pre-season?
I think I could make a case for a couple of players, but the one that stands out the most is Evan Turner. He was billed as one of the nation’s best coming into the season, but I had yet to really see his game. All I know about this guy is that he was getting it done big time before a terrifying back injury, in which he returns a few weeks later and starts killing people again. He’s carrying an otherwise average Ohio State team and dragging them into the NCAA tournament. He’s not the most athletic guy, but he just wins. He gets it done. And he’s smart. I’ve gone from having him be an afterthought to now bragging about having his complete skill set and fearlessness in my lineup. That’s my biggest in-season adjustment–the way I perceive Evan Turner.

Do you have the best team?
Maybe. I wish I had more confidence but my draft tonight was careless. I had a great chance to put Sherron Collins, an experienced and fearless leader, in my lineup and I chose an inconsistent freshman instead. I love Bledsoe but I need ballhandling against superior guards–and with James and Bledsoe making up my backcourt I have neither. Cousins is nearly unstoppable, and Turner is a monster. I have two solid picks for sure. That leaves me with the Favors pick. I admit that this was based a little on name and not on merit. This has been an up and down year for the freshman big man from Georgia Tech. His ceiling is sky high, and I chose him with the hope that my coach not named Hewitt could coach him up. Plus, if you put him on the opposite block of his polar opposite, Cousins, maybe the mean streak that Favors lacks wouldn’t be necessary. Cousins would do that and let Favors thrive in cleaning up boards or feeding off the double team’s Cousin’s could create. THAT would be scary, and that is what I envisioned with those two down low. Overall though I chose three freshmen to take on the college game’s best players and one of them, my point guard, is an average dribbler. It’s possible I will still win, but I know the guys I’m going up against probably have better balance across the board. Managing A-Train’s guards will be a tremendous challenge, and 49ways has a perfectly mixed team if Frank Martin doesn’t Billy Gillispie them before they take the court. I have faith that my frontline can lead the way, and hope that Bledsoe’s strong will (he has plenty of that) can rule the day. Not my best draft though–I’ve had better!

And now 49ways will answer the same questions.

Did you have a draft strategy?
Absolutely! There are four components of the game of basketball that I firmly believe are the key to winning consistently. Ball handling, outside shooting, rebounding, and interior defense. The team I drafted is so solid in all of these areas. I chose Randle and Haynes because these guys are excellent at handling the ball, not to mention cat quick. Throw any press at these two, and it’s beat. How’s this for outside shooting – Randle, Haynes, and Johnson are ALL shooting at least 40% from downtown. Yep, down screens, flare screens, and double screens all day long. As far as rebounding goes, my front court is to die for. Johnson is at 8.8 per game, Aminu sits at 10.9 (ACC leader), and Aldrich is grabbing 10.1 (3rd in the Big 12). Then there’s interior defense. If you add just Johnson’s, Aminu’s, and Aldrich’s blocks per game, they’d be tied for 6th in the nation!

What’s your weakest pick?
Honestly, I don’t think I have a weak spot on this team, but if I had to choose I’d say Aldrich. All of my other players are capable of blowing up for 35 points. Not so sure about Big Cole. But that’s not why I drafted him. All I need him to do is use his big, fearless frame to grab some offensive rebounds and defend. I did not draft Cole Aldrich to score 20 points per game.

When you look at each team, which position has the best matchups across the board?
Looking at each team, I’d have to say the power forward spot. Wow! Can you imagine these guys banging down low? There would be such an intense battle for rebounds, it would sure be a joy to watch. And who would get their shot off the easiest?

Is there a player you picked that you might not have if this draft were done pre-season?
Yes. Marquez Haynes. Simply because I hadn’t seen him play until later in the year. But after seeing him play, I feel really good about Mr. Haynes. Just look at his stats and gamelog.

Do you have the best team?
Who knows. None of us will know. I really like my team, though. I have two super-quick guards who are excellent ball handlers and can break the press. I’ve got three guys who can shoot the heck out of the ball. My rebounding is unbelievable. And my front court will give their opponents a tough time scoring down low. I have exactly what I want. And throw in Frank Martin, whose up tempo style would be ideal for these guys. And by now, you’ve seen Martin’s expressions during a game. That look of death will have no problem motivating these studs.

A-Train’s logic:

Draft Strategy? I did have a strategy and that was to take the best available player. In retrospect I think I should have chosen a different strategy and gone after a dominant big man first and then filled in the guards later as there are more quality guards available than big men. That being said, it’s REAL hard to pass on John Wall with the number one overall pick.

What’s your weakest pick and why? My weakest pick would have to be Varnado. I say him partly because as he showed right after the draft he wasn’t up to handling a truly dominant post player like Cousins no matter how many career blocks he has. My thinking in taking him in the first place was that with so much talent and offense at the other positions he would anchor my defense and allow the other players a bit more freedom to take chances knowing that if their guy did get by them, then Varnado would be there to clean up the mess.

Which position has the best matchups? The Cousins/Varnado matchup is a doozy. To counter that, I would have Lawal guard Cousins and Varnado match up with the less polished Favors. I’d like to say that the Damion James/Wesley Johnson match goes to my team as well but I think at best that is a draw. I think neither of my opponents has a player that can contain John Wall. And I have yet to hear otherwise regarding a certain backcourt mate of Wall containing him in practice either.

Is there a player you picked that you might not have if this draft were done pre-season? If this were done pre-season I might not have chosen Varnado but I DEFINITELY would not have chosen Lawal. I’ve seen him play a few times this year and each time I’ve been more impressed. He’s got amazing athleticism for a player of his size as well as touch around the rim and an insatiable tenacity when it comes to rebounding. I knew none of this about him coming into this season.

Do you have the best team? After examining the other teams I still think in a one game match up my team prevails for one reason. John Wall. When all other things are equal I’ll take the team with the one guy that won’t let his team lose. 49ways made an astute comparison during the live chat the other night noting that Wall made some very Dewayne Wade-esque plays. Give me the guy that wills his team to win every time. Of course it doesn’t hurt that Wall, like Wade, is a supremely gifted talent but combine that with the will to win and you have a very special player.

Advertisement