8. Joe Harvell - Mississippi
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Name: Jamal Mashburn
College: Kentucky
Height: 6'8"
Position: Small Forward
Other Positions: Power Forward
Stengths: Versatility, Strength, Shooting, Ball-handling
Weaknesses: Perhaps leaping ability, mental attitude, average defender
Poop:
Jamal Mashburn finished his UK career as one of the all time greatest
Wildcat players. He finished his career leading the Wildcats to their
1st final four since 1984, and ended up the #4 leading scorer in
UK history. Mashburn is a jack of all trades. At 6'8", 235, he can
play either inside or outside. Inside, he has a variety of moves, a la
Kevin McHale, with all sorts of head fakes and turnaround moves. He
can be virtually unstoppable in the low post, especially against
smaller and weaker players. If that isn't enough, he can take his
game outside, where he can easily stroke the college 3-pter, and I
wouldn't be surprised if his range could extend to the NBA 3-pt line.
He can score from a set shot, he can score posting up, and he can score
off the dribble. He is an excellent ball-handler. Rick Pitino himself
calls him the prototype small forward in the NBA. Mashburn is a tough
one-on-one task for any defender. Not too many weaknesses on this
1st-team all-american, however, he always has been noted for a
lackadasical attitude, and is prone to "falling asleep" during games.
Doesn't really have that take-over attitude. Mashburn also has been
accused of not really being able to jump, and he doesn't block many
shots. He is an average defender at best, according to Pitino. However
his versatility is very well suited to today's NBA game, and expect him
to be one of the 1st 3, if not the 1st player picked in the 1993 draft.
Scout: Jazzy J
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Name: Calbert Cheaney
College: Indiana
Height: 6'8"
Weight: 206
Position: Small Forward
Other Positions: Shooting guard
Stengths: Versatility, Mental Attitude, Strength, Shooting
Weaknesses: Perhaps leaping ability, ball handling
Poop:
Calbert Cheaney completed his 4-year career at Indiana as the
all-time leading scorer in Big Ten history finishing with 2,613
points. The silky smooth lefty leaves IU as probably the best forward
ever to play at IU. It would be easier to list the POY awards Calbert
didn't win rather than the ones he did win.
Calbert is extremely versatile. He can hit the 3-pointer or hit the
short jumper in the lane or drive around you on the baseline. He had a
career FG percentage of .559. Additionally he averaged 19.8 PPG and
almost 6 rebounds a game over his 4 year career. Most importantly the
young man has a great attitude and is willing to work hard to succeed.
Ray Jackson of Michigan said that Calbert Cheaney was the hardest
player he ever had to guard. Pretty impressive when you consider that
Ray Jackson also had to guard opposing players like Jim Jackson.
Calbert really knows how to move without the ball.
Calbert's major weaknesses coming into this year were his
ball-handling and his concentration level. He answered his critics on
the concentration part of his game however his ball handling remains
as his major weakness. At IU, Calbert wasn't called on to handle the
ball much unless it was on the baseline. Calbert had plenty of help
scoring with the number of picks and screens set for him. The NBA will
not be quite so accomodating. Calbert is going to have to be able to
work for a shot on his own which means a lot more one-on-one play.
Calbert came to IU and only wanted to contribute. Calbert is entering
the pro ranks the same way he entered college. I wouldn't be surprised
if he made his pro career as solid as his college career. Calbert's
progress over the last 4 years is just a credit to the young man's
dedication and work ethic.
Scout: Mike Von Foerster
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Name: Vin Baker
College: Hartford
Height: 6'10"
Position: Small Forward
Other Possible Spots: Power Forward
Strengths: Ballhandling, shooting, scoring (inside and outside),
shot blocking, ball handling
Weaknesses: Lack of Size (bulk), Inside Game
Poop:
Vin Baker has been tabbed as a lottery pick by most GM's. He is the
son of a minister. I know there has been a lot of criticism by some
due to his lack of competition, but I think as he further develops his
outside game he can be a solid NBA pro. I'd compare him to Cliff
Robinson, but with a more consistent jump shot. Although he had solid
rebounding stats, I think he may get mauled by bigger, more physical
small forwards. If he gains weight he'll be ok.
Scout: Doug Mraz
More Poop:
"Baker has been compared favorably to Danny Manning. He is very quick
and runs the court well. Baker could be a potential star, but be could
be a bust due to his slender build and lack of competition. He will
be a late-lottery or mid-first round choice."
Scout: Basketball Weekly via Craig Simpson
More Poop:
Reviews range from:
"potential NBA all-star; handles, dishes, shoots with range like a
guard (also inside shooter), and in his free time rejects shots like
Hakeem"
to:
"Another tall skinny type - fairly quick but not physical enough to
be an NBA center. Prefers to play facing the basket He's highly
skilled and can dribble and shoot and score. He prefers to play
facing the basket. However, he is very thin and built soft.
Seems like the only disappointing thing about Baker is that he won't
play center in the NBA. For SF, or even PF (if he bulks up), he is one
talented player. He has scored a ton of points and collected a
similar number of rebounds in his collegiate career. Excellent
shot-blocking instincts. Could've been a sleeper pick, but league GMs
have caught on.
Scout: Ellie Cutler
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Name: Chris Mills
College: Arizona
Height: 6'6"
Position: Small Forward
Other Positions: Off Guard
Strengths: Consistency, Versatility, Scoring, Defense, Rebounding
Weaknesses: Intensity, Not a pure shooter, Lacks great speed
Poop:
After transferring from UK, Chris was billed as
the second coming of Sean Elliott. He never fulfilled these
expectations but had three very good seasons at Arizona.
One reason Chris never lived up to the Sean Elliott com-
parisions was his lack of leadership. Chris was content
to score his 15 points, grab 7.5 rebounds and dish off
a couple of assists a game (I am only guessing at the stats).
Unfortunately, most of the times these stats were racked up
in the first 25-30 minutes of the contest and Chris would
vanish down the stretch.
However in all fairness, Chris was by far Arizona's
best rebounder the last two seasons. In addition, he
plays good fundamentally sound defense, like most of
Lute Olson's players do, and is usually willing to
expend energy on the defensive side of the court.
On the offensive end of the court, Chris is a good
scorer who has some ability to create for himself. But his
outside shot is just average and he has trouble canning it
when people get in face. Also, like many college players
he does not take it to the hole strong enough.
I believe in the pros he will be a good sixth man
who swings between small forward and off guard. Given the
time, he will develop the strength needed for the physical play
in the NBA. However, the great speed required to play a lot
of minutes at the two spot is not here. Skillwise, Mills does
not excel in any one area but does everything well enough
to be a good overall contributor on the NBA level. In
addition, he appears to have a good team attitude and does
not come with any emotional baggage. Summarizing, he is a good
pick if one is risk averse and is picking from twelve on;
unlikely to be an all-pro but also unlikely to be a bust.
Scout: Jason Shachat
More Poop:
"...Mills will swing between gueard and forward in the pros. He can
score from anywhere, but he needs to improve his overall defensive
game. A good rebounder for his size, Mills could be a late-lottery
or mid-first-round pick."
Scout: Basketball Weekly via Craig Simpson
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Name: Josh Grant
College: Utah
Height: 6'10" (210lbs)
Position: Small Forward
Other Positions: guard?
Stengths: Shooting (particularly 3-pters), Ball-handling, intellegence
Weaknesses: Perhaps leaping ability, mental toughness, average defender, sat
out 91-92 year due to knee surgery, age (26 years old in Aug.)
Poop:
Josh finished the season as the WAC MVP( second time in three
seasons-sat out 91-92), all-WAC defensive team, second leading scorer
and rebounder in Utah history, one of 12 finalist for POY, and
honorable mention all-american.
Josh led the Utes to the second round of the NCAA (lost to Kentucky)
with 17 points and 11 rebounds per game. He also led the country in
free throw shooting percentage (92%). Josh has a great outside game
and has a range that extends out to NBA three. His inside game is
decent, but he has been known to disappear against better opponents.
Josh has had the advantage of a two year church mission to help give
him valuable maturity. This enabled him to be a real team leader last
year.
Josh's biggest critics question his intensity. He seems to be too
nice. Also he appears slow, but has good quickness and good hands.
He also has the ability to block shots (ask Shawn Bradley -7'4").
Scout: Eric W. Stroup
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Name: George Lynch
School: North Carolina
Height: 6-8 (6-7?)
Position: Small Forward
Other Possible Spots: Big Forward
Strengths: rebounding, quickness, defense, attitude
Weaknesses: outside shooting, ball handling, may be a "tweener"
Poop:
First team ALL-ACC and made the all NCAA-tourney team. He is quick
on quick (runs a 4.4 forty) and is a great leaper. He is listed at
6-8, but is probably closer to 6-7. He played PF at UNC for all
four years due to the fact that UNC had no one else who could play
it (at least no one who could play it as well as Lynch) and also
due to Lynch's lack of SF skills (i.e. shooting and ball handling).
That said, it should also be noted that Lynch made great strides in
those ares in his senior year and showed that he could run the break
and stick the 15-17 footers. Everyone talks about his 6 footer over
two Michigan players in the Championship game, but he could always
do that. The play that stands out for me is the 17 footer he hit in
the last few minutes. This was something he could not do his first
three years. Lynch has the ability to play SF and is certainly
athletic enough, he needs to get to a team that will allow him the time
to develop the skills. George is a Rodman type of rebounder, that is
he is relentless for the ball sometimes tipping the ball 3-4 times
until he (or a teammate) can grab it.
Scout: Craig Simpson
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Name: Stacey Poole
School: Florida
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 215
Position: Small Forward
Other Positions: Off guard
Strengths: Determination, Savvy, Hustle, Scoring
Weaknesses: Outside shooting, Injuries
Poop:
Stacey Poole is a living symbol of determination. Suffering thru
several knee injuries (including a torn ACL), Poole has worked himself
back into an All-SEC performer in his senior season. He was
unquestionably the Gators' leader the past few seasons. Poole was
a big-time high school all-american, and despite the injuries, did
rather well in college. Poole is a jack of all-trades, he can score
either inside or outside, and spent most of his time at forward in
college. He does not have great range, however. Despite the
knee problems, Poole is a gritty defender and always hustles. With
all the injury problems he's had, U have to wonder. His game was
probably suited more to the college game, but he could be worth a
look later in the draft.
Scout: Jazzy J
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Name: Tony Dunkin
School: Coastal Carolina
Height: 6'7"
Position: Small Forward
Other Possible Spots: Shooting guard
Strengths: great athlete
Weaknesses: lack of competition
Poop:
We've all seen that series of adds (for shoes?) where various players
have famous names which they have to live up to. "Now entering the
game... Knute Rockne."
Well, imagine if you're a basketball player, and your name is "Dunkin".
The first 4-time conference POTY for the Big South(?), Dunkin has the
skills, but hasn't been tested at the level of most other Seniors.
His draft status is uncertain - you have to know that some GM is gonna
be thinking, "Hmm... the next Scottie Pippin". Look for a team with
multiple second round picks to take a flyer on him.
First round outlook: unlikely
Scout: Matthew Merzbacher
More Poop:
Three time Big South POY. Averaged 23 pts/8RB last year. I don't know
too much about him, other than he's enough of a big-time player/go-to
guy that the Lakers (at least) were scouting him in the NCAA.
Scout: Ellie Cutler
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Name: Will Flemons
School: Texas Tech
Height: 6'7"
Position: Small Forward
Other Possible Spots: Power Forward
Strengths: rebounding
Weaknesses: outside range, ballhandling skills
Poop:
Flemons is a strong rebounder but because he was a inside player for
Texas Tech he does not really own small forward skills. He is also
not a great athlete. Flemons has an extremely accurate jump shot
within 10 feet and can score facing the basket, or with his back
to the basket. He did have some foot injury problems earlier in
his career but it seems to have solved with special support pads in
his shoes. He will be a second round pick or free-agent.
Scout: Craig Simpson
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Name: Joe Harvell
College: Mississippi
School: Mississippi
Height: 6'7"
Position: Small Forward
Other Positions: Off guard
Strengths: Scoring, Versatility
Weaknesses: Ball handling, size
Poop:
Harvell had an off season after a wonderous season the year before in
which he led the SEC in scoring at 25ppg. His senior season, he
averaged about 17ppg. Harvell is a pure small forward. He also is
a pure scoring machine. He can hit the 3, and can post up inside
against smaller players. While he can create his own shot, it will
be a lot harder for him in the pros. Harvell struggles a bit ball
handling wise, and is not a great passer. At Mississippi he was "the
man", it won't be that way in the pros. Harvell might be 6'7", but
may actually be shorter than that listed height. He may have to make
the transition to off guard in the pros, and that's not going to be
easy for him. Harvell is adequate defensively. He also is not a
great rebounder. It's hard to say how scouts will look upon him after
a down senior season, but my guess is for him to go somewhere maybe
in the late 2nd round.
Scout: Jazzy J
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Name: Evric Gray
School: UNLV
Height: 6'7"
Weight: 235
Position: Small Forward
Other Possible Spots: Power Forward, shooting guard
Strengths: excellent athlete, rebounding
Weaknesses: Outside shot, an underachiever
Poop:
Gray is an excellent athlete who thrives in the transition game. He
He can play three positions but has played mostly at center which has
not allowed him the opportunity to work on his outside shot. Former
coach, Jerry Tarkanian said of Gray, "He could be a great shooter if
he worked at it, but he seems content to be average. If Evric was a
great shooter he could play in the NBA, he's such a great athlete. He
is a likely second-rounder.
Scout: Basketball Weekly via Craig Simpson
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Name: Andy Kaufman
School: Illinois
Height: 6'5"
Position: Small Forward
Other Possible Spots: Shooting Guard
Strengths: Scoring
Weaknesses: Defense, Passing, Attitude
Poop:
In his 5 years at lllinois, Andy Kaufman has been the center of much
debate. This year was no exception. He hit the game-winning shot vs. Iowa
but later on did not travel with the team to Penn State. Coach Lou Henson
benched him in the game at Minnesota, and I think this put Andy in a
psychological shell. He never seemed to score the rest of the season like
he had in the first part. Yet his passing did improve after the benching.
He seems too small to play small forward, and too slow to defend at the
shooting guard position. He can score, but can he create his own shot, a
neccessity in the NBA? I doubt it. Probably headed for Europe, but some
team will give him a free agent offer in the preseason.
Scout: Doug Mraz (jdm42241@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu)
Craig Simpson - Usenet Draft Commissioner