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JaRon Rush
School: UCLA Class: Sophomore
Height: 6'7" Weight: 207
Position: Small Forward

Stats (Provided by JazzyJ)

                  G  MIN  FG  FGA  3P 3PA  FT FTA  REB  PF AST  TO BLK STL  PTS
98-99 UCLA       28  788 115  309  27 102  63 101  205  81  24  51  14  44  320
99-00 UCLA        9  196  43   77  12  31  11  15   51  23  11  12   1  12  109
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TOTALS           37  984 158  386  39 133  74 116  256 104  35  63  15  56  429

                  MIN   FG%   3P%   FT%  RPG  APG  TPG  BPG  SPG   PPG
98-99 UCLA       28.1  37.2  26.5  62.4  7.3  0.9  1.8  0.5  1.6  11.4
99-00 UCLA       21.8  55.8  38.7  73.3  5.7  1.2  1.3  0.1  1.3  12.1
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TOTALS           26.6  40.9  29.3  63.8  6.9  0.9  1.7  0.4  1.5  11.6

Scouting Reports

Rush is the one player in this draft taking a paycut. His college career ended abruptly after a suspension for taking money while in HS from Tom Grant. It turns out Rush told the NCAA he took 6 grand, in reality it was 17. Knowing the NCAA would require him to repay the full amount, Rush dropped out of school and began preparing for the draft. Good athlete but woefully unprepared for the NBA. Leaper and runner but not a good ball handler and his shot is inconsistent. Shot only 39% from the floor as a frosh, nearly 56% in limited action as a soph. He played more PF than anything as a freshman.

Rush has ability but he's played far too little and he's not a guard. I don't think he's got the mentality to sit on the bench and learn, I don't expect him to stick at all in the NBA.

Scout: Russ Smith


Rush's exit from UCLA is well documented, so I won't do it.  He's 6-7 and about 205 by my eye, with a body that can stand to add more weight.  I'd guess that his playing weight in the NBA (if he sticks) will be right around 220.  Physically, he plays strong, knows how to position himself for rebounds and defends the post fairly well.  I think he led UCLA in rebounding his freshman year, over guys like 6-10, 250 behemoth Dan Gadzuric and 6-11 likely lottery pick Jerome Moiso.  Rush is more effective on the offensive glass than on the defensive, because on the defensive end he guards perimeter players, and will sometimes leak out in transition for easy shots.  He's a great leaper whose completed alley-oops made highlight reels during this year's tournament. Rush shoots with good form, but didn't make many treys his freshman year -- it is unknown how much a back injury had to do with his shooting woes. His first game back from suspension this last season Rush hit a three pointer to either beat Stanford or send the game to OT, I can't remember.  But in HS, he was a smooth shooter with good range, just as his younger brother Kareem is at Missouri.  JaRon is not a good ballhandler, not an impressive passer, and is (IMO) not at all ready for the NBA.  Consider this:  Rush's best attribute as a potential pro is his athleticism.  Corey Maggette is a better athlete than Rush, a better ballhandler, and has a more fluid all-around game than Rush, yet failed to make more than a minimal impact in the NBA despite playing for a team that wasn't exactly loaded on the wings.

I'm a big fan of JaRon Rush, and hope he is able to stick in the NBA long enough to develop his game -- unlike his HS buddy and AAU teammate on the infamous CMH 76ers, Korleone Young [Maggette played on that team as well].  But the fact seems to be that Rush lacks the skills and refinement to make it in the NBA.  He doesn't have a single outstanding ability on the court (a la Donnell Harvey).  If he is drafted, it will likely be in the second round... most likely he will have to go the camp route, and spend some time overseas.

Scout: Paor@aol.com