The most stacked bracket of all in terms of NBA caliber talent, we find numerous lottery prospects littered around the various teams, particularly with extremely young and talented Memphis and Kansas teams. Adam Morrison, Rodney Carney, Brandon Rush and Ronnie Brewer will be followed the closest, but nearly every game here will feature more than one first round prospect.
Atlanta Bracket NBA Draft Prospects
Minneapolis Bracket NBA Draft Prospects
Washingotn Bracket NBA Draft Prospects
The Bracket
#1 Memphis
Mike Schmidt
Rodney Carney, 6-7, senior, SG/SF, (lottery pick)
One of the premier athletes in all of college basketball, Rodney Carney is having his best season of his career as a senior. In the past, Carney struggled with consistency issues, but hes improved greatly in this area and has been the #1 option offensively on a very talented and athletic team. He also has career highs in field goal and three point percentage, though his free throw percentage is down from last season. Most of the current questions revolving around Carneys NBA potential deal with his poor shot selection and inability to create consistent offense beyond his somewhat streaky 3-point shot and highlight reel dunks. His in-between game is still not there, but NBA scouts generally recognize that Carney still has a massive upside to continue to improve if the lightbulb comes on for him in the pros.
For Memphis to make a run at the final four, Rodney Carney will need to carry the team on offense at times, and continue to play good defense. Somebody with all of the physical tools that Carney has should be a very good defender and rebounder, but is at times lacking in those two areas. His performance in the NCAA tournament will be very important to his draft position in June. If Carney can improve his shot selection, show better focus on both ends of the floor and look to his teammates more, he could see himself in the top 10 when its all said and done.
For Memphis to make a run at the final four, Rodney Carney will need to carry the team on offense at times, and continue to play good defense. Somebody with all of the physical tools that Carney has should be a very good defender and rebounder, but is at times lacking in those two areas. His performance in the NCAA tournament will be very important to his draft position in June. If Carney can improve his shot selection, show better focus on both ends of the floor and look to his teammates more, he could see himself in the top 10 when its all said and done.
Darius Washington Jr., 6-2, sophomore, point guard, (future first round pick)
Washington is one of the more talented point guards in the nation, and has had a very up and down sophomore season after falling just short of leading Memphis to the NCAA tournament as a freshman. After a strong start to his season, Washington missed a few games with a deep thigh injury, and was clearly bothered by it in other games even months later. Since he has returned, he has been inconsistent, though he does have the Memphis offense running very smoothly. Washington possesses a nice shooting stroke from the outside, and the ability to get into the lane and take contact while finishing. His quick first step also earns him many trips to the free throw line as well. Darius still needs work on his defense, though he has the physical potential to become a good defender if he can shed some weight off his stocky frame.
For Memphis to win the national championship, Washington must cut down on turnovers, and keep the offense running smoothly. He will also need to show the leadership ability he did last season after Sean Banks was kicked off the team. Darius was instrumental in leading the Tigers to wins in 6 of their last 8 games last season, and if he can do the same during the NCAA tournament, it will greatly improve his draft stock. Darius Washington Jr. has all the tools to become a very good NBA player if he learns to utilize all of his talents properly, and the NCAA tournament would be a great place for this to start.
Shawne Williams, 6-9, freshman, SF/PF, (future first rounder)
After nearly declaring for the draft out of high school and not hearing what he wanted, Williams enrolled in Memphis, and has put together a very nice freshman season for the Tigers. He has a nice all-around game on offense, and is a very unselfish player. Though Williams has a nice looking perimeter shot, it has been wildly inconsistent throughout the season, and his three point field goal percentage will need to improve from 31%. Shawne Williams has great size for the small forward position, and good athleticism to compliment his size. He knows how to use his length and athletic ability on the defensive side of the ball, and was very effective in defending Adam Morrison in the second half of their game against Gonzaga earlier this season.
Williams will need to continue to play lockdown defense for Memphis to advance far in the NCAA tournament. He also needs to be the number 1 scoring option if Rodney Carney and Darius Washington are resting, so he will need to step up and play a larger role than most freshman are asked to on a tournament team. It is no secret that Shawne Williams wants to play in the NBA, and its hard to envision him staying in school past his sophomore season. If he can establish himself during the NCAA tournament by contributing to a Memphis final four run, then he will probably declare in 2006. Otherwise, he will probably come back next year and become the number 1 or 2 option on Memphis while possibly solidifying a spot in the lottery.