By: David Kay
The Big East Tournament is played on the biggest basketball stage in the world; Madison Square Garden. Plenty of scouts flock to MSG every March for the BET and with every game televised, the exposure for future NBA hopefuls is heightened more so than any other time of the year (minus maybe the NCAA Tournament.) Here is a look at which players helped and hurt their stock with their performances at the BET.
BUY:
Greg Monroe, PF, Georgetown, Soph.
Chris Wright, PG, Georgetown, Jr.
I am absolutely floored by how well these two guys played in the past few days. Monroe has been an absolute beast showing off his versatility and reminding me why I had him as the #2 overall pick in the 2010 Draft early in the season. His stat lines: 16 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists in 25 minutes against USF. Then 15, 10, 7 versus Syracuse and 23, 13, 7 against Marquette. I leave with this thought; would you take a safe bet in Monroe or a talented but possible head case in Kentucky’s DeMarcus Cousins?
As for Wright, the former McDonald’s All-American is really coming into his own. I was impressed by his intelligence on the floor; taking what the defenses gave him. He is built like a rock and could be a possible first round pick in 2011. And did you see that dunk against West Virginia! Where did that come from?!?!?!?
Da’Sean Butler, G/F, West Virginia, Sr.
Jay Bilas said it best, “This kid is just a winner.” He hit two game-winning shots in three days to help lead the Mountaineers to the Big East Title. Butler once again showed he can do a little bit of everything; shoot the rock from deep, use his pull-up jumper, board, find open teammates. His lack of great athleticism will likely keep him from being a first round pick, but he should be a very nice role player in the NBA.
Lazar Hayward, F, Marquette, Sr.
I know… he is a 6-6 power forward who doesn’t have a true position at the next level. Here’s the thing; this guy is a leader, a winner, and does whatever is needed to help his team win. He lacks the lateral quickness defensively to be a wing player and doesn’t have the ideal skills to take a defender off the dribble, but his toughness and strength down low combined with his ability to knock down three’s should get him some second round looks. I mean, I would take Hayward as the 15th guy on my NBA roster any day of the week (and not just because I am a Marquette alum.)
Dominique Jones, G, South Florida, Jr.
It will be interesting to see what Jones does this summer. After a fairly impressive two-game stretch in which he averaged 20.5 ppg, 7 rpg, and 4 apg, I really think he will test the waters of the draft to see if he has a legitimate chance of being a first-round pick. The knock on Jones has been his combo guard factor and lack of outstanding athleticism. Jones proved a couple things at the BET; he just has a natural feel for scoring the basketball and is a better playmaker than people give him credit for. The 6-4 junior showed potential of being able to play the point with his ability to find open teammates and could morph into that role at the next level easier than originally thought.
SELL:
Jerome Dyson, SG, UConn, Sr.
As UConn laid an egg, Dyson managed just 4 points, but 9 turnovers in an absolutely embarrassing send-off from the Big East. He seemed uninspired and his performance showed. For a combo guard who will find his best chances of playing in the NBA by becoming more of a point guard, nine turnovers is just unacceptable. Add in the fact that he has two more points (18) than turnovers (16) during the last three games and just 6-26 during those games, and Dyson’s stock has taken a major hit.
Scottie Reynolds, PG, Villanova, Sr.
For all the things I love about Reynolds as a college basketball player, and there are many, he was rattled Thursday afternoon against Marquette like I hadn’t seen in quite some time. David Cubillan was all up in his grill defensively, not giving Scottie any room to breath and holding him to ten points. While Cubillan is a great defender, he is not near what Reynolds will see at the next level from bigger, quicker, more physical points. That lack of athleticism has been his biggest knock for moving onto the next level, even though I think his experience, smarts, and basketball knowledge will be enough for a team to take him in the second round, especially in a very weak draft class for point guards.