Big East - Big Opportunity

The crapshoot that is the NBA draft commences this Thursday, with the Los Angeles Clippers having the top pick in the lottery. However, since the college hardwood interests me far more than the circus that is the NBA, I want to focus on the Big East and its representation in Thursday’s draft.

Out of ESPN’s top 20, five of the talents resided in the Big East Conference last winter. Coming in at number three is Hasheem Thabeet of Connecticut. Anyone who brings over 7’ of height to the table is going to receive attention. However, the lanky Tanzanian has game to accompany that height. He was the Defensive Player of the Year in the Big East, averaging over 4 blocks a game, and also averaged a double-double. Speaking of Big East big men, DeJuan Blair is listed 17th. While roughly half a foot shorter, Blair is much bigger physically and used his strength to grab 12.3 boards a game, in addition to his 15.7 points a game. The only major downfall of these two beasts – foul trouble.

Louisville has both Earl Clark (11th) and Terrence Williams (18th) in the top 20, the two main leaders of the team that was the #1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament this March. Clark is a large small forward, who can go to the rim, yet help the offense outside. In his three years at Louisville, his numbers have improved annually, with his rebounds getting as high as 8.7 a game this season. Williams has defined himself by his presence on the court and his leadership. While he’s got good numbers 12.5PTS/8.6RBS/5.0A, GM’s take additional notice to the way he lead Louisville in the Big East tournament and down the stretch as a senior.

Finally, there is early entry Jonny Flynn(9th). The point guard from Syracuse enters early after two good seasons under Jim Boeheim. This season he led the Orange to a three-seed in the tournament and a 6-OT win over the UConn Huskies in the Big East Tournament. He also averaged 17.4 points a game and just under 7 assists. Many see him as an Iverson type, with perhaps a bit less scoring power and a bit more passing.

With all this talent leaving the Big East, it will be interesting to see how the conference shakes up next season. All indications I’ve seen have Villanova, Georgetown, and Notre Dame fighting for the conference title. However, there will be plenty of young talent coming in, and there are so many storied programs, that if anything is certain, it’s uncertainty about the Big East.

Best of luck to all those Big East players in this year’s draft, including Dante Cunningham. It will be much easier to root for you guys when you’re playing for the Memphis, Golden State, or Charlotte, rather than Pittsburgh, UConn, or Syracuse.