Steve Gann
Sandra 1UNC Trio Returning to School
June 18th 2008 21:05
They always tell you to stay in school and that is exactly what three Tar Heel players are doing. This was the right decision for all three of these players Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green. It wasn’t given that any of these players would crack the top 20. Lawson was only the first one to be projected in the first round. This means the Tar Heels return the same team that went to the Final Four last year while bringing in one of the countries top recruiting classes. Can you say National Championship? Another year of school will do all of these players some good. Although the experience they gained going through the process and camps was also valuable. They will know what to expect come this time next year. Tyler Hansbrough is determined to win a National Championship to complete his stellar college career and his chances just got better with this news.
Each of these players will need to work on their games in the next year to improve their draft status for the 2009 draft. Lawson will have to improve his outside shooting. Gaining some consistency from beyond the arc and adding some distance would be ideal for Lawson. It’s hard to see his defense and assist to turnover ratio improving much because they were phenomenal this past year. Staying healthy for the whole year would also be something that would be nice but Lawson can’t really control that one. If Lawson improves his shooting and continues his stellar play at the point he could easily be a top 10 if not top 5 draft pick next year.
The second leading scorer for the Heels last year, Wayne Ellington, will have to improve other facets of his game besides shooting. Ellington might have been the best pure shooter in the draft but that’s all they see in him right now. Ellington got better at putting the ball on the floor and taking it to the basket between his freshman and sophomore year but he will have to improve on that even more this year. Being stronger with the ball is another thing Ellington can do to improve his draft status for the 2009 draft. He will also have to improve his game on the defensive side of the ball. NBA teams would like to see Ellington become a better all-around player. Being one dimensional had Ellington projected to go in the second round. If Ellington can get better at those aspects of his game he could jump into the top 20 if not higher.
Probably the most underrated player of the three is Danny Green, one of the best sixth men in the NCAA last year. Green has the all-around game. He can shoot the ball, drive to the basket, post up smaller players, defend bigger players and block shots. The main thing that I think will help Green gain spots in next years draft is decision making, being more consistent in his play and court awareness. He is a spark plug off the bench but he tends to have bad games from time to time with shooting performances such as 3 of 10. If he can eliminate those games this year and get some more playing time so he can showcase his all-around game Green might be able to jump into the first round and maybe higher.
Staying in school unless you’re a senior or going to be a guaranteed lottery pick is the smart decision. Go back and get become a better player. There’s no sense in going to the pros and watching from the sideline your first couple of years. Being back at school will also be more fun.
The second leading scorer for the Heels last year, Wayne Ellington, will have to improve other facets of his game besides shooting. Ellington might have been the best pure shooter in the draft but that’s all they see in him right now. Ellington got better at putting the ball on the floor and taking it to the basket between his freshman and sophomore year but he will have to improve on that even more this year. Being stronger with the ball is another thing Ellington can do to improve his draft status for the 2009 draft. He will also have to improve his game on the defensive side of the ball. NBA teams would like to see Ellington become a better all-around player. Being one dimensional had Ellington projected to go in the second round. If Ellington can get better at those aspects of his game he could jump into the top 20 if not higher.
Staying in school unless you’re a senior or going to be a guaranteed lottery pick is the smart decision. Go back and get become a better player. There’s no sense in going to the pros and watching from the sideline your first couple of years. Being back at school will also be more fun.
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