NBA Draft 2012: 15 Mid-Major Players with the Skills to Be the Next Jeremy Lin

As the 2012 NBA draft approaches, scouts across the country are searching for a hidden gem, a mid-major guard who could become the next Jeremy Lin.

This year's college basketball graduating class has several capable point guards and combo guards. Given the opportunity and the right situation, they could blossom into solid NBA players.

Some mid-major guards, such as Damian Lillard or Scott Machado, have a higher stock coming out of college, but they still can only hope to have the kind of success Lin saw this winter.

Others are undersized prospects who want to go against all odds and make it big, even if they are undrafted like Lin.

Check out these 15 mid-major players with the skills to be the next Jeremy Lin.

Zack Rosen, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania's best playmaker came in the form of the 6'1", 175-pound Zack Rosen, who gave Ivy League defenses fits with his ability to score and facilitate.

Rosen has excellent quickness, body control, court vision and shooting ability. In addition to those qualities, he also is Lin-esque with his intensity, boldness, and steady hand in the clutch.

His body is obviously not ideal for the NBA, but don't sleep on the possibility of him making a roster someday. Propser Karangwa of Global Scouting Services called him "one of the most underrated point guards in college basketball."

He proved he can run with the big boys by scoring 27 points on Temple, dropping 22 points on Pittsburgh and dishing 10 assists against UCLA this season. 

Ramone Moore, Temple

Philadelphia native Ramone Moore enjoyed a terrific career for his hometown Temple Owls, culminating in a senior year that's earned him some NBA draft buzz.

He's on the bubble of getting drafted because his point-guard skills aren't phenomenal. Moore needs to improve his assist-to-turnover ratio, because he's not big enough to be a full-time shooting guard in the NBA.

He's great moving without the ball, and shows a consistent willingness to find his teammates despite scoring 17 points per game.

If he doesn't land in the NBA this summer, there will be dozens of top-tier European teams contacting him.

Damian Lillard, Weber State

In 2011-12, the Weber State Wildcats boasted the best mid-major guard in America, Damian Lillard.

He's widely considered to be a lottery selection in June and he has the potential to be the next Stephen Curry, so comparing Lillard to Jeremy Lin is an injustice to Lillard.

However, he could have a similar impact that Lin had this spring. Lillard will use his creativity and athleticism to score about 12-14 points per game and dish out five or six assists if he's a starter.

Scott Machado, Iona

Saying that Scott Machado has the potential to be the next Jeremy Lin is doing a disservice to his potential.

Machado could end up being a much better floor general than Lin. The NCAA's leader in assists helped the Iona Gaels to a 25-8 record this season and a spot in the Big Dance.

In addition to dropping dimes and being an excellent decision-maker throughout his career, Machado turned into an efficient shooter, hitting over 40 percent of his triples and 80 percent of his free throws.

Look for the 6'1" guard to get selected somewhere in the second round of June's draft.

Reggie Hamilton, Oakland

The nation's top scorer doesn't hail from the ACC, Big East or Big Ten. He's not a 6'6" wing player with NBA lottery hopes. In fact, he's under 6' and played for the Oakland Golden Grizzlies of the Summit League.

Reggie Hamilton terrorized the conference and all other opponents with 26.2 points per game.

The diminutive guard took the country to school with his playmaking ability and outside shooting prowess. He also generated offense for his teammates, handing out five assists per contest.

Hamilton was also a pest on defense, which is something he'll need to rely on as a professional overseas or in America.

Casper Ware, Long Beach State

He's just 5'10" and 170 pounds, but Long Beach State point guard Casper Ware made the biggest impact in the Big West over the past few years.

The spark-plug point guard willed the 49ers to victory at certain points throughout the season, including 33 points and six assists in the Big West Conference title game in March.

Don't think he can play with NBA-caliber players? ESPN's Pedro Moura reminds us of the experience he's gained during his collegiate career:

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In non-conference tussles over the last four years, Ware has matched up with John Wall, Jonny Flynn, Kendall Marshall and Jimmer Fredette, among others. He has also gone head-to-head with Tyreke Evans, DeMar DeRozan and James Harden in Los Angeles' Drew League.

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Ware has used all these matchups to become a better player and aid him if he ever gets a chance to play in the NBA.

Jeremy Montgomery, Cleveland State

Jeremy Montgomery of the Cleveland State Vikings is a prime example of a player who started out as more of a scorer and gradually became a facilitator.

The 6'2" lefty went from 63 assists in 1,119 minutes his junior year to 101 assists in just 952 minutes his senior year.

Montgomery doesn't have the dynamic floor general ability of Jeremy Lin, but Cleveland State has a recent history of producing NBA talent in Norris Cole.

Tu Holloway, Xavier

Xavier University's agile guard Tu Holloway was the most talented player in the Atlantic 10 Conference throughout his career, and he hopes to translate that success into an NBA career.

Holloway is dangerous off the dribble and can get almost anywhere he wants to on the court. He's a great pull-up shooter and sometimes takes a high volume of shots, but he's still averaged five assists per game over the last couple years.

He'll need to continue to improve in the point-guard area of his game, because it's going to be difficult for him to score consistently with his size.

Holloway could get picked up in the late second round of the draft. If not, he'll definitely get invited to some NBA summer training camps.

Chris Wroblewski, Cornell

Professional basketball is probably not in Chris Wroblewski's future, but he's similar to Jeremy Lin in the sense that he's an Ivy League point guard with the ability to score and distribute the rock.

Wroblewski had a nice career at Cornell, highlighted by his junior year, when he notched 14 points and six assists per game.

His best games this past season included a 15-point showing in a close loss to Maryland, along with him finishing the season strong with a 19-point, seven assist game against Ivy League champion Harvard.

Jesse Sanders, Liberty

Jesse Sanders did it all for Liberty, as the Sugar Land, Texas, native scored, rebounded and distributed the ball at a tremendous clip for the Flames.

He's not on the NBA radar, but the two things that give him the best hope of making a roster are his size and ball control.

Sanders is 6'3" and 200 pounds, which is plenty of size to be a backup point guard and definitely big enough to be a starting point guard in Europe.

His assist-to-turnover ration was nearly three-to-one, and when watching clips of him, it is evident that he takes great care of the ball.

Kevin Murphy, Tennessee Tech

Tennessee Tech's Kevin Murphy is a shooting-guard prospect for the NBA, and he's definitely a score-first type of player, but he does have the ability to create for others when he wants to.

The 6'7" wing drastically improved his three-point shooting in his senior year, which helps his overall resume.

Murphy is a tough matchup because he's extremely effective off the dribble, but he's also a hard worker away from the ball, always hustling to get open.

He's a second-round selection who could have a first-round type impact if he gets in the right system.

Kaylon Williams, Milwaukee

UW-Milwaukee had a disappointing season in 2011-2012, but one of their bright spots was point guard Kaylon Williams, who led the Horizon League in assists while scoring more than 10 points per game.

His facilitation and outside shooting are his strong suits, and he's also a terrific rebounder for a guard, but Williams has a lot to prove if he wants to have the slightest chance of getting noticed by the NBA.

But don't count out a guy who can score 14 on Michigan State and deliver seven assists against a stout Wisconsin Badgers defense.

Will Barton, Memphis Tigers

Will Barton is similar to Kevin Murphy in the sense that he's more of a score-first player, but he still has the Lin-like guard skills to set up his teammates.

Barton led the Memphis Tigers in points and rebounds this season, but he was also third on the team in assists. His court awareness, efficiency and shot selection have all improved over the last year.

He'll be a solid role-playing wing at the next level because he can get past the first defender, but he needs to bulk up a bit if he wants to be a truly dynamic player in the NBA.

Oscar Bellfield, UNLV

UNLV isn't really a mid-major anymore, but Oscar Bellfield is a mid-major type prospect for professional scouts.

His numbers are underwhelming, but Bellfield managed to guide the Runnin' Rebels to a superb season in the Mountain West and showed flashes of brilliance throughout the winter.

Bellfield's 16-point, nine-assist effort in UNLV's thrilling upset over North Carolina showed that he can compete with elite athletes.

Will it be enough to get him drafted? Probably not. But Bellfield will work hard to get noticed in the D-League or in Europe.

Joe Ragland, Wichita State

Wherever Wichita State point guard Joe Ragland ends up playing professionally, that team is going to get a long-range sniper and a big-game player.

Aside from his athletic skills and point guard duties, the aspects of Ragland's game that impressed me most were his outside shooting and his penchant for stepping up in pressure games.

Ragland shot better than 50 percent from three-point range this season, and was one of the only Shockers to step up during the Missouri Valley Conference tournament and the NCAA tournament.