CAA to NBA: VCU C Larry Sanders's Draft Stock Remains Uncertain

Larry Sanders's career in the Colonial Athletic Association ended on March 7th with a 73-69 loss in the conference championship to NCAA tournament-bound Old Dominion. Sanders and VCU then went on to win the College Basketball Invitational Tournament, or CBI, ending the 6'10" power foward's collegiate career on a good note.

Sanders declared for the NBA draft in early April and since then has glided up and down mock drafts, from top-10 pick, to lottery pick, and all the way down to the late first round. He has signed with agent Andre Buck, who will also represent Marshall center Hassan Whiteside at the NBA draft on June 24th in New York City.

At this point, most mock drafts have Sanders being selected anywhere from 15th to 25th. ESPN's Chad Ford has the Memphis Grizzlies taking him with the 28th pick, and NBAdraft.net puts him in San Antonio with the 20th pick.

Sanders's workouts with NBA teams will be a crucial determinant as to where he lands.

Everyone knows about his potential, his incredible upside, and his freakishly long 7'7" wing span. Everyone knows that he can be a force on the defensive end and that he can get up to flush alley-oops, as he frequently did with guard Eric Maynor his freshman and sophomore seasons. Maynor was selected by the Utah Jazz as the 20th pick in last year's draft

On the flip side, everyone who watched Sanders's career at VCU knows his offensive skills are limited.

Despite improvements since his freshman year on low post moves and jump shot ability, Sanders's offensive repertoire and consistency are obvious question marks in his game heading into the draft.

He averaged 14.4 points per game in his junior season with the Rams, a number that should be higher for a first-round draft prospect coming out of a mid-major conference.

He struggled at times against the bigger bodies of the Colonial Athletic Association, including George Mason's Mike Morrison and Old Dominion's Gerald Lee, who held Sanders to just six points in the CAA Championship game. 

Sanders will have to show his athleticism, defensive prowess, and some low post scoring ability in upcoming workouts if he hopes to be a lottery pick.

He's already done well in one workout with the Indiana Pacers, which took place in March shortly after his junior season at VCU ended.

The Pacers worked out a few guys that are projected late first-round and second-round picks to see if any of them have the potential to move up in the draft. On the court showing their skills with Sanders were Gani Lawal (Georgia Tech) and Dominique Jones (South Florida).

It is possible that Larry Sanders could end up as high as 10th (Pacers) or 15th (Milwaukee). The Bucks are a young and exciting up-and-coming team with a superstar point guard in Brandon Jennings, and they could use Sanders shot-blocking ability on the defensive end to improve on their already impressive opponent points-per-game average of 96.0, seventh best in the league.

More than likely, Sanders will be taken in the late first round, somewhere after the 18th pick. San Antonio may consider him at 20 and Oklahoma City might give him a look at 21 (Maynor is now with the Thunder).

The Memphis Grizzlies have two picks late in the first round at 25 and 28, and if Sanders is still around, they will have to seriously think about taking him with one of them.

Despite Sanders being a unique big man because of his combination of athleticism, hops, quickness, and incredible eye for blocking shots, there are a few others that are a better choice because they can contribute right away.

UNC PF Ed Davis, Marshall C Hassan Whiteside, and Kentucky PF/C Daniel Orton should all be selected ahead of the VCU big man. And that's in addition to guys that are guaranteed locks for top-10 selections, including Kansas C Cole Aldrich and Georgetown PF Greg Monroe.

Sanders will most likely be in a small role off the bench in his rookie season in the NBA, a guy that can give you 10-15 minutes a game and not be a defensive liability.

A few seasons of development are necessary for him to be a regular contributor to a team, but because of his athleticism and raw offensive skills he could be a valuable asset to a franchise down the road and could be looking at a long, fruitful career in the NBA.

Good luck Mr. Sanders, represent the CAA well.