2011 NBA Draft: 20 Prospects Whose Stocks Could Raise in March Madness
March Madness, as one of the greatest sporting events that the United States has to offer, is a wonderful spectacle for college basketball fans. But it's more than that.
The NCAA Tournament provides players with one last chance to prove themselves to the world. On the game's biggest stage, freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors alike all have the ability to put their teams on their respective backs and will their way to victory.
As Stephen Curry and Carmelo Anthony, among others, can attest to, glory from March lasts forever.
NBA scouts are omnipresent at the Big Dance, watching the top draft prospects go up against tough competition with tons of pressure pushing down on their backs. The opportunity to rise up the draft boards is there for each-and-every player.
Obviously, there are very few players for whom the opportunity to improve draft stock doesn't exist.
Read on for 20 players who both can-and-should improve their draft stock.
(Draft projections are coming from NBAdraft.net)
Harrison Barnes (North Carolina)
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One of the nation's top freshmen, Harrison Barnes was compared to Michael Jordan before the season started and he was found at the top of nearly every preseason mock draft.
But then he actually had to play and scouts began to realize that he wasn't quite as good as advertised. But the tournament offers Barnes a chance to shoot back up the boards.
If he can carry the Tar Heels to the Final Four (or further), Barnes will move back up into the top five on most mocks.
Barnes is averaging 13.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, but his numbers have been much better lately. If he can keep that trend going through March, anything can happen.
Keith Benson (Oakland)
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Keith Benson is currently projected to be drafted towards the beginning of the second round, but a stellar performance in March could boost him up into the later stages of the first.
Oakland's center is averaging 17.7 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. He's a truly dominant force down low, yet somehow no one seems to know his name.
Engineering an upset or two during the tournament could change that. You can be sure that scouts already know his name, but seeing him put up big numbers against stiff competition will undoubtedly impress them even more.
LaceDarius Dunn (Baylor)
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Perry Jones may be getting all the love from scouts right now, but that shouldn't cause LaceDarius Dunn to slip down the draft boards.
Dunn, a guard for the Baylor Bears, is one of the best scorers in the country. In fact, he's averaging 20.2 points per game to go along with his 2.2 assists and 3.9 rebonds per contest.
Jones may have the ridiculous athleticism, but Dunn can flat-out score. If Baylor can make any noise in the tournament and they do so because of Dunn, more people will realize just how good he really is.
Kenneth Faried (Morehead State)
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A fringe first-round prospect, Kenneth Faried recently became the NCAA's all-time leading rebounder, moving past Tim Duncan for first place.
I've seen some comparisons to Dennis Rodman before, and Faried may just very well deserve them. This season he's averaging 17.6 points and 14.3 rebounds per game, despite the fact that he's just 6'8".
The problem is he plays for Morehead State. Faried's team may not even make it to the tournament, but they're high enough up in their conference standings that they definitely could.
If Morehead State makes the dance, then Faried will have his opportunity to prove that he can crash the boards against tougher competition.
Austin Freeman (Georgetown)
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With Chris Wright out indefinitely, Georgetown needs Austin Freeman to step up his game and take on some of the offensive void left behind by Wright.
Freeman, a senior guard for the Hoyas, is averaging 17.7 points per game this season, but he'll have to surpass that to carry the Hoyas.
He'll have the opportunity to become a true star in both the Big East and the NCAA tourneys. Freeman has the ability to do so; it's just a matter of whether or not he makes good on that ability.
Steven Gray (Gonzaga)
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The Gonzaga Bulldogs are making a late-season charge and need to continue their strong play to guarantee themselves a spot in the tournament.
Assuming that happens, Steven Gray will have an opportunity to shine in the national spotlight.
The senior guard is averaging 14.5 points, 3.9 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game during the 2010-2011 season. As the stakes have gotten higher, Gray's play has gone a little downhill, but that could easily change during the Big Dance.
Gray is currently projected at No. 55 in the 2011 NBA Draft, but he could move towards the beginning of the second round with a big tournament.
Jordan Hamilton (Texas)
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A sophomore tweener for the Texas Longhorns, Jordan Hamilton has been drastically better during his second year than he was during his freshman season.
This season Hamilton is averaging 18.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per game and he is one of the biggest reasons that the Longhorns have hovered around the top of the rankings all season long.
Texas also has developed somewhat of a reputation for performing better in the regular season than in the postseason. If Hamilton can help to dispel that theory, then he'll move even higher than his current spot at No. 14 on the draft board.
Tobias Harris (Tennessee)
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Tobias Harris has been the stud freshman for the Tennessee Volunteers this season. Behind his 14.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, the Volunteers have played their way into the tournament from a tough SEC East.
Harris could definitely help Tennessee make some noise in March. He's a big guy and he is capable of putting up numbers against anyone in the country.
We've seen freshmen wearing orange jerseys lead their teams on runs before!
JaJuan Johnson (Purdue)
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Currently projected as the last pick of the first round, it would be an absolute travesty if JaJuan Johnson actually slipped that far down every team's draft board.
One of Purdue's two stars, Johnson has scored 20.4 points and grabbed 7.8 boards per game. In my opinion, he should be a prominent player in every discussion about the nation's best players, but he's usually left out.
That could change if he leads the Boilermakers deep into the tournament. Purdue could very well end up with a No. 1 seed and make a deep run this season, even without the services of Robbie Hummel.
Johnson is the motor that makes this team go in most games.
Terrence Jones (Kentucky)
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One of the nation's elite freshmen in a pretty strong class, Terrence Jones is averaging a near double-double with his 17.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. There's absolutely no stopping him when he gets going to his left.
The southpaw is already a consensus top-10 pick, but Jones could very well vault over his competition and end up in the top three of the 2011 NBA Draft.
All it would take is a big tournament, and he'd be a very trendy pick indeed.
Brandon Knight (Kentucky)
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Another freshman for the Kentucky Wildcats, Brandon Knight is no John Wall, but he's a very capable point guard.
Right now Knight is projected at No. 17 in the draft, but a strong showing in the tournament could vault him into the top 10.
The point guard is currently averaging 17.7 points, 4.1 assists and four rebounds per game. As the season has gone on, his game has gotten better and better as he's adjusted to the collegiate level.
A strong showing during March could convince even more scouts that he can make a similar transition into the ranks of the professionals.
Kawhi Leonard (San Diego State)
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Kawhi Leonard has been absolutely sensational for the Aztecs of San Diego State.
As evidenced by his recent 17-point, 13-rebound performance against BYU in San Diego State's biggest game of the season thus far, Leonard is not the type of player to shy away from the pressure.
The Aztecs will most likely end up with a No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the tournament, and Leonard could easily carry them deep into the competition. He is, after all, averaging 15.3 points and 10.8 rebounds per game.
Leonard is currently projected at No. 9, but he could definitely move up into the top five.
Jon Leuer (Wisconsin)
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One would think that a bona fide stud playing for an elite team would get more love than Jon Leuer does, especially since he's a 6'10" power forward who is just as capable of banging around down low as he is at shooting threes.
Leuer is averaging 19.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game while shooting 40.5 percent from downtown. Maybe the reason he's not further up the draft boards is that his last name is kind of difficult to spell.
But if Leuer sparks a Wisconsin run in March, he could very well move up even farther than his current spot in the first half of the second round.
David Lighty (Ohio State)
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When you play on the same team as Jared Sullinger, it's hard to get attention. But David Lighty deserves a little bit more publicity than he's getting.
The senior guard is averaging 12.5 points, 3.3 assists and 4.1 rebounds this season and he has been an unsung hero for an Ohio State squad poised to earn a No. 1 seed in the tournament.
All it would take is a few games in which he's the hero and Lighty would shoot up from his current spot in the second round.
Cam Long (George Mason)
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Who?
Exactly my point.
All it takes is a couple of big games and a cinderella story for Cam Long to become a surefire first-round pick.
Long is averaging 15.1 points, three assists and 4.8 rebounds per game to complement his great defensive skills. He's currently listed by NBADraft.net as the No. 49 pick, but that could change quickly once people get to know who he is.
E'twaun Moore (Purdue)
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Any player who can drop 38 points against Ohio State has to be considered a top prospect. Thanks to great performances like that and the fact that he's averaging 18.6 points, 3.2 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game, E'Twaun Moore is absolutely a top prospect.
The senior guard has boatloads of talent and he is currently projected to go to the Charlotte Bobcats with the 40th pick of the draft. For those of you having trouble with the math, that is indeed in the second round.
And that is ridiculous. This tournament can, should and will act as a springboard for Moore.
Chandler Parsons (Florida)
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In my opinion, Chandler Parsons has been the best player in the SEC this season. Yes, that includes John Jenkins, Scotty Hopson, Trey Thompkins, Terrence Jones and all the other great players in the conference.
Parsons is simply a matchup nightmare. The 6'10" forward can play any position on the floor and he is averaging 11.1 points, 3.7 assists and 7.7 rebounds per game.
His contributions from downtown and on the offensive glass have been priceless for the Florida Gators.
Something tells me that this senior is going to have a big tournament and he will move up towards the top of the second round in the draft.
Nolan Smith (Duke)
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In my opinion, Nolan Smith has been the single most valuable player in college basketball season. Please note that I didn't say best but most valuable.
Smith has really stepped up during Kyrie Irving's time on the bench and he has made a seamless transition from playing off the ball to having the ball in his hands most of the time.
The guard has managed to score a ridiculous 21.5 points per game while still dishing out 5.2 assists and grabbing 4.9 rebounds.
If Duke wins it all, it will be because of this man. NBA teams should recognize that and move him up from his current status at the bottom of the first round.
Trey Thompkins (Georgia)
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As a Georgia fan, I'm really not sure how to feel about Trey Thompkins.
He's got an unbelievable amount of skill but he doesn't seem to have any fire in his belly. I loved him at the beginning of the season, but as the SEC play started and he began to disappear at the end of games, we kind of had a falling out.
However, great play in the tournament would put him back in my good graces. As evidenced by his 16.1 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, Thompkins is indeed a great player.
But there's a reason he's slipped from his preseason spot in the top 10 of mock drafts all the way down to No. 16. Showing some fire in March would move him back up.
Brad Wanamaker (Pittsburgh)
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With some great postseason play, Brad Wanamaker could make many NBA scouts really wanna make him their second-round pick. Please tell me you got the pun there.
Wanamaker is currently listed by NBADraft.net as the final pick in the draft, but if he carries Pittsburgh through a few rounds, he'll absolutely be drafted.
The senior guard is averaging 12.3 points, five assists and five rebounds per game. If he serves as the catalyst for the Panthers and outperforms his seasonal average, people will take notice.
