HOOPSWORLD | Basketball News & NBA Rumors

NBA All-Star 2011 is upon us, the start of the NCAA conference tournament play less than two weeks away, and that can only mean one thing: the 2011 NBA Draft is right around the corner.  We here at HOOPSWORLD have already taken a look position-by-position rankings and well as the sleepers in June’s draft, but without a collective bargaining agreement between the NBA owners and the Player’s Association, we could see younger players who would almost certainly declare for the draft early in any other year stick around at the college level.  This possibility puts a premium on some of college basketball’s top seniors as the draft approaches.  Here is a look at the top seniors the class of 2011.

Nolan Smith, G, Duke – Coming out of high school, Nolan Smith was highly regarded and considered to be a "one-and-done" candidate.  His college career got off to a slower start than many expected, however, and the combo-guard didn’t emerge as a prime time player until his junior season, when he helped Duke win its fourth national title, averaging 17.4 points and three assists while shooting .392 from behind the three-point line.  The 6-2, 185 lb., Smith didn’t even consider the NBA last spring, opting to return to Durham for his senior season with the Blue Devils.  The decision to return to school has paid off in a big way as Smith has shown outstanding leadership, versatility and the ability to put his team on his shoulders and carry it to victory.  Smith currently leads the Atlantic Coast Conference in both scoring (21.4 points per game; 11th nationally) and assists (5.4 per game; 34th nationally), something that has never been done in the long and storied history of the conference.  After stepping aside to let freshman wunderkind Kyrie Irving take the reins of the program early in the season, Smith has been absolutely dominant since Irving went down indefinitely with a foot injury on Dec. 4.  Smith doesn’t have the outrageous upside that some other players at the college, or even high school, level possess, but his ability to impact a game on both ends of the floor and his willingness to do whatever his team needs him to do in order to win basketball games should make him a solid rotation player at the NBA level. 

Demetri McCamey, PG, Illinois – After a white-hot start to his senior season, Demetri McCamey has cooled off as the season has progressed.  Regardless, the 6-3, 200 lb., point guard continues to be one of the nation’s top playmakers and an outstanding shooter.  With more than 100 career starts to his credit, McCamey is one of the most experienced players in college basketball this season and has grown into a tremendous floor general during his time at Illinois.  He finished second in the nation in assists per game as a junior (6.8) and currently ranks tenth this year (6.1).  While McCamey doesn’t have the explosive athleticism and outstanding quickness that many of the top point guards in the NBA possess, he is more of a pure point than some of his predecessors - like John Wall, Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook, for example.  Defensively, McCamey is smart, strong and fundamentally sound, helping to make up for his average lateral quickness.  The senior ranks 23rd in the country in three-point shooting, knocking down an impressive 47 percent of his four attempts per game from deep.  With the ability to stretch the floor with his shooting, outstanding court vision and ability to make seemingly every pass in the book, McCamey will immediately be able to help an NBA team win basketball games.

Jimmer Fredette, G, BYU – The game of college basketball hasn’t seen many players with the ability to score the basketball in the variety of ways the Jimmer Fredette can.  The 6-2 scoring machine currently ranks fourth on Brigham Young’s all-time scoring list and is on pace to move into second, behind 1981 Wooden Award winner and two-time NBA Champion Danny Ainge, by the end of the regular season.  Fredette sits just 225 behind Ainge’s school-record 2,467 career points, a mark the senior could eclipse, depending on the depth of BYU’s run in the NCAA Tournament.  Undersized at the shooting guard position, Fredette struggles with decision-making.  He is clearly an unselfish basketball player (although his 27.3 scoring average might indicate otherwise), averaging 4.3 assists per game, but he also turns the ball over at a high rate (3.2 per game).  He is a tremendous shooter, both off the dribble and spotting up, with unlimited range, but Fredette is certainly a liability on the defensive end of the floor as an NBA prospect.  Unlike McCamey and Smith, Jimmer will need the right coach and system in order to thrive at the next level, although his ability to knock down shots will certainly intrigue NBA scouts, coaches and executives. 

{AUTHOR_BOX}Kenneth Faried, PF, Morehead State – One of the premier rebounders in the history of college basketball, Kenneth Faried has averaged at least 13 rebounds per game in each of the last three seasons.  The 6-8, 225 lb., forward/center (he projects as a power forward in the NBA) leads the country in rebounding this season (14.3 per game) and has proven to be a factor on both ends of the floor throughout his four seasons at Morehead State.  Faried’s 21 double-doubles (in 27 games) this season is the most in college basketball and the reigning Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year (he was also the OVC’s Defensive Player of the Year) is the only player in the country averaging at least two steals and two blocked shots per game.  Faried is still raw, although improving, as an offensive player, but his outstanding athleticism, ability to run the floor and finish at the rim and soft hands make him an intriguing NBA prospect.  He has been compared to Dennis Rodman, a likely Hall of Famer, due to their similarities, which include non-stop motors, uncanny rebounding instincts and outstanding defense. 

Kyle Singler, F, Duke – While he has never really lived up to the hype surrounding him coming out of high school as far as an NBA prospect, Kyle Singler has had a remarkably productive college career that includes a national championship with Duke last season.  The 6-9 forward lacks great explosiveness and athleticism but has been able to make up for average physical abilities with a high basketball I.Q., solid feel for the game and a diverse skill-set.  Singler is a good rebounder, passer and scorer with solid intangibles.  He was a key contributor to the Blue Devils title run a year ago and, along with Nolan Smith, has Duke in the mix for a No. 1-seed come tournament time.  He remains something of a tweener at the NBA level.  His lack of lateral quickness will make it difficult to stay in front of the more athletic small forwards in the professional game and he doesn’t have the strength to battle with bigger, stronger power forwards.  In the right system, Singler has the skills to help a team win. 

Honorable mention

JuJuan Johnson, PF, Purdue; Gilbert Brown, SG/SF, Pitt; David Lighty, SG, Ohio State; Keith Benson, PF/C, Oakland

Be sure to check back at HOOPSWORLD as we continue our coverage of NCAA basketball and the 2011 NBA Draft.  If you have any questions or comments, hit me up on Twitter or drop me a line in my weekly chat, held Tuesdays at 1pm Eastern Time.