Ever since Coach Cal got to Kentucky, he has been relying on the one and done players to get the job done. As a whole, they have been successful until this year, but one does have to wonder if the age of the one and done team is over.
This year in the final four there were two players that you would call one and done types, Suggs and Gonzaga and Juzang at UCLA. Juzang originally went to Kentucky; however he could not start and he moved on to UCLA, where he was the star of the team. Suggs at Gonzaga is a phenominal player, every bit as good as advertised. Other that those two players, I do not know if any of the four teams had any other five star recruits, although Baylor and Gonzaga both had some NBA talent. Don't get me wrong Houston and UCLA had some nice players that can play in the NBA; however, neither team had NBA stars and/or one and done players. I'll give you one, Alabama won the SEC and I don't think we had any future NBA starters, although I could see Ellis and Shackelford getting to the round one area. I think it is fair to say that Alabama had no one and done talent, although that is getting ready to change, quickly with Davison.
If Kentucky had worked on developing the talent they did have, I think they could have been an NCAA team this year, led by Johnny Juzang; however, they made the decision to be a one and done team. Juzang is talented enough to be a first rounder, but not every 18 year old five star player is ready for the NBA or even the NCAA Final Four. I think that the other schools in the SEC have caught up with Kentucky's One and Done mentality and as you see players develop and programs develop, the age of one and done players dotting the roster are done. I think the age of the Transfer Portal will soon replace the age of One and Done. If Coach Cal wants to stay with the One and Done mentality, the game has passed him by. If Coach Cal progresses and gets back to developing talent like he did at Memphis, he will win again, but he has to change. Is it possible that you can make a living by signing a couple of one and done players and then raiding the portal, that is possible, but I think successful coaches will be the ones that develop talent and use the portal for fill in pieces.
In the SEC I think there might have been a few NBA lottery picks one and done players, such as Thomas at LSU, Moses Moody at Arkansas, and Cooper at the Barn, but I think the rest were bust for One and Done type players. If Moody comes back at Arkansas, the piggies will be hard to beat next season.
That being said, the best player I saw in the SEC this year was Pippen Jr. at Vandy. It is hard to say that he is as good as his father, one of the top 50 of all time, but the apple did not fall far from the tree. As far as other players are concerned, Shackelford could end up being as good as his Uncle was at UCLA, but if Shackelford progresses at the same pace he has been going, I could see him being a first rounder when he leave Alabama. Petty is rated a second rounder and I think Shackelford has more potential.
This year in the final four there were two players that you would call one and done types, Suggs and Gonzaga and Juzang at UCLA. Juzang originally went to Kentucky; however he could not start and he moved on to UCLA, where he was the star of the team. Suggs at Gonzaga is a phenominal player, every bit as good as advertised. Other that those two players, I do not know if any of the four teams had any other five star recruits, although Baylor and Gonzaga both had some NBA talent. Don't get me wrong Houston and UCLA had some nice players that can play in the NBA; however, neither team had NBA stars and/or one and done players. I'll give you one, Alabama won the SEC and I don't think we had any future NBA starters, although I could see Ellis and Shackelford getting to the round one area. I think it is fair to say that Alabama had no one and done talent, although that is getting ready to change, quickly with Davison.
If Kentucky had worked on developing the talent they did have, I think they could have been an NCAA team this year, led by Johnny Juzang; however, they made the decision to be a one and done team. Juzang is talented enough to be a first rounder, but not every 18 year old five star player is ready for the NBA or even the NCAA Final Four. I think that the other schools in the SEC have caught up with Kentucky's One and Done mentality and as you see players develop and programs develop, the age of one and done players dotting the roster are done. I think the age of the Transfer Portal will soon replace the age of One and Done. If Coach Cal wants to stay with the One and Done mentality, the game has passed him by. If Coach Cal progresses and gets back to developing talent like he did at Memphis, he will win again, but he has to change. Is it possible that you can make a living by signing a couple of one and done players and then raiding the portal, that is possible, but I think successful coaches will be the ones that develop talent and use the portal for fill in pieces.
In the SEC I think there might have been a few NBA lottery picks one and done players, such as Thomas at LSU, Moses Moody at Arkansas, and Cooper at the Barn, but I think the rest were bust for One and Done type players. If Moody comes back at Arkansas, the piggies will be hard to beat next season.
That being said, the best player I saw in the SEC this year was Pippen Jr. at Vandy. It is hard to say that he is as good as his father, one of the top 50 of all time, but the apple did not fall far from the tree. As far as other players are concerned, Shackelford could end up being as good as his Uncle was at UCLA, but if Shackelford progresses at the same pace he has been going, I could see him being a first rounder when he leave Alabama. Petty is rated a second rounder and I think Shackelford has more potential.
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