Underclassmen Leaving? So Who's Gonna Take Over?

The other underclassmen all have talent, but whether they can succeed in the spotlight and the grueling season of the NBA remains to be seen. Lamar Odom and Steve Francis are the frontrunners for number 1 draft pick, because of their tremendous talents. Both were only in the national spotlight for a year, so they will be watched closely, having not had enough exposure yet. Baron Davis of UCLA may be the best point guard in the country, and he is extremely creative. He should be a great NBA player. Ron Artest had a breakout year for St. John's, showing his versatility and talent. He can post up effectively and knock down the big three.

There are many players who chose to wait a year or two before skipping off. Of course, the big names are Scoonie Penn, Mateen Cleaves, and Khalid El-Amin. They should make Ohio State, Michigan State, and Connecticut championship-caliber again. Penn, all by himself, is what El-Amin was two seasons ago, maybe even better. He single-handedly took a 9-win team into a Final Four contender. Unfortunately, he ran into El-Amin, whose Huskies were too much on their way to the final. Cleaves also played El-Amin, and didn't have a great game, but that was before he began to light up. All the way until the loss to Duke, he was a force to be reckoned with, and was the glue which held the team of role players together. Along with these three teams, Duke, with its outstanding recruiting class, should be in the hunt again, as should Florida, St. John's, and the regular powerhouses.

All in all, the underclassmen will join some pretty good talent in the draft. Some are locks for top picks, while others may fall. Time will tell whether these guys can rake in the big bucks...and numbers.

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