NCAA Basketball: Top 10 mid-major players in 2019 NBA draft
With the NBA Draft on the horizon, not all the stars played NCAA Basketball at a big school. So, here are the top 10 mid-major players in the 2019 draft.
Now that the deadline for NCAA Basketball underclassmen to withdraw from the NBA Draft has passed, we can look at the prospects that will soon have their dreams of playing professional basketball come true. The names that fans will hear early on draft night will be familiar to basketball fans but, having your name called early or going to a school that the casual fan recognizes doesn’t necessarily equate to success in the NBA.
Basketball, probably more than any major sport in this country often shows us that you don’t have to dominate at the most successful schools in order to find success as a professional, although it does help. There is no better indication of that than looking at the final four teams in this year’s NBA playoffs. The Toronto Raptors, Milwaukee Bucks, Portland Trail Blazers, and Golden State Warriors have shown that you can find the next NBA star at a small school that plays in a small gym, surrounded by family and friends and not under the bright lights and tv monitors.
The Raptors’ Kawhi Leonard balled at San Diego State and teammate Pascal Siakim honed skills at New Mexico State and the backup point guard for their opponents, Milwaukee, George Hill played his college ball at IUPUI. Out west, Portland’s backcourt of C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard played at Lehigh and Weber State respectively, and the Warrior who has become a global star, Steph Curry put Davidson basketball on the map.
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With that in mind, here is a look at the top ten prospects for the upcoming draft from mid-major schools, beginning with a few that just missed the list but deserve an honorable mention.