It's been about a month since I last updated this list. At that time, the talent pool was running out but a few significant players still came off the board. Milan Momcliovic and Tounde Yessefou dropped out of the NBA Draft for significant money from Kentucky and St. John's respectively. A few other programs with NCAA Tournament ambitions found role players, from Virginia (Jan Vide) to Clemson (David Fuchs) to San Deigo State (Nick Anderson).
Now, it is pure desperation time for any teams that are still looking around in the portal, which became pretty clear when this list got extremely bleak after number nine. Nonetheless, there are still. a few last minute shopping options.
Power Conference Starters
1. G Myles Rice - Maryland (5.6 ppg, 1.3 apg)
2. C Robert Miller III - LSU (6.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg)
Rice was a huge disappointment at Maryland, but still has the track record of his star performance at Washington State and a decent season at Indiana. Miller III never broke through in his two seasons at LSU, but lots of teams still need centers and he has proven that he can physically hang at the highest levels.
Power Conference Contributor
3. F Hamad Mousa - Cal Poly (20.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg)
4. G Tijan Saine - Weber State (17.5 ppg, 4.3 apg)
5. G Sencire Harris - Cincinnati (5.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg)
Mousa may even have a case as the best player on the list, as a former top 100 recruit, who had a massive breakout after dropping down to the Big West. Saine was first team All-Big Sky but his 5'10" frame may not translate to the higher levels. Harris never really found his place Cincinnati after a very promising two way season at West Virginia. He's hoping the fourth stop will be the charm.
Mid-Major Starter
6. G Prophet Johnson - Sacramento State (18.2 ppg, 7.4 rpg)
7. G Zaon Collins - Fresno State (11.6 ppg, 4.6 apg)
8. F Shelton Williams-Dryden - West Georgia (20.7 ppg, 9.1 rpg)
9. F Filip Brankovic - UTRGV (13.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg)
10. G Ty-Laur Johnson - San Diego (14.6 ppg, 4.3 apg)
Prophet Johnson put up one of the most impressive stat lines in the nation (including 3.7 apg), but did so for an awful 10-21 Sacramento State team. Collins' market has likely been damaged by a deadly crash that occurred when he was in high school, but desperation will likely find him a landing spot. Williams-Dryden completely quit basketball after high school, but eventually landed at West Georgia and made First Team All-Atlantic Sun. Brankovic is a twenty-four year old Serbian pro who was a significant driver in UTGRV's best season in program history. Johnson had a nice season at San Diego, but may not have much of market after rough years at Louisville and Wake Forest.
Wild Cards and Honorable Mentions
G KK Robinson - Little Rock (15.8 ppg, 4.3 apg in 2023-24)
C James Nnaji - Baylor (1.5 ppg, 2.2 rpg)
C Josh Hayes - Utah (2.8 ppg, 63.8% fg)
Robinson would have been ranked based on performance but has missed back-to-back seasons with injuries. Nnaji and Hayes are centers who have at least been physically competitive in the Big 12.
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