not totally understanding your point -- upperclassmen get definitely drafted, which is precisely why we are talking about laravia leaving early as he seems to be being projected for the 2nd round.
the other factor is that laravia is really old for his class
Maybe the way to think about college basketball now is just to look at most players who come to Wake as one-year players, as a part of a one-year team, and then anything else we get is gravy. And we just remake the squad each year with a few returning pieces but a lot of new ones.
Hollywood has rediscovered the TV series on a streaming channel, when the individual movie you could see at the theater used to have predominance. College basketball seems to be the opposite. Each season is more akin to a standalone film instead of a recurring series of episodes over the years.
Sorry, should have been more clear. My point is that many still raise their stock from junior to senior (or soph to junior), so I would argue that it's not "almost unheard of." Kispert from Gonzaga or Cam Johnson from UNC come to mind as recent guys that really elevated their stock during their senior year. From a trajectory and age standpoint, Cam Johnson is similar to LaRavia, and he ended up going in the lottery.
I’d never fault anyone for leaving early to start their pro career, but I do think it would be fun as shit to come back for one more year of college knowing I’m going to likely be one of the high profile players in the ACC, if not all of college basketball, playing for a good team and competing for individual honors and a trophy. Can’t put a $ figure on that, but it could be a consideration for some guys. LaRavia could be an All-American next year.
I doubt Tyler Hansbrough regrets returning for his senior year.
yeah, i think this is the sell for laravia coming back, not the ROI on being able to improve his pro basketball prospects
Isn't that what Drew Timme has been doing?
Isn't that what Drew Timme has been doing?
Another good example. He and Bacot are like the only 2 dudes on any non-Wake team that I flip on the TV and I'm like, "oh, I recognize that guy."
There's an argument to be made that being a college athlete making six figures is more fun than being an NBA rookie on a seven-figure rookie contract.