The Paint - Derek Johnson

The Big Dance Updated Lesson in Bracketology

Love or Money

Is It Worth The Risk?

Gonzaga Bulldogs Inside Being #1 in the Nation

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Table of Contents

Contents

The Long Goodbye

Love or Money Is It Worth The Risk?

Down to the Wire A Buzzer Beater for the masses

Gonzaga Bulldogs Inside Being #1 in the Nation

I take down a dozen orange plastic pill bottles with white, almost-impossibleto-remove lids. My father’s name is on every label: Some are six months old, some several years.

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Table of Contnets

Departments

16 18 20 22

6

Spotlight

No Hard Feelings • Kansas brought the hurt on Kansas State with the dagger shot, a buzzer beater from beyond the arc. No hard feeling, right Kansas State?

For more information about the epic shot and schedule for future matchups, visit thepaint.com/k-state

Photograph by

Phil Niekerk

8

Spotlight

The Rivalry • Duke & UNC. Two schools that form one of the most electric competitions in the entire sports world.

Cook, right, shots over McAdoo, left.

For more information about the rivalry and schedule for future matchups, visit thepaint.com/unc

Photograph by

Phil Niekerk

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Posterized

The Jam • James McAdoo of University of North Carolina with the moster jam off the fast break that left a timeless expression of the defensive players.

For more information about the jam and more from this week, visit thepaint.com/jam

Photograph by

Phil Niekerk

9

Associated Press Poll

SPORTSWRITTERS ACROSS THE NATION

Inside 25

Overrated?

Gonzaga

Louisville

Kansas

Indiana

Miami (fl)

Ohio

Duke

Georgetown

Michigan St.

New Mexico

Michigan

Florida

St. Louis

Kansas St.

Memphis

Marquettte

Wisconsin

Syracuse

Oklahoma St.

Arizona

Creighton

VCU

Oregon

St. Mary’s

21 Pitt

Pitt

Crowd Favorite

Others receiving votes: UCLA 46, North Carolina 37, Notre Dame 26, Belmont 21, Ole Miss 10, Butler 9, Colorado State 5, UNLV 3

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Coaches Poll

The Real #1?

USA TODAY BOARD OF COACHES

Inside 25

Gonzaga

Louisville

Kansas

Indiana

Miami (fl)

Duke

Ohio

Georgetown

Michigan St.

New Mexico

Michigan

Florida

St. Louis

Florida

Marquette

Syracuse

Oklahoma St.

Wesconsin

Mephis

Pitt

Arizona

Creighton

Notre Dame

UCLA

Oregon

Others receiving votes: Virginia Commonwealth 163, North Carolina 51, UNLV 38, Butler 17, Florida State 14, Ole Miss 13, Saint Mary’s 11, Belmont 11, Colorado State 10, Wichita State 5, Montana

Sleeping Giant?

11

Breakout Players This Month

Breakout

WHICH PLAYERS WILL HAVE A BIG IMPACT ON THE GAME?

Ben McLemore

Otto Porter

Kelly Olynyk

Victor Oladipo

Kansas: Freshman guard averaged more than 16 points and 5 rebounds a game for the Jayhawks in 2013-13.

Georgetown: Sophomore forward averaged 16 points and 7 rebounds a game for Hoyas in 201313. Scored 33 points vs.

Syracuse (Feb. 23).

Gonzaga: Junior forward averaged more than 17 points and 6 rebounds a game for the Bulldogs in 2013-13. Scored 19 points against BYU (Feb. 28) and 31 points against Saint Mary’s (Jan. 10).

Indiana: Junior forward averaged more than 13 points and 6 rebounds a game, defensive stopper for Hoosiers in 201313. Had 19 points, 9 rebounds 5 steals against Michigan State (Feb. 19).

Every week this season, we ranked the top 10 players in the country. The rankings were based on the entirety of the season but change week-to-week.

Player season statistics and team value were considered. Team record and strength of schedule were also considered. NBA draft stock was not considered. Players who are currently injured were also not considered.

12

Doug McDermott Shane Larkin

Jeff Withey

Michigan: Sophomore guard averaged more than 19 points and 6 assists for the Wolverines in 2013-13. Scored 29 points against Penn State (Feb. 17) and 26 points against Purdue (March 6).

Creighton: Junior forward averaged more than 23 and 7 rebounds a game for the Bluejays in 201313.. Scored 41 points in season finale against Wichita State (March 2).

Kansas: Senior center averaged more than 13 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks a game for the Jayhawks in 2013-13.

Miami: Sophomore guard averaged more than 13 points and 4 assists a game for the Hurricanes in 2013-13

Honorable mentions: Marcus Smart (Oklahoma State), Deshaun Thomas (Ohio State), Isaiah Canaan (Murray State), Nate Wolters (South Dakota State), Shabazz Muhammad (UCLA), Anthony Bennett (UNLV), Jamaal Franklin (San Diego State)

Breakout

Trey Burke

Are You Serious?

13

Year of the Bracket Buster THE YEAR OF THE BRACKET BUSTER

A PERFECT BRACKET; A NEAR IMPOSSIBLE TASK THIS YEAR Cleanthony Early kept stealing glances down at the hat in his hands while he waited for his turn to climb the stepladder.

The Wichita State forward seemed stunned at the words on the side of his brand-new ballcap: "Final Four Atlanta."

"It's crazy. I still can't believe we're here," Early said. "You try to expect it, but you expect a lot of things that don't happen.

This really happened."

Unlikely Final Four Believe it. Wichita State is going to Atlanta, and these Shockers are no longer a surprise after the way the tenacious ninth seeds held off mighty Ohio State in the West Regional final.

Malcolm Armstead scored 14 points, Fred Van Vleet bounced in a big basket with 1 minute left, and Wichita State earned its first trip to the Final Four since 1965 with a 70-66 victory over the Buckeyes on Saturday. Van Vleet scored 12 points as the Shockers (30-8) followed up last week's win over top-ranked Gonzaga with a nail-biting victory over the secondseeded Buckeyes (29-8), whose 11-game winning streak ended one short of their second straight Final Four. Wichita State's 20-point lead in the second half dwindled to three in the final minutes, but several Shockers stepped up with big plays to stop the surge, heeding coach Gregg Marshall's halftime command to "play angry." All that anger turned into a joyous postgame party at midcourt, even though the Shockers realize they've got more work to do.

"I don't think we're Cinderella at all," Marshall said. "Cinderellas usually are done by this stage. If you get to this point, you can win the whole thing. You beat a No. 1 seed and a No. 2 seed — I don't think Cinderella just found one glass slipper.

I think she found four." Wichita State is just the fifth team seeded ninth or higher to reach the Final Four since seeding began in 1979, but the second in three years following 11th-seeded VCU's improbable run in 2011. The Shockers' celebration was wild, if a bit disbelieving, in front of several

thousand roaring fans. "Last year we were watching all this on television," said Early, who scored 12 points despite spraining his ankle in the second half. "I just feel like we've got the same potential as those (big-name) guys, regardless if they know who we are or not. We just tend to work hard."

Wichita State roared to a 20-point lead with 11 minutes to play after Ohio State played an awful first half, but LaQuinton Ross scored 15 of his 19 points after halftime, leading a ferocious rally that got the Buckeyes within three points in the final minutes. Tekele Cotton hit a clutch 3-pointer for Wichita State with 2:20 left and grabbed a key offensive rebound moments later, allowing VanVleet to score on a shot that bounced all over the rim before dropping. Ron Baker and Cotton hit last-minute free throws to secure the second Final Four trip in Wichita State's history and a school-record 30th win.

"We're happy, but I'm still shocked," said Carl Hall, the glasses-wearing big man who scored eight points and led the Shockers' strong defensive effort. "We've got a team full of fighters. I brought them all together near the end and said, 'No matter what happens, I love y'all.' We had to fight so hard. We've got each other's backs, and it's hard to beat a team that's got five guys who work together like us." Deshaun Thomas scored 21 points after missing nine of his first 12 shots for Ohio State, which made just 24 percent of its first-half shots. Aaron Craft scored nine points on 2-for-12 shooting against Armstead and a host of defenders for the Buckeyes, who dug a hole too deep to escape with their second-half rally.

Yet after two weeks of upsets in the wild West bracket, underdog Wichita State seemed an appropriate pick to cut down Staples Center's nets. The Shockers' well-balanced roster managed built that enormous lead with the same consummate team play that they've shown throughout the tourna-

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Are You Serious?

ment. The Shockers are also the kings of Kansas, reaching the national semifinals after the powerful Jayhawks and Kansas State both went down. Two sections packed with cheering Shockers fans provided all the encouragement necessary for a team that didn't win the Missouri Valley Conference tournament and was thought to be a bubble team for an NCAA berth. Now, Wichita State is the MVC's first Final Four team since Larry Bird led Indiana State to the title game in 1979.

A New Chapter "We're all new to this, but I think we're ready for this," Early said. "We're going to prepare ourselves, and this game was pretty good preparation. We started at the bottom, and we've been working our way up." Everybody chipped in for the Shockers. Armstead, the Oregon transfer, was named the regional's top player. Baker made nine free throws without a miss on his 20th birthday. And both Early and Hall returned to the court with second-half injuries, pushing Wichita State forward. Seven seasons after underdog George Mason crashed the Final Four and underlined college basketball's growing parity, the Shockers are the latest smallish school to get on a big roll in the tournament. Butler made the national championship game in 2010 and 2011, and the Bulldogs were joined by that VCU team in the Final Four two years ago.

This year's tournament included stunning wins by Florida Gulf Coast, La Salle and Harvard, but nobody kept it going longer than Wichita State.

Although the Shockers have a beautiful home arena and robust support from fans and donors in Kansas' largest city, Marshall acknowledged that Wichita State's athletic budget is a fraction of what a BCS school can spend. He hasn't let it slow the Shockers, who made the NCAA tournament last year only to lose to 12th-seeded VCU in the first round.

After the Shockers easily beat La Salle two days ago to reach their first regional final since 1981, Marshall's pregame

speech to the Shockers on Saturday finished with talk of cutting down the nets at Staples Center before getting on that plane back to Kansas, saying Wichita State didn't have to play "a perfect game" to beat mighty Ohio State.

“YOU’VE GOT TO GIVE THEM CREDIT, THEY REALLY CAME OUT FIRING AND WE REALLY DIDN’T REGAIN OUR FOOTING UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE.”

Marshall was right, but he couldn't have anticipated -AARON just how imperfect Ohio State would be. The postseason-tested Buckeyes appeared calm and confident during warmups in front of their healthy fan contingent, yet they proceeded to play the first half just like NCAA newbies.

They missed their first seven shots after the opening tip in a string capped by an airballed 3-pointer from Thomas, who missed his first five overall. The junior star was labeled "a bad-shot taker and a bad-shot maker" by Marshall on Friday, but he only lived up to the first part of that billing while going 4 for 13 in the first half. Early hit two 3-pointers in the opening minutes, and the Shockers stretched their lead to 13 points shortly before halftime.

"You've got to give them credit," Craft said. "They really came out firing and we really didn't regain our footing until it was too late."

Ross desperately tried to rally the Buckeyes, scoring eight consecutive points and leading a 23-6 run midway through the second half. Ohio State went into a full-court inbounds defense, and Shannon Scott's free throws with 2:49 left cut the lead to 62-59 — but Ohio State couldn't get any closer.

CRAFT

The Long Goodbye

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ebruary 24, 2006, is my parents’ sixtieth wedding anniversary. My family plans a brunch for them in their home. We are keenly aware that this may be the last anniversary my parents will celebrate together. It won’t be an elaborate party, just a bittersweet one. Seven years earlier, my father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, and he has gone steadily downhill. At 87 years old, he is now a prisoner of his mind. His agitation and paranoia arise from distorted memories, nightmares he can no longer separate from reality. A few days before the brunch, my mother calls me in a panic. My dad is bellicose and paranoid, accusing. Summoning Yiddish profanities he has not uttered in 75 years, he curses at Yolanda, the caregiver who holds everything together in my parents’ household. He will not be bathed or shaved. He will not eat, refuses his medications. He is raving.

“Dad,” I say when I visit their house that afternoon, “what is it? What’s wrong?”

“I want to go home. Please, take me home!”

“But, Dad, you are home.”

“I don’t know where I am. Please, Jerry-boy, take me home. You know the way . . .”

“I don’t know where else to take you, Dad. You’ve lived here for twenty-nine years.”

“You go to hell! You’re in with them!”

There is no walking away now. He is an abandoned child. He searches for his boyhood home on Boarman Avenue, in Baltimore, or perhaps our first family home there, on Forest Park Avenue. He hears voices but can’t decode what is being said, and his mind assumes the worst: My mother is insulting him, planning to run off; his sons are belittling him, his mother scolding him, his older brothers and sisters teasing him. He is lost, with no father of his own to turn to.

I see that he has wet himself; a dark ring marks his place on the couch.

The Worst Part As a geriatric physician in San Antonio for the past

thirty years, I have been through this before. I have been cursed, spit on, bitten, and punched by demented old folks over the decades. A poor woman threw a shoe at me when I stepped inside her hospital room.

The day before, she thought I was the devil.

As a doctor, I know what to do; as a son, I am uncertain. So I assume my doctor role, retreating into the armor of my starched white coat. I walk to the kitchen and check his daily pill slots to make sure he’s been getting his regular medications.

Sometimes my mother, unable to see due to macular degeneration, inadvertently leaves pills in the plastic containers I fill every couple weeks. But everything seems in order The pills are often as much a part of the problem as the cure. My father takes eight medications a day; my mother, who is 82, fourteen. They are both on vitamins and minerals, blood pressure medications, diuretics, and cholesterol-lowering drugs.

My father also takes two pills for his heart. My mother takes drugs for her diabetes, a thyroid disorder, osteoporosis, and depression. This is not unusual for folks their age.

I spend my doctoring days prescribing medications for my patients, reshuffling the ones they’re on—a tiny dose change here, a retiring of administration there.

By now I have written or refilled hundreds of thousands of prescriptions, but my constant goal is to cut back on medications, stop them altogether if I can: Less is usually more. Every geriatrician knows this.

Looking through my father’s pills, I recall a patient of mine, Lilly, a woman who first came to see me carrying a brown paper shopping bag crammed with pill bottles—at least forty different drugs prescribed by a dozen physicians.

“This one’s for the high blood,” she had said, “and this one’s for the sweet blood, and this one’s for the low blood. These three are for my bad knees, and this one’s ’cause I’m sad a lot, and this one’s ’cause I don’t sleep too good, and this one’s ’cause I’m tired all the time. I can hardly keep ’em straight, but I got a big list at home tacked to the wall, over the phone in my kitchen.

Last month the company cut off the service when I couldn’t pay the bill. All these medicines and still I feel so bad. That’s why I come to you now. That and

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No Sympathy These days, between the Food and Drug Administration and Big Pharma, I hang suspended in a netherworld of prescribing angst. The FDA has pulled more than twenty drugs off the market in the past two decades, drugs they first assured me were safe to use but then ended up damaging livers or kidneys or hearts. I have always tried to protect my patients, wait if I possibly can for aftermarket studies to bring more data to light. It is one thing, I tell my patients,

to judge a drug’s benefits and risks after it has been given to a few thousand patients in clinical trials; it’s quite another after it has been prescribed to hundreds of thousands upon its general release.

In the parlance of the technology and pharmaceutical industries, doctors like me who are cautious, who do not immediately jump on the company bandwagon every time it trumpets its “latest and greatest” product, are known as “slow adopters.” Now these industries have figured out a way to circumvent my judgment should I fail to join the chorus of cheerleaders for their newest breakthrough. On television, in magazines, they promise an end to arthritis pain, a good night’s sleep, a cure for incontinence, a firm erection. My phone rings off the hook with patients who worry that I may have blocked their path to the Fountain of Youth when I decline their drug requests.

Some even change doctors.

Protection I have no sympathy for Big Pharma. I resent its intrusion into the doctor-patient relationship, resent the constant introduction of new—often rushed—products into a marketplace crowded with me-too drugs.

Big Pharma is right where it has always wanted to be—smack-dab in the middle of my decision-making process as it tries to influence consumers who also happen to be my patients. And yet here I am, in my parents’ home, rummaging through a basketful of medicines I take down from a high shelf. This is where I store the unused pills—all the psychoactive drugs prescribed by my father’s physician for his recurrent bouts of anxiety or agitation, for his depression and his insomnia, for his memory loss and lethargy, for his confusion and paranoia, for his belligerence and sadness. I take down a dozen orange plastic pill bottles with white, almost-impossible-to-remove lids.

My father’s name is on every label: Some are six months old, some several years.

A poor woman threw a shoe at me when I stepped inside her hospital room. The day before, she thought I was the devil.

The Long Goodbye

all these other troubles.” She had handed me a list of symptoms, pencil-scrawled on a ragged piece of paper.

I spent two hours with Lilly, hearing one story loop into another: bad marriages, kids in jail, ER visits, surgeries, strange diagnoses mostly self-made. I knew what was happening to Lilly, what happens to many people like her in a medical encounter.

The physician begins to drown in a sea of conflicting information, feels powerless to alter the circumstances of this person’s life. A wave of helplessness washes over doctor and patient both, and he reaches for his prescription pad. “Here, try this,” he says. “I think it will help.” Then he steps into the hall, picks up the next chart, and moves on, hoping the drug he has prescribed helps but doubtful it will. I could not change the circumstances of Lilly’s life, couldn’t make up for her poverty or lack of education or the poor choices she had made. But she improved significantly when, after some lab work and many more hours of listening, I was eventually able to whittle her medication list down to three. Prescribing for the elderly is complicated.

They don’t metabolize drugs at the same rate as younger, healthier patients. The main workhorses of drug excretion—the liver and kidneys—decline in function with age, as do all our organ systems. The elderly, like my parents, are often on multiple drugs (including over-the-counter preparations the doctor might not even know about), and the incidences of unforeseen interactions begin to mount. We know so little about these interactions. Indeed, the pharmaceutical companies are infamous in geriatric circles for not including our elderly patients in drug trials.

The Long Goodbye

21

I take down a dozen orange plastic pill bottles with white, almost-impossibleto-remove lids. My father’s name is on every label: Some are six months old, some several years.

We have been dealing with this for a long time.

Haloperidol and risperidone. Olanzapine and quetiapine. Paroxetine and citalopram. Alprazolam and trazodone. Donepezil and rivastigmine and memantine. Organic molecules, various combinations of carbon and hydrogen and nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur—the atoms of which we are all made—bioengineered to slip across the blood-brain barrier, to stimulate one receptor or block another, precipitate a rush of ions through neural membranes, flood synaptic gaps with potent neurotransmitters, flip a switch here, throw a breaker there, block a surge somewhere else.

I settle on the bottle of risperidone. Although I am reluctant to use this drug—any drug—in treating my father, I know that he has taken it before with success.

It has worked. It has settled him down, albeit with an added degree of cognitive impairment. My hope is that by continuing to use this drug judiciously, I can maintain the status quo and keep my father at home for a bit longer, delay the decision to relegate him to a long-term facility where I know he will only deteriorate faster. I bring my father a bisected tablet and a cool glass of his nutritional drink.

“Here, Dad, take this. I think it will make you feel better.”

His eyes, still wild, stare at me. “What’s this for?”

“Dad, you’ve got shpilkes,” I say. I use this Yiddish word, retrieved somehow from my own memory, because my father has lately been interspersing his speech with snippets of this language, his mother tongue—the mamaloshen—the first words he ever heard and therefore the last ones to abandon him.

He smiles. “Az ich habe shpilkes,” he says. And he swallows the pill. “For the shpilkes,” my mother and Yolanda tell him when it is time for the next dose. Before long he is back to his usual demented but pleasant self. This time I have made the right decision.

Three days later, on my parents’ anniversary, those of

us who love them assemble in their home.

My wife brings a dozen yellow roses and arranges the table. My brother stops at the grocery store for a side of sliced smoked salmon, some cream cheese, a few tomatoes, and a red onion. I drive over to the bagel bakery, and pick up a dozen—onion, poppy seed, and sesame—just out of the oven. It is a small gathering. Family-oriented to the point of insularity, my parents have made no close friends in all the years they have lived in San Antonio. Everything is ready, and I wheel my father into the living room. “What’s the fuss about?” he asks as he enters, seeing all these faces he recognizes but cannot place. For a moment he is frightened.

“Dad,” I say, speaking into his good ear, “today is a special day. You and Mom have been married for sixty years.”

He searches for my mother’s face in the small crowd around him.

“Really? Is that true, Mom?” “Of course it’s true,” she says. “Do you think we made this up?”

“It doesn’t seem like sixty years,” he says.

“It seems like a hundred to me,” she says. We, the assembled family, laugh nervously.

My brother leans in and asks our father, “So what do you think about all this?”

“I just want to say that I love Mom more today than I ever have.” He reaches for her hand, but she doesn’t take it. I want to believe that because of her terrible eyesight she can’t see this gesture, but I’m not so sure. We all applaud my father’s words.

I push him up to the dining room table, festive with cards. He picks out one.

“Did you see these, Mom?” he says.

“I can’t read them,” she answers.

He begins to read to her.

“Have we really been married sixty years?” he asks her.

“Every bit of it,” she says.

“I hope you know I love you.”

“I know,” she answers.

Tom ad

The Long Goodbye

m Izzo looks on as team overcome deficit to an unranked opponent.

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Ultimately, coaches are measured based on wins and losses. Below is the win/loss record for each coach over his career including his record in conference games, NCAA tournament games, close games, blowout games, and overtime games.

Age: 66 years old Born: Feb 13, 1947 Alma Mater: Army Graduation Year: 1969 Team: Duke Years: 1980-2012 Record: 854-232 (0.786) Team: Army Years: 1975-1980 Record: 73-59 (0.553)

Overall: 2 teams, 37 seasons 927-291 (0.761)

Age: 62 years old Born: Aug 01, 1950 Alma Mater: North Carolina Graduation Year: 1972 Team: North Carolina Years: 2003-2012 Record: 257-68 (0.791) Team: Kansas Years: 1988-2003 Record: 418-101 (0.805)

Overall: 2 teams, 24 seasons 675-169 (0.800)

Age: 58 years old Born: Jan 30, 1955 Alma Mater: Northern Michigan Graduation Year: 1977 Team: Michigan State Years: 1995-2012 Record : 412-169 (0.709)

Overall: 1 team, 17 seasons 412-169 (0.709)

37 Seasons 927 Wins, 291 Losses 27 NCAA Tourney Teams 11 Final Four Teams 4 NCAA Tourney Titles 13 Conf Tourney Titles 44 NBA Draft Picks

24 Seasons 675 Wins, 169 Losses 21 NCAA Tourney Teams 7 Final Four Teams 2 NCAA Tourney Titles 6 Conf Tourney Titles 27 NBA Draft Picks

17 Seasons 412 Wins, 169 Losses 14 NCAA Tourney Teams 6 Final Four Teams 1 NCAA Tourney Title 3 Conf Tourney Titles 11 NBA Draft Picks

Duke University

North Carolina University

Michigan State University

23

Legendary Legacy

By Myron Medcalf

The Long Goodbye

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he season ended Monday night, but college basketball is never far from the headlines. Since the senior college basketball star is such a rare breed these days, all the attention has turned to the standout underclassmen across the country and the decisions they have to make about the NBA draft.

Many have already been made, and several more will be made by the NCAA’s Tuesday deadline. That deadline, however, isn’t the only one. If an underclassman declares for the draft by Tuesday and turns his paperwork in, he can’t change his mind and head back to college.

But a player can just say nothing and have until the NBA’s deadline of April 28 to decide whether to come back to school or go pro. So that’s the real date you should be watching. As for the decisions, here’s a look at the players who are either in the draft already or are considering it:

next level for the 6-6 point guard. Allen Crabbe (California): The 6-6 shooting guard (18.4 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 34.8 percent from beyond the arc) simply gets buckets. It’s really that simple. He’s a capable scorer with the offensive talent to change a game. He can create his own shot, and once he gets into a zone, he’s dangerous. Not sure he’ll ever be a great individual defender. But it’s the NBA. So he’ll fit right in.

Archie Goodwin (Kentucky): I really don’t have a problem with Goodwin going pro. I don’t think he’s ready, but he would’ve been swallowed whole by the talent in Kentucky’s incoming recruiting class. He’s flawed now (3.1 turnovers per game, 26.6 percent from the 3-point

WHO’S DECLARED

Steven Adams (Pitt): Here’s the good news for Adams. He’s really tall. And a 7-footer with his potential will certainly earn a slot in the first round.

The bad news is that Adams (7.2 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 2.0 BPG) is also extremely raw and could have used another year under Jamie Dixon at Pitt.

C.J. Aiken (Saint Joseph’s): Aiken’s stock could skyrocket in a few weeks. Why? Because he’s the perfect next-level inside-outside defender (10.4 PPG, 2.6 BPG). The 6-9 forward has to be more deliberate about crashing the boards in the NBA. But he’s so athletic that he could really impress NBA decision-makers in the coming weeks.

Anthony Bennett (UNLV): He’s a 6-8 monster who can score in various ways -- a 240-pound athletic marvel who’s been physically prepared to compete in the NBA since he was in high school. Plus, Bennett put up video-game numbers in his only season with the Runnin’ Rebels: 16.1 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.2 BPG, 53.3 percent from the field and 38 percent from the 3-point line. He’s not going to the NBA to warm the bench. He’s going to play.

Lorenzo Brown (NC State): The 6-6 point guard probably made the right choice, but he was a better prospect at this time last year. He averaged 12.4 PPG and 7.2 APG this season, but hit just 26.3 percent of his 3s (35.1 percent last year) and committed 3.5 turnovers per game (3.2 per contest last season). But his size and versatility, especially on defense, will be valuable tools for a pro squad.

Michael Carter-Williams (Syracuse): No surprise here.

Sure, he struggled in a Final Four loss to Michigan in Atlanta and was somewhat shaky in a Round of 32 win over Cal. But his overall performance (4.0 assist-to-turnover ratio in his team’s other three NCAA tournament games) showcased the tools that he displayed almost all season long -- and the ones that will transfer to the

line), but Goodwin (14.1 PPG) is a fast, athletic 6-4 guard who could be a productive player in the NBA in the right system, one that lets him run a lot. He’s a streaky jump shooter who commits far too many turnovers, though. That could be a problem for a player without a position.

Myck Kabongo (Texas): An NCAA suspension limited the sophomore to just 11 games this season, but he was pret-

28

and an elite skill set. But the motor of the former McDonald’s All American was often questioned at NC State. He has gifts, but will he use them consistently at the next level? That’s the question NBA execs will deliberate in the coming months.

Ben McLemore (Kansas): The redshirt freshman was special in his one season with the Jayhawks. Yes, he was criticized

occasionally because there were times when he didn’t appear to realize how dominant he could be. When he wanted to be, however, he was unstoppable. McLemore (15.9 PPG, 42 percent from beyond the arc) could be the No. 1 pick.

Tony Mitchell (North Texas): The buzz surrounding Mitchell was much larger last year, when he was considered a possible lottery pick. His numbers were down this season and his team was awful. He’s still a 6-8, 235-pound athlete with high-level athleticism and explosiveness. But he was a better scorer, 3-pointer shooter, rebounder, passer and free throw shooter last year.

Victor Oladipo (Indiana): The Dwyane Wade comparisons were unfair. The Michael Jordan comparisons were just ridiculous. But Oladipo (13.6 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 2.1 APG, 2.2 SPG) was arguably the most versatile player in college basketball in 2012-13. And he has the skill and athleticism to compete at a high level in the NBA for a long time. He made the right decision to leave.

Marshawn Powell (Arkansas): He returned from an ACL injury that ruined his 2011-12 season, and the 6-7 forward bounced back with an impressive return that included 14.5 PPG and a 48.7 percent clip from the field. This is a great example of a guy who might elevate his draft stock once workouts begin.

Phil Pressey (Missouri): I don’t really get this one.

Pressey was inconsistent throughout the season, as he averaged 3.5 turnovers per game and shot 37.6 percent from the field. He’s a speedy guard who’s a fluid playmaker when he’s on. When he’s off, he’s way off -- especially at the end of tight games.

I think another season in college, even with next year’s strong draft class, would have allowed Pressey to elevate his stock with a more thorough and consistent campaign in 2013-14.

Tony Snell (New Mexico): The Lobos wing had plenty of highs and lows throughout 2012-13. He certainly operated in extremes. But the 6-7 guard has the size and

The Long Goodbye

ty solid upon his long-awaited return. Kabongo averaged 14.6 PPG and 5.5 APG. Between his shortened season and his team’s struggles, it would’ve made some sense to come back. But he’s also a likely late first-round pick and next year’s class is loaded, so you can’t really blame him.

Ricky Ledo: Well, this is interesting. Ledo was a partial qualifier in 2012-13 so he never competed for Providence. He was a top prospect in high school (No. 21 in the class of 2012 per ESPN Recruiting), but that’s the only tape NBA scouts will have. He’ll have to prove a lot in workouts.

C.J. Leslie (North Carolina State): The 6-9 forward (15.1 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.2 BPG) has freakish athleticism

The Long Goodbye

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stroke (39 percent from beyond the arc) to play at the next level. Snell (12.5 PPG) is the kind of player who could steal a first-round contract this summer.

Adonis Thomas (Memphis): Another guy who could have used another year in college. He’s going to play on the wing in the NBA, but his 29.2 percent clip from beyond the arc and inconsistent jump shot could deter some execs at the next level. He’s such a gifted prospect (11.7 PPG, 4.5 RPG), though.

Deshaun Thomas (Ohio State): Thomas averaged 22.3 points per game as he led the Buckeyes to the Elite Eight.

The 6-7 forward is definitely a tweener at the next level.

He’s not a power forward and he’s not really a true wing.

But he’ll score wherever a pro team puts him. His draft position has fluctuated for years. He’s not a great defender, but his offensive versatility alone will help him earn a spot in this summer’s draft -- although it might not be in the first round.

B.J. Young (Arkansas): The sophomore was amazing in spurts. Young (15.2 PPG) scored 23 points or more in eight different games. But he had just as many single-digit efforts. That wouldn’t matter for most point guards, but he’s not a real point guard.

He’s a shooter trapped in the body of an NBA point guard -- a shooter who shot just 22.7 percent from the 3-point line last season. Yikes. That could be a problem for him in the NBA.

Cody Zeller (Indiana): Some folks call him soft. I think he’s just Euro. Zeller (16.5 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.3 BPG) could be a young Pau Gasol without the consistent jump shot. In the right NBA system, he’ll be a key contributor in a few years. Even though he didn’t win a national title, another season would have been another season for critics to focus on what he can’t do instead of what he can.

Franklin made it official: He’s NBA-bound.)

Tim Hardaway Jr. (Michigan): Something crazy could happen. Michigan’s four NBA prospects could decide that they have unfinished business and return for another season. But it’s not likely. Hardaway’s family refuted a report that stated he’d made up his mind about turning pro last week. Hardaway, however, will probably go. Why stay? A bunch of bigger, quicker and more skilled wings

WHO’S PROBABLY GONE?

Trey Burke (Michigan): The Wooden Award winner grabbed every notable individual honor and nearly led Michigan to the national championship on Monday night.

There’s just no reason for Burke (18.6 PPG, 6.7 APG) to come back, especially since he’s clearly a lottery pick after such an incredible season.

Gorgui Dieng (Louisville): The 6-11 junior led the Big East in rebounding (9.4 RPG) and was one of the top shotblockers in America (2.5 BPG). Although it’s not official yet, Rick Pitino announced Dieng would pursue the pros (he’s currently projected as a first-rounder) the day before his team defeated Wichita State in the Final Four. And that’s definitely the right call.

Jamaal Franklin (San Diego State): The San Diego State guard put up impressive numbers for the Aztecs in 2012-13: 17.0 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 1.6 SPG. Conflicting reports make it difficult to say if he’ll actually leave or not. But the 6-5 athlete clearly has an NBA, above-therim game that will be attractive to multiple pro squads.

(Editor’s Note: A few hours after this story was published,

will enter the mix in 2014. It’s hard to imagine Hardaway (14.5 PPG, 37.4 percent from beyond the arc) boosting his stock any higher than he did during his team’s run to the national title game. Now is the right time for him.

Alex Len (Maryland): The 7-1, 255-pound center really has no reason to stay. He’s a skillful sophomore big man who could contribute to an NBA roster from the moment he’s selected. Len struggled from the free throw line this season (68.6 percent), but at least improved from last season’s mark (58.7 percent).

Shabazz Muhammad (UCLA): This week, Steve Alford told ESPNLA.com that he assumed Muhammad would

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edly working with Tom Izzo to attain the proper information about his stock. But the athletic, 6-10 forward was impressive in a pair of double-double efforts against Memphis and Duke in the NCAA tournament. He also demonstrated his versatility (38.1 percent from beyond the arc) throughout the season. He has a rare combo of size, athleticism and range.

Russ Smith (Louisville): Well, Smith initially confirmed a statement from his father, who told multiple outlets that his son would declare for the draft following Louisville’s run to the national title. On Thursday, however, Rick Pitino told a local radio show that Smith (18.7 PPG) was “confused.” The 6-1 guard will have to be a trustworthy ball handler at the next level. But he’s really a combo guard who could struggle to score in the NBA even with his speed (2.7 turnovers per game). He was crucial for the Cardinals, however, in the NCAA tourney. Maybe now is the right time. Or maybe not?

WHO’S ON THE FENCE?

when he was healthy and nearly averaged a double-double (10.5 PPG, 9.5 RPG). Even if it takes Noel a year to recover, he’ll still be a great investment for a team with a top-three pick.

Kelly Olynyk (Gonzaga): Olynyk redshirted in 201112 because there weren’t enough minutes available in the paint for the Zags. This year, he emerged as the best player on a team that earned a 1-seed in the NCAA tournament. Olynyk averaged 17.8 PPG, 7.3 RPG and 1.1 BPG and was a fringe national POY candidate. The 7-footer could crack the lottery if he goes pro.

Adreian Payne (Michigan State): The junior is report-

Kyle Anderson (UCLA): Well, his father told the Orange County Register that he’s going to return.

But fathers haven’t been the most reliable sources lately. Let’s be clear: Anderson (9.7 PPG, 8.6 RPG and 1.8 SPG) should return, partially because he doesn’t have a position at the next level yet. He’s not a point guard. And he’s not really a power forward, even though he’s 6-9. So what is he? Another year with the Bruins might help him figure that out.

Isaiah Austin (Baylor): Austin has pro skills. He’s a 7-footer who held his own in the Big 12 as a freshman.

But Austin (13.0 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 1.7 BPG) has one mission this offseason, and it involves eating. A lot. Yes, his 3-point shot needs work, especially if he’s going to take 3s as often as he does. But he really needs more weight on his slender frame to battle the bigs in the NBA. Oh, look. Another athletic, lengthy wing from UNC.

The Long Goodbye

enter the NBA draft. Smart assumption. The Bruins freshman was pegged as a top pick in 2013 when he was a star on the high school and AAU circuit, and he averaged 17.9 PPG this season. He can put up big numbers in the NBA.

Nerlens Noel (Kentucky): A torn ACL toward the end of the season ruined his freshman campaign. But Noel is still projected to be the No. 1 pick by ESPN.com’s Chad Ford and others. He led the nation in blocks (4.4 BPG)

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Seemed like Roy Williams had 10 guys with the same body type in Chapel Hill. Bullock (13.9 PPG) could earn a first-round spot based on his size and ceiling. For everything he was capable of, however, he was ordinary in some games he could’ve dominated. Tough call here.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (Georgia): Caldwell-Pope (18.5 PPG) earned SEC Player of the Year honors and the Bulldogs were actually decent by the end of the season, thanks to KCP. A 6-5 guard, Caldwell-Pope was one of the nation’s most complete players this season and he’ll boost a pro team, too, if he makes the jump.

C.J. Fair (Syracuse): The 6-8 forward definitely has a tough call to make. He scored 22 points in Syracuse’s Final Four loss to Michigan and was consistently good in the Orange’s impressive postseason run. He could gamble now. Or he could use that performance as a springboard for next season.

P.J. Hairston (North Carolina): There’s a lot to like about Hairston. He’s 6-5, he can play multiple positions, and he can stretch defenses with his 3-point shooting (39.6 percent). He was ranked ninth (120.3 offensive rating) among players who’d used at least 24 percent of their respective team’s possessions, per Ken Pomeroy. Can’t blame him if he leaves.

(Editor’s Note: Alas, he’s not leaving. A few hours after this story was published, Hairston announced that he would be returning for his junior season.)

Gary Harris (Michigan State): Harris earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors, averaged 12.9 points per game and shot 41.1 percent from the 3-point line. All of that with a bad left shoulder that gave him trouble throughout the season and could require offseason surgery. Tough decision for the freshman, who could be a lottery pick.

Shane Larkin (Miami): A month ago, he told a Florida newspaper that he would return to the Hurricanes. That was then. This is now. The sophomore who averaged 14.5 PPG and led a Miami resurgence has not made an official decision yet, so stay tuned on this one.

Ray McCallum Jr. (Detroit): McCallum turned down offers from some of the top schools in the country so he could play for his father. But the former McDonald’s All American missed out on some of the exposure he would’ve received if he’d opted for a “big six” school. His numbers (18.7 PPG, 4.5 APG) suggest that he could contend with his counterparts at bigger schools, though. He’ll get plenty of looks.

Doug McDermott (Creighton): Earlier this week, his father said he was still deliberating. But the junior is who he is: a big shooter who’s going to latch onto an NBA roster because he’s a big shooter. No one will expect McDermott to evolve into a lockdown defender or back-to-the-basket

threat. His top asset -- his ability to exploit mismatches with his size -- could help him earn a first-round slot if he leaves. Next season, it will be much tougher for one-dimensional players such as McDermott to earn that guaranteed money with all the talent that will be available.

Mitch McGary (Michigan): If the freshman likes money, he should turn pro. He led Michigan to the national title game in a breakout postseason performance that changed the way NBA scouts viewed him. Now, he’s a

projected lottery pick on some boards after recording three double-doubles in the NCAA tournament. This could be the 6-10 prospect’s best opportunity to earn a slot in the lottery. He has a lot to consider.

James Michael McAdoo (North Carolina): He struggled throughout the season because he played out of position.

So McAdoo (14.4 PPG) had his game picked apart. But he was often at a disadvantage because he was matched up against legit power forwards and centers. Still, he’s an elite athlete with the frame of an NBA forward. And he won’t have to play center in the NBA.

Le’Bryan Nash (Oklahoma State): The good? He’s a 6-7

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Glenn Robinson III (Michigan): Another guy who should turn pro if he likes expendable cash. But his father, Glenn Robinson Jr., made plenty during his time in the NBA, so he probably doesn’t need it. Robinson (11.0 PPG) could take his midrange game to the pros, or he could return and enjoy BMOC status. Tough choices. Both enticing.

Marcus Smart (Oklahoma State): Smart (15.4 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 4.2 APG, 3.0 SPG) has a shot at the No. 1 slot in this summer’s draft if he declares. He certainly didn’t anticipate a first-round exit against Oregon in the Big Dance, but NBA execs know all they need to know about the freshman star. The 6-4 point guard could lead an NBA team as a rookie.

Rasheed Sulaimon (Duke): He’s a talented, young future pro. The 6-4 guard could be a first-round pick right now. But that 1-for-10 performance in Duke’s Elite Eight loss to Louisville left a sour taste in everyone’s mouths. He shouldn’t be judged on that game alone. Sulaimon, however, had similar moments throughout the season. He could come back in 2013-14 as a more polished product on a reloaded Duke squad.

C.J. Wilcox (Washington): He might be testing the waters just to get a feel for what he’ll have to do to be a first-round pick next season. Because Wilcox (16.8 PPG) is not a top-30 pick on any boards.

That could change with another solid season in Seattle.

WHO’S COMING BACK? Deonte Burton (Nevada) Willie Cauley-Stein (Kentucky) Marshall Henderson (Ole Miss) Alex Poythress (Kentucky) T.J. Warren (NC State) Patric Young (Florida)

in the opening round of the Big Dance was not expected.

Could that lukewarm performance be enough to convince Porter to stay? Only if he doesn’t like money, because he can make a lot of it if he decides to leave right now.

Andre Roberson (Colorado): The junior averaged 10.9 PPG and 11.2 RPG this season for the Buffaloes. But coach Tad Boyle told the Denver Post that the third-year forward has received “misinformation” about his draft status. The bottom line is that Roberson hasn’t cracked the first round on any reputable draft board. Another season with a more consistent jump shot would probably elevate his stock.

The Long Goodbye

talent with NBA skills and scoring ability (14.0 PPG). But he commits too many turnovers (2.6 per game) and needs to work on shots that aren’t dunks and layups (24 percent from the 3-point line). The sophomore would be wise to return for another season.

Otto Porter (Georgetown): This guy was born to play small forward in the NBA. Porter (16.2 PPG, 7.5 RPG and 1.8 SPG) has every tool an NBA squad covets. But his 5-for-17 effort in Georgetown’s loss to Florida Gulf Coast