In 2007, it was Greg Oden and Kevin Durant. In 2008, it was Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley. And, in 2009, it could be B.J. Mullens and Demar DeRozan. The top two NBA Draft picks from each of the past two years were college freshmen who jumped to the pros after one year on campus, and this season could follow the same trend. The fact that these players have all had success in their lone college seasons, or are poised to do so this year, shows that college programs — cough Virginia cough — should absolutely take chances on recruiting players who might jump ship after just one year at the collegiate level.
This column was inspired by the news that Rivals.com’s No. 10-ranked high school senior, 6-foot-10 power forward Renardo Sidney is interested in coming cross-country from Los Angeles to play basketball at Virginia next year. According to Rivals, Sidney — who was in attendance this weekend as the Cavaliers beat the Keydets from VMI — is considering Virginia, LSU, Mississippi State, USC and UCLA. But, word is that Sidney wants to be like Beasley and take a non-power program into the national spotlight, before (in all likelihood) declaring for the NBA Draft. That would essentially rule out his two hometown teams, giving the Cavaliers an even better chance to land this potential super-frosh. And, even though rumors have circulated online that Sidney is considering playing his one season between high school and the pros abroad, à la Brandon Jennings (who opted out of his scholarship to Arizona to play professionally in Europe this year), it would be a worthwhile investment to throw the kitchen sink at a prospect of Sidney’s caliber.
The one-and-done guys I already named have helped their schools significantly. Rose led Memphis to the national title game in 2008, while Oden took Ohio State to the Final Four the year before. Durant was the first freshman to ever be named AP National Player of the Year, and Beasley brought Kansas State to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1996. It’s fair to say that landing a top-10 recruit, like these guys all were, can push a program up a level in as little as one year.
That could definitely be the case for the Cavaliers, who missed the NCAA Tournament last year and were picked to finish last in the ACC this year. Now, I’m not saying that’s going to happen — and quite frankly, with the talent on the Cavaliers’ roster this year, it shouldn’t — but if Virginia doesn’t make the tournament this year, coach Dave Leitao might start feeling the pressure of the hot seat. Signing a player with Sidney’s potential will quiet all the doubters this year and could only help protect Leitao’s job security down the road.
I’m the kind of fan who can’t help but think about the future of the team as well as the present. So, please excuse me for getting a little ahead of myself, but I would love to see a lineup next year that features current freshmen Sylven Landesberg and John Brandenburg and current sophomores Jeff Jones and Mike Scott taking the court with a player like Sidney. It’s realistic to say that Virginia will endure growing pains this year with only two seniors on the roster and without a floor general like Sean Singletary. But next year, when the current underclassmen have an extra year of experience, the Cavaliers could make moves and surprise the ACC like they did in 2007.
The point of all my rambling is to say that, while some people don’t like the idea of recruiting players who might only stay in school for one year, I’m all for it. It can only help a team to have a very talented player on the court on a nightly basis, and the coaches have to change strategies every year based on personnel anyway.
Read More
Virginia annihilated 41-14 in a must-win contest versus North Carolina
By Peter Kriebel | 7 hours agoJust about everything that could have gone wrong for Virginia football went wrong.
No. 24 women’s soccer not to be denied in late win over Clemson
By Sam Chun | 12 hours agoThe Cavaliers topped Clemson 1-0 in front of a packed out Klöckner Stadium.
Men’s soccer, totally discombobulated, capitulates early to No. 5 Pittsburgh
By Michael Liebermann | 13 hours agoPittsburgh set a program record for the quickest cluster of three goals.
