It's March Madness, baby! It's the big stage for some of college basketball's best players to show off their games. NBA scouts and general managers will be out in force the next few weeks scouting everyone in the Big Dance.
Rightly or wrongly, a great March can really help a player's stock. NBA GMs, the real decision-makers come draft time, are in attendance and tend to be swayed by what they see on the big stage.
Last year, Syracuse's Dion Waiters boosted his stock with a few big tourney performances. In 2011, UConn's Kemba Walker and Arizona's Derrick Williams improved their stocks with great runs. In 2010, Butler's Gordon Hayward, Ekpe Udoh and Jordan Crawford helped their causes with terrific tournament performances. In 2009, Tyreke Evans and Jonny Flynn rode strong tournament performances to high lottery picks. In 2008, Derrick Rose moved past Michael Beasley on most NBA teams' boards with an excellent performance and players such as Russell Westbrook and Brandon Rush helped themselves with strong tournament play, as well.
In years past, Florida's Al Horford and Joakim Noah, LSU's Tyrus Thomas, Illinois' Deron Williams, Syracuse's Carmelo Anthony, Marquette's Dwyane Wade, Maryland's Chris Wilcox, Arizona's Richard Jefferson, Florida's Mike Miller, Miami (Ohio)'s Wally Szczerbiak and Connecticut's Richard Hamilton helped their draft position significantly in March.
Who will take advantage of the national stage in this year's NCAA tournament to supercharge his draft stock?
West Region
This year, there is a dearth of elite prospects in the West Region. Only one player is considered a potential lottery pick and one other looks like a lock for the first round. Still, there are hidden gems in this region if you look hard enough.
ESPN.com has talked to multiple NBA scouts and GMs over the course of the season to give you a look at the top NBA prospects they'll be watching in each NCAA region.
1. Gonzaga Bulldogs
Lottery pick: Kelly Olynyk, C, Jr.
Potential second- rounder: Elias Harris, F, Sr.
Wait 'til next year: Przemek Karnowski, C, Fr.; Kevin Pangos, PG, So.
All eyes will be on Olynyk. He has risen from obscurity to a potential lottery pick with his play this season. He has dominated the West Coast Conference, but the real test will come against elite talent from other conferences. His first true challenge could come against Pitt in the second round (assuming both teams make it there). Steven Adams is raw, but he's a tough, physical defender.
Harris is another player to watch closely. Scouts saw him as a potential first-round pick as a freshman. Now he's a borderline second-round pick.
To read Chad Ford's article on the top NBA prospects in the West Region, sign up for Insider today.
ABOUT THIS BLOG
NBA Draft Blog
• Chad Ford's Top 100 Prospects
Chad Ford
Chad Ford covers the NBA and NBA draft for ESPN Insider. He also is a frequent contributor to ESPN The Magazine and makes weekly appearances on ESPN Radio and ESPNEWS.
Follow ESPN Insider Chad Ford on:
Twitter | ESPN.com |
TrueHoop | E-mail
Fran Fraschilla
Fran Fraschilla is a college basketball analyst for ESPN and ESPN Insider. He formerly was the head coach at Manhattan, St. John's and New Mexico. He has been part of ESPN's NBA draft broadcast coverage each of the past five seasons.
Follow ESPN Insider Fran Fraschilla on:
ESPN.com | CBB Experts Blog | Twitter
David Thorpe
David Thorpe is an NBA analyst for ESPN.com's Scouts Inc. and the executive director of the Pro Training Center in Clearwater, Fla., where he oversees the player development program for NBA and college players. David has trained Kevin Martin, Corey Brewer, Omri Casspi, Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, Tyrus Thomas, Yi Jianlian, Courtney Lee, Kyrylo Fesenko, Earl Clark, Jrue Holiday, DeJuan Blair and others.
Follow ESPN Insider David Thorpe on:
ESPN.com | NBA Rookie Rankings