Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Early Entry: Who made questionable, but understandable, decisions?

Moe Harkless, Nasir Robinson

St. John’s Moe Harkless, right, looks to pass around Pittsburgh’s Nasir Robinson during an NCAA college basketball game in the first round of the Big East men’s tournament in New York, Tuesday, March 6, 2012. Pittsburgh beat St. John’s 73-59. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

AP

Read through the rest of our Early Entry breakdowns here.

J’Covan Brown, Texas: Brown is never going to be a great NBA prospect. 6-foot-2 guards that are shoot-first and have a history of attitude problems aren’t exactly the NBA ideal. But Brown is coming off of a breakout season where he carried a group of Longhorn youngsters to the NCAA tournament while showing improved maturity and leadership. With a loaded perimeter attack of freshmen turning into sophomores next season and a daughter that he now needs to provide for, Brown probably made the right decision even if he doesn’t end up making the NBA.

Dominic Cheek, Villanova: Cheek surprised a lot of people with his decision to enter the NBA Draft. He struggled to find any kind of consistency at Villanova and never lived up to the hype he had coming in as a freshman. Simply put: Dominic Cheek will not be picked in the NBA Draft. So why is he leaving school? One report said he didn’t enjoy his time at Villanova anymore. Another said he had family members -- his grandmother and two brothers -- to provide for. Either way, Cheek knew his time as a collegian was up.

Moe Harkless, St. John’s: Harkless managed to play his way into the first round of the NBA Draft after a stellar freshman campaign with the Johnnies. He proved himself to be a versatile, play-making defender and a legitimate prospect offensively at the small forward spot. Could he have played his way into the lottery with a stellar sophomore season while leading his team to more wins? Probably. But you can’t blame a kid for taking the guaranteed money.

Meyers Leonard, Illinois: Leonard’s a potential lottery pick who just went through a thoroughly depressing sophomore campaign that resulted in his head coach being fired. That alone would be enough to convince a lot of kids to leave school. But Leonard has extenuation circumstances, as he is looking to provide for his family.

Kendall Marshall, North Carolina: I’m not convinced that Marshall is going to be a good NBA point guard, but as the saying goes, you need to strike while the iron is hot. Marshall had a sensational sophomore season and had his value to UNC proven after he injured his wrist against Creighton and the Tar Heels proceeded to look like a fifth-grade CYO team offensively. He’s a top point guard in a weak point guard class.

James Michael McAdoo, North Carolina; Tony Mitchell, North Texas; and Cody Zeller, Indiana: All three of these guys would have been first round picks had they kept their names in the draft. All three made the decision to return which, financially, was smart. All three -- who happen to be heading into their sophomore years -- have ceilings much higher than where they were going to be picked in this year’s draft. Coming back to school should, barring injury, net them more money in the long run.

Austin Rivers, Duke: I have my doubts in regards to Rivers’ as an NBA prospect. I’m probably not alone in that regard. But he is the son of Doc Rivers, the head coach of the Boston Celtics, which probably means that he got all of the information he needed to make a decision.

Terrence Ross and Tony Wroten, Washington: Ross and Wroten are both so talented. If they had gone back and spent another season at Washington, the Huskies probably would have found themselves in the conversation with Arizona and UCLA as a favorite in the Pac-12 next season. The issue is that both players have holes in their game. Ross isn’t as assertive as he needs to be and Wroten can be too assertive, to the point of being, in professional terms, a ball-hogging turnover machine. They are both going to be first round picks this season based on their potential this season. That’s worth leaving for.

Dion Waiters, Syracuse: To be frank, I’m still not sold on this being the correct decision for Waiters. He showcased the kind of talent this season that could turn him into an all-american next season without having to split minutes with Scoop Jardine. But Waiters also has a bit of a history: he nearly transferred out of Syracuse last season because he couldn’t accept sharing minutes. Grabbing a guaranteed contract when it is available is understandable, but I’m just not sure I agree with it.

Rob Dauster is the editor of the college basketball website Ballin’ is a Habit. You can find him on twitter @robdauster.