No Subject

["j.hironaka" <j.hironaka@unesco.org>]

Regarding Chris Wallace's phone call to Josh O. noting that next year looks 
to be a point guard draft, I guess the players to watch and compare in US 
colleges this season are:

Jason Williams 6-2 190, Duke Junior
---------------------------------------------------
Dajuan Wagner 6-2 180, Memphis Freshman
Troy Bell 6-1 171, Boston College Junior
Brett Nelson 6-3 185, Florida Junior
Maurice Baker 6-1 175, Oklahoma St. Senior.
Frank Williams 6-3 173 Illinois Junior
Juan Dixon 6-3 160, Maryland Senior
Tito Maddox 6-4 190, Fresno St. Sophomore
Dan Dickau 6-0 170, Gonzaga Senior


Jason WIlliams is clearly in a different category as one of the most 
watched college lead guards in history (like an Isiah Thomas or Phil Ford).

The most recent point guard rich NBA draft class was in 1999, when Steve 
Francis and Baron Davis went #2 and #3 ahead of Lamar Odom, followed by 
Andre Miller and Jason Terry both in the top ten.

In retrospect, William Avery made a wise financial decision by declaring 
early into that deep point guard draft. Although he's been a bust since 
getting picked 14th overall by the T-wolves, had Avery stayed an additional 
year at Duke it might have been spent on the bench watching Jason Williams. 
Who knows, maybe they actually had an occasion to go one-on-one in a campus 
recruiting visit, and Avery could already see the writing on the wall. A 
lot of people were surprised to see him leave Duke so early.

I remember hearing a similar story about a campus visit to tiny Gonzaga by 
(I think) Mark Price, where he ended up getting schooled one-on-one by some 
nobody named John Stockton and started to wonder if all Division I players 
were also that good.

***