You thought that 13 freshmen in the NBA Draft was a lot, compared to 8 last year? Wrong. The big leap came from the number of sophomores who have had their fill of college. Last year, only 5 sophomores turned pro. Not this year. Like the freshmen, the lucky 13 are not going back to their school.
- D.J. Augustin, Texas
- JaVale McGee, Nevada
- Brook Lopez, Stanford
- Robin Lopez, Stanford
- Russell Westbrook, UCLA
- Marreese Speights, Florida
- Ryan Anderson, Cal
- Darrell Arthur, Kansas
Derrick Caracter, Louisville- Walter Sharpe, UAB
*Jason Bennett, Tallahassee Community College- *Keith Brumbaugh, Hillsborough Community College
*Kiwan Smith, Redlands Community College
Even if you don't count the 3 players who got through community college, that's still a 100% increase over last year. Most of the players nearly came out after last season.
It seems that in year two of the one-and-done restriction, the freshmen and sophomores are beginning to charge back into the draft. Makes those columns from last year talking about how upperclassmen were making a comeback in the NBA draft look a little dated.
UPDATE: According to the official list by the NBA on the Draft, Caracter, Bennett and Smith all pulled their names before the deadline. That drops the number to 10 sophomores. Still a significant jump, but a little lower.
