Wednesday April 25, 2007

Mays; Golf; Tiger Walk; Draft; Baseball

Mays
About two weeks ago I received an e-mail from a reader that was inquiring about James Mays leaving early for the NBA draft. I originally thought this was a hoax. Another reader e-mailed me a link to a website that covered the NBA Draft and Mays' name was among those player who were considering leaving early. I then knew it was not a hoax but it still made little sense. I opened the link and the site said he would most likely go undrafted if he came out early and I finally figured out that I was not way off base here.

Yesterday we found out that Mays is exploring the option but will not hire an agent and he has until June 18 to withdraw and he can then come back to school and play his senior season. Again, I can understand that scenario a little more.

The NBA rules allow for someone to test his draft waters and see what teams think of him. If a player hires an agent or breaks any other rules regarding his amateur status then he cannot return to school. If he abides by the amateur rules the player can come back to school if he withdraws by a set deadline.

This is the plan of action according to Mays. I see no reason it would hurt. He will be done with school this semester sometime next week. He can then go and take care of his basketball duties that some teams will require.

However, unless I am completely wrong, I think there is almost zero chance Mays would be drafted this year. I talked to two basketball people this morning and both said they would be very surprised if Mays would be drafted if he comes out.

To give you a perspective on the NBA draft consider that they only have two rounds in the draft. Most of the time a second round pick has a very difficult time sticking with any team. If a player is not a lottery-type pick then they face an uphill battle as a long-term player in the league.

NBAdraft.net has a mock draft and has:
*LSU's Glenn Davis as the 57th pick of the 60 overall picks in the draft. Think Mays is better than "Big Baby"?

*Maryland's DJ Strawberry is listed as the 55th pick.

*Boston College's Jared Dudley is the number 51 pick. Think Mays is a better pick than Dudley?

One thing to understand is that it only takes one team to think you area first round talent for you to be a first round pick. But I am not sure Mays is one of the 10-15 best players in the ACC. He is a good player and a key to the Tigers in 2007-08 but he is not an elite player that should be considering the NBA draft. I am not sure Mays is any better than:
* FSU's Al Thornton
*BC's Jared Dudley
*UVA's Sean Singeltary
*UNC's Tyler Hansborough
*UVA's JR Reynolds
*BC's Tyrese Rice
*VT's Zabien Dowdel
*NCSU's Brandon Costner
*Maryland's DJ Strawberry
*GT's Javarius Crittenton
*GT'sThaddeus Young
*Duke's Josh McRoberts
*Maryland's James Gist
*UNC's Brandon Wright
*UNC's Ty Lawson

You may be able to argue a few but there are others I could have added. If you are not one of the top 15 players in your league then you may need to come back to school. Again, Mays is a very good college players but at this time is not ready for the NBA.

Golf News
Clemson had a good chance to win the ACC title in golf this past weekend but a key illness set the Tigers back in their last two tournaments. Ben Martin was one of the leading players on the squad but he has had recurring bouts with an illness. Coach Larry Penley received some good news on this subject this week. It appears now that Martin will be healthy enough to make the trip with the team to the NCAA regionals and the NCAA finals. The red-shirt freshman's play may be the key to the Tigers competing for another national championship.

Tiger Walk
Speaking of Clemson golf, I got a chance to meet the team about ten days ago at an event called Tiger Walk. This is a charity walk that proceeds go to support the Clemson Free Clinic and Clemson Community Care. Clemson coaches and athletes from several sports were there and fans could walk with their favorites. There were several athletes there but coach Penley's entire team was there to support the cause. Also, defensive linemen like Rashaad Jackson and Jock McKissic braved the bad weather to show their support. This is another example of the student-athletes getting involved in our community. Some of you would be interested that Clemson Athletic hall of Fame member Dr. Byron Harder was honored with an achievement award from the groups.

Draft
How would you like to be Gaines Adams right now? He has picked out his suit and is on his way to New York City for the biggest day in his life. Adams should become a top six pick in this weekend's NFL Draft and he has a chance to become the highest drafted football player in school history. Along with the fame and prestige I imagine Adams has a lot of new friends or at least people that want to be his friend. I still think the way Adams handled his draft status last year is a model for the way to go about your business. He did his research and it appears he made himself and his family a ton of money by staying the extra year in which he needed.

Baseball
I know things look down for the Tigers and I am greatly concerned about this season but a win tonight over the Gamecocks would help a little. Its hard to play while you are stepping on your bottom lip and the Tigers certainly lack confidence right now. The issues are still there but they are not insurmountable. The season is winding down and if this team has any chance to round into the form often seen from Clemson baseball then the next few games could go a long way to determine the rest of this campaign. The next question becomes is this a one-year fad or is this a trend? Next year's roster looks to have question marks also but it is too early to write off this season.

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