Sullinger Shines at World Basketball Tourney
Sully did his thing in FranceTaking his act overseas, Jared Sullinger more than held his own though his US team struggled in the World Basketball Tournament losing three of the five games played in France.
The event is considered to be one of the more legit junior tournaments in the world and the highlight of the week involved Sullinger going head to head in Team USA’s second game against 7 footer Donatas Motiejunas of Lithuania. Motiejunas is projected as a top 10 pick in the 2010 NBA draft and though he led his team to a 110-107 victory over the Americans, Sullinger did his part totaling 21 points and 9 boards.
In the opening game a day earlier, Sullinger recorded 21 points and 12 boards in a loss to Puerto Rico. Team USA would lose again on Friday – this time to Australia – as Sullinger had his most lackluster effort notching just 9 points and 10 boards. Looking to right the ship, the Americans finished the tournament with back to back wins against Canada and France. Sullinger posted double-doubles in both W’s going for 16 and 13 against America’s Hat before capping the tournament with a 19 and 11 performance as the US dropped France 85-84.
Sullinger averaged 17.2 points and 11.0 boards in the five games and now takes his show to the NBAPA Top 100 Camp slated to begin Wednesday in Charlottesville, Virginia. Bob Baptist notes four of Matta’s five 2010 recruits have been invited (Sully, DeShaun Thomas, Lenzelle Smith and Craft) as has Adreian Payne, whom Thad Matta still has designs on possibly adding to the class assuming scholly’s are freed by Turner and possibly Buford turning pro.
Continuing on the prep hoops front, there’s no end in sight to the growing trend of offering scholly’s to freshman in hopes of locking up a projected future star that might also help attract fellow prep stars. A recent story on Bucknuts shows a couple of the top 10 Ohio freshmen, as rated by Ohio High Magazine, have already given verbals. The top rated freshman, Elijah Macon of Marion-Franklin committed to Chuggins and the Mountaineers over the weekend while UC picked up a commitment from Chane Behanan of Cincinnati Aiken.
I don’t personally have a problem with this strategy considering the impact one player can have on a hoops team but I can’t help but wonder (as Jeff Rapp does in the article) how many more Cameron Wright situations will arise as a result of this tactic? Not all guys dominating in the 9th grade can effectively navigate the landmines associated with possible NBA riches down the road not to mention some players may simply not improve at the same rate as others making them less desirable when it comes for the school to follow through on their commitment to take the player. What’s your stance on this? Any issue with offering verbals as early as the 8th grade? If a school does this, should both they and the player be obligated to follow through years later?
Switching to the NBA, there’s been a lot of noise discussing whether or not the real BJ Mullens tweeted that the Bulls guaranteed they’ll take him with the 16th pick. Sam Smith says he’s convinced that’s not the case but it hasn’t stopped Mullens from canceling workouts going forward which is a move typically reserved for guys have who nothing left to prove thanks to an assumption of their draft spot being solidified. I guess we’ll find out June 25th.
So the NBA runs a camp for the top 100 HS bball players who;
A) still need to be out of HS one year before turning pro
B) Can lose their entire college careers for even blinking at an agent.
Slimey dude, slimey. I really wish they would either do away with the stupid one and done rule, or make it three years out of HS like the NFL. This rule isn’t only insulting to my intelligence, but its patronizing, condescending, arrogant, racist and flat out unfair. I dont mind rooting for the kid who wasn’t good enough to go pro out of HS. There are plenty more of those guys out there than those who are good enough. If you have game and the NBA wants you, then GO!!!! I am plenty entertained watching the other 99% of HS athletes develop in college.
I agree with your sentiment, but how is it racist? I also agree that the nba is slime and the people who run it are smug fatcats….but money will do that to almost anyone.
Racist may have been a bad description, but this rule was obviously put in place to make the NBA and lets face it, the NCAA, look like they care about the general well being of young black men. Why pretend? Let the young men do what God intended for them to do. You don’t tell an accounting major he can’t leave school early to take a great job in the field he is best at. Greed, period.
those young black men got it handed to them vs a bunch of white boys over seas. maybe if they had the football rule for basketball you would see alot higher level of play in the NBA.
im all for making money but at what cost? Its not like your bumming it when your in college on a full ride. all you have to do is focus on basketball and getting the panties down.
I dont know man, NBA guys are the best in the world hands down. I think the NBA is at its highest level of play ever right now. Thats why guys like Adam Morrison who avg’d 40 a game in college, cant get off a shot in the league.
If you ar guaranteed top 15 money, you should go no matter how old you are.
anyway, i don’t really mind the process by which middle/high school basketball players go through to get to the nba. ive grown apathetic about a lot of college and professional sports, and i realize that it is nothing more than wishful thinking to any rational minded person for something to be done “the right way”…that is, keeping fans happy. it’s like the bcs with a playoff system. fans gripe about a playoff, but all they get is a hush hush. then they go off to their little forum or blog and write their take on what should happen, where it is a merry-go-round of wishful thinking. In essence, who cares? the players who are a one and done? yeah, right. they know they might take flak for leaving early, but it’s not prohibiting them from doing so, now is it?
Right, and why would universities be in favor of the one year rule when they face penalties for not graduating players?
It’s crazy to me that there’s an outside chance of Mullens going ahead of Tyler Hansbrough. Not that I think Hansbrough will make a great pro, but…
Anyway, Bulls fans on Mullens coming to town – DO NOT WANT:
http://www.blogabull.com/2009/6/13/908430/b-j-mullens-twitter-says-hes-got-a
Though some fans are optimistic:
http://www.blogabull.com/2009/6/16/911632/a-case-for-byron-james-mullens