I am going to do something different from in the past and just go round by round. Sort of a journal of what I was thinking when I saw the picks. By the way, “questionable” does not mean I think the pick sucked…. In this particular draft IMHO, not including the freshmen, only 3 picks sucked. It really means that the value of that particular pick and/or when that player was selected make it of a questionable nature. BTW, I am mentioning a few freshmen, but mostly just referring to them, whether negatively or positively…or, ignoring some of them completely.
1st Round
I am shocked that the Gators selected a freshman with the first pick of the draft. But not shocked that it was Cooper Flagg…just kidding! YOU know how I hate seeing freshmen drafted early but I almost think you have to go with Cooper Flagg. R.J. Davis would not be my first pick as the 2nd pick in the draft. He’s a fair to good fantasy guard, but, although he should get 21-22 fppg, he is not a pick that you take early…unless you’re the Yoda-lay-eee-hoo Damsels Non-Fighting Iraquis…Frosh, frosh, frosh brings leads the Leathernecks to Nate Martin, who got 23+fppg last year. Good pick. I don’t know if he has much, if any upside, but, still, a good pick. The Ghosts of Pauley Pavilion then selected the best free agent (FA) in the entire draft in Bryce Harris. I say this because I value the conference fppg average over the overall season fppg average. Harris went for 29+fppg last season in conference play. Conference play covers the time of the fantasy basketball playoffs. See the synchronicity there. Sting did…he even sang about it. Juslin Bodo went to the Chickenhawks. Another solid pick. With all of his teammates returning he won’t be able to bump up but he’s okay-not a first round pick IMHO, but, okay.
>Best pick of the round: Ghosts of Pauley Pavilion
Runner-ups: Gators, Leathernecks
Questionable pick: Tre Johnson by Pirate’s Raiders. Johnson is a very talented scoring machine but how much will he impact at Texas? I don’t know but I’m not optimistic.
Question: How does everybody miss on Bryce Harris?
2nd Round
Frosh and then…Brooks Barnhizer? Barnhizer at the top of the 2nd round and not somewhere closer to the 10th round. The same Barnhizer who plays for Northwestern? Wow. Now that is a shocking pick by the Albuquerque Chickenhawks. They are in “Breaking Bad” territory…did they sample some bad product? I don’t know why the Fore Sons need a Doctor but they took Tyon Grant-Foster, making what I think is a potentially great pick because Grant-Foster has not reached his ceiling. Jonathan Beagle has left Albany and transferred to Richmond…which is why…the Pirate’s Raiders should have bypassed him. The Ghosts of Pauley Pavilion rattled their chains once again as the took the 2nd best FA of the draft in Nana Owusu-Anane. I’m normally not a big fan of Ivy League players, so, taking one this high would normally be a big no-no to me, but Owuse-Anane averaged 25+fppg in conference play. A steal for GOPP. Leathernecks then continued their good pick hunting (better than good will hunting) by grabbing Brandon Noel, another player who should not have been available-except for the annual occurrence of the freshman flu. Cedric Coward has upside and is a nice get for the T-N-T Youngsters. Trey Bonham is like a poor man’s R.J. Davis except he has bumped up against the ceiling. You can always get a Bonham. So, taking him in the 2nd round is not a good move by Hog Wild. Doesn’t suck, but I don’t think Bonham really enhances their roster. Four straight freshmen and then the Gators nab Taeshaud Jackson. Jackson has transferred from VMI to Northern Colorado, his birth state. What he does (rebound like a beast) transfers well and he actually shoots it a lot better than a first look at his stats would tell you. So, I really like this pick.
>Best pick of the round: Ghosts of Pauley Pavilion, Leathernecks
Runner-ups: Fore Sons & A Doctor, Gators
Questionable pick: Brooks Barnhizer by the Albuquerque Chickenhawks
Question: How does everybody miss on Nana Owusu-Anane & Taeshaud Jackson?
3rd Round
Gators take Deivon Smith, St. John’s transfer from Utah. I really liked him before they played a couple of exhibition games. Things could change but right now it doesn’t appear that he will be much of a fantasy factor. Prodigal Son! Come on down. Do you want the gas BBQ or what’s behind door #3? Door #3 it is! And…it’s Joe Charles…who has transferred to a loaded McNeese State team. Sorry PS, I just don’t see this working out the way you do. Frosh followed by…Cal Bears are up. They really need to get some runners on base but…they swing for the fences…I don’t know whether they hit it out of the park, or missed but they went for it all with Tyrel Morgan. Fascinating pick in the 3rd round. They are going on a very small sample size. I like the idea of taking Morgan…but much later…good luck. Hog Wild takes a better gamble with a big swing, but, not one from the heels with Payton Sparks. Sparks is returning to Ball State where he had prior success and Ball State needs him to be…that Payton Sparks…which is a good thing for Hog Wild. Another sorta/kinda gamble, but not really much of one, and, if it is, a good one is Izaiyah Nelson to the T-N-T Youngsters. Izzy came on strong at the end last season. I like the pick. Leathernecks run silent, run deep, and go for consistency with Julian Reese. He’s solid. Two frosh close out the round.
>Best pick of the round: No one pick appreciably better than the rest
Picks to like: Reese-Leathernecks, Nelson-T-N-T, Sparks-Hog Wild
Questionable pick: Charles-The Prodigal Son, Morgan-Tribe
Question: How does everybody miss on Nana Owusu-Anane & Taeshaud Jackson?
4th Round
Albuquerque Chickenhawks led off with Schieffelin. He has a great spread and his role is supposed to be expanded this year. He has upside. At worst, a solid pick. Jonas Aidoo-Arkansas to the Leathernecks. Hard to determine his potential with Arkansas, although I will say he should better his Tennessee stats. I believe that Purdue’s Braden Smith is a little underrated as a fantasy prospect so I like this pick by Boeheim’s Army. Bryce Hopkins in the 4th to the Cal Bears? No. Not a good pick here. I believe I can read their minds on this pick. Hopkins was injured and everybody is forgetting about him and they can get a steal. Yes, you can get a steal but you can get this “steal” in a later round. Hopkins is not yet cleared to play although he’s been running & shooting. Very few juco “sensations” produce well in their first year of DI so good luck to The Prodigal Son.
>Best pick of the round: Schieffelin-Chickenhawks
Picks to like: Smith-Boeheim’s Army, Aidoo-Leathernecks
Questionable pick: None
Question: How does everybody miss on Schieffelin?
5th Round
Coleman Hawkins is one of the great underachievers in the history of fantasy college basketball. He was the first pick of the round to the Gators. The Prodigal Son then took Will Pruitt…meh. Leathernecks then took a freshman who already knows how to play and will impact-although he needs to take more shots. With the last pick of the round the South Austin Horns select the best player drafted in the round in Jamar Brown. How does that happen?
>Best pick of the round: Brown-South Austin Horns
Questionable pick: Hawkins-Gators
Question: How does everybody miss on Jamar Brown?
6th Round
Going back-to-back the South Austin Horns waste a pick on Andersson Garcia. Ditto for the Chickenhawks with Robert McCray. O’Mar Stanley has a little upside, IMHO, so let’s call him a “maybe” for Pirate’s Raiders. The Ghosts of Pauley Pavilion are up again and again they grab a player that shouldn’t have been available to them in Quinton Mincey. Mincey finished strong and averaged 22+fppg in con play. Kyler Filewich makes ft’s less frequently than Shaq. I don’t think he’s the answer or the question for Independent George. In the 6th round Hunter Sallis, who will carry the load for Wake Forest is a good pick for Boeheim’s Army. Cal Bears then take a really good freshman followed by the Tribe taking a sneaky good freshman. Yoder Dame gets a steal! Yes, that is not a typo! The Fighting Amish stopped fighting long enough (tired of oatmeal every day and were fighting to get grits) to grab Max Brooks, another guy that shouldn’t be on the board since he was a 25+fppg player in con last year. Wow! Good for YDFA (wanted to be YMCA but that name was already taken)!
>Best pick of the round: Brooks-Yoder Dame Fighting Irish
Runner-up pick: Mincey-GOPP
Picks to like: Stanley-Pirate’s Raiders, Sallis-Boeheim’s Army
Question: How does everybody miss on Brooks & Mincey? From the same school, btw.
7th Round
Well, it’s obvious to me from their first pick that the Gators like to party. Greg Gordon to The Prodigal Son…eh…maybe…UAB will need somebody to step up next to Lendeborg…maybe. Yoder? Am I seeing another good pick from Yoder? Yes, I am! Shocking, I know. They took Diante Smith. He could have/should have gone higher although there are no guarantees he will bump up his stats, but in transferring to UT Arlington-which needs him to be the man, and, having gone for 20+fppg last season, I really like this pick, in fact, since it’s the 7th round, I LOVE this pick! Freshman followed by Collin Murray-Boyles, who is a stud in the real world. Can he bump up? He was a very good frosh last year but I’m not sure that will transfer now that he’s a soph. So, to be honest, I am undecided about how I feel about him, but he is a 7th round pick and not a 3rd, so, that’s a positive. Good luck to Independent George. Chase Lowe has hit his ceiling I believe. Chickenhawks took him. Ghosts of Pauley Pavilion DO IT AGAIN!!! Wait, Trey Kaufman-Renn was still on the board? Yeah baby. Purdue has played two exhibition games and they are feeding him the rock. Potential fantasy stud (25+fppg) warning. Pirate’s Raiders must have thought this was the 2023 draft in taking Sebastian Thomas because that was the time to pull the trigger. That gun now has no ammo. Keeshawn Kellman is not a suck wad. Will he be a good fantasy producer (at least 21 fppg) this year for AC? I don’t know, to be honest with you. South Austin Horns make a good gamble pick on Nick Davidson with the last pick of the round. Real good pick for that slot. Davidson could be a breakthrough player, or, he could be about the same, but he should bump up.
>Best pick of the round: Kaufman-Renn-GOPP
Picks to like: Smith-YDFA, Davidson-SAH
Question: How does everybody miss on Trey Kaufman-Renn?
8th Round
AC takes Caleb Kenney…no. Pirate’s Raiders take Tre’Von Spillers…meh, at best. Whoa, The Ghosts of Pauley Pavilion are up again…oh oh, what are they up to? Thieving, pure thievery it turns out as they select Amar Kuljuhovic. “AK” went for 22+fppg in con. Hog Wild then makes maybe the most interesting pick of the draft (to me) with the selection of Iona’s James Patterson, who has a reputation as a scorer-which Iona can use. I don’t know if this will work or not, but, it’s a good time to take a chance on a player who will get an opportunity to put up points. The underachieving Jevon Porter (injuries, system, coaching) has transferred and looks to have a big year. Interesting pick with a chance to do so by Boeheim’s Army. Frosh followed by another “sleeper” in Garry Clark from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. I like him because he spells his first name with two “r’s) and because he attends Corpus Delecti, or, “TACC,” not to be confused with either tact, or, tacky. Seriously good place for the Yoder Dame Fighting Irish to make a bet on Clark bumping up. On the other side of that coin, while the level isn’t too high for him, I’m not sure that taking Jahsean Corbett was the move to make for the Gators at the end of the 8th.
>Best pick of the round: Kuljuhovic-GOPP
Picks to like: Porter-Boeheim’s Army, Clark-YDFA
Question: How does everybody miss on Kuljuhovic? Was his name too challenging or do people not get out to the Dakota territories that much?
9th Round
YDFA returned to their roots with the selection of Ja’Borri McGhee-not to be confused with the famous “Bobby McGee” that Janis Joplin sang about. Why? Walk-ons are heard from and take a freshman. Leathernecks then take a good prospect. Yes, he is also a suspect, but a suspect who is also a prospect in Harlan Obioha. I like the pick. Ghosts are up and again just do their thing…which is take the player they think is the best player available (BPA) which is always a sound drafting strategy. Again, on paper, his 19+fppg average doesn’t impress but Isaac McBride went for about 26 fppg in con play…hmm. Pirate’s Raiders were yo-ho-hoping with a few bottles of rum when they saw that Jamir Watkins was still on the board and they made him pirate booty!
>Best pick of the round: McBride-GOPP
Runner-up pick: Watkins-Pirate’s Raiders
Picks to like: Obioha-Leathernecks
Question: How does everybody miss on McBride & Watkins?
10th Round
Ghosts of Pauley Pavilion give everybody a break in selecting their first freshman. Kyric Davis to Hog Wild…what a hoot! Hey, I don’t know if Kyric Davis is going to work out or not but his stats don’t indicate it. West Georgia has moved up to DI and he should be their best player but what does that really mean. Best of luck to HW. Cal Bears took freshman Flory Bidunga. Right now, Dickinson is hurt and Bidunga has played a lot and produced. But roughly 30 minutes a game in playing time is going to evaporate when Dickinson comes back to join a veteran team that also has a ton of transfers. Bidunga will get some minutes, and, who knows, maybe one of those vets struggles and he can get more minutes. But, on paper that does not appear to be what will happen. There was a Spinoza who was a famous Spanish philosopher but I’ve never heard of a Spinoso who was a baller. And, this Spinoso has no upside and the Gators took him.
>Best pick of the round: None-since it’s arguably a freshman
Picks to like: None
Questionable pick: Davis-Hog Wild, Spinoso-Gators
Question: How do we get a round without one good player drafted?
11th Round
An interesting but highly questionable pick by the Leathernecks in Jeremiah Cherry, but, who knows, maybe he’s a Runnin’ Rebel fan. GOPP decides to take their 2nd frosh. I like both of them, by the way. Pirates Raiders venture down to “Lost Crotches” (a nickname for Las Cruces, New Mexico) and New Mexico State to get Peter Filipovity-who will have a chance to put up numbers. AC goes the frosh route.
>Best pick of the round: None
Picks to like: None
Questionable pick: Cherry-Leathernecks
Question: How does everyone miss on getting a player who they KNOW can help them?
12th Round
Independent George led off with the underachieving Jonnivius Smith. A “maybe” for Boeheim’s Army as they take a negative spread player in Jaxon Robinson. He will likely be Kentucky’s leading scorer but so far, his stats have not been fantasy-worthy. Yoder Les Dames Du Fightless Amish took a freshman.
>Best pick of the round: None
Picks to like: None
Questionable pick: Smith
Question: See my answer from the 10th round.
13th Round
Yoder doubled down on freshmen. The Walk Ons took Chaz Lanier whose debut (took a lot of shots, missed a lot of shots, didn’t do too much else to stuff the stat sheet) for Tennessee went about as expected. A Missouri freshman went to the Cal Bears and a no-help at all Noah Reynolds went to the Pirate’s Raiders.
>Best pick of the round: None
Picks to like: None
Questionable pick: Reynolds-Pirate’s Raiders
Question: How did the last four rounds turn out so poorly? There’s still plenty of meat on the bone (there is talent available in the FA pool)…
Teams that did the best
Ghosts of Pauley Pavilion killed it. After GOPP I thought the Leathernecks filled out their forward room and then it’s a mixed bag as the few teams that made a few nice picks also made some “what the heck?” picks. So, let me highlight the top players picked starting from the first round (not including GOPP’s picks of course) and working our way down (not including any freshmen). Grant-Foster-Fore Sons & A Doctor; Coward-T-N-T Youngsters; Jackson-Gators; Nelson-T-N-T Youngsters; Schieffelin-Chickenhawks; Brown-South Austin Horns; Brooks-Yoder Dame Fighting Amish; Smith-Yoder Dame Fighting Amish; Watkins-Pirate’s Raiders.