I will be updating this list continually until June 16, the deadline for withdrawing for the NBA Draft, at which point I will do my Way-too-Early to count PAC-10 Predictions.
For the full list of Top Underclassment nationwide click here: The List
Arizona Wildcats (Updated 04/08)
So Long Seniors: Jawann McClellan is the biggest loss out of the seniors that Arizona has. He was a redshirt player that played his heart out for this team. He was the only senior on the starting roster. Other senior departures include C - Kirk Walters, G- Daniel Dillon, F - Bret Brielmaier, and although he had one more year of eligibility Mohamed Tangara has opted to transfer, opening up one more roster spot.
Say "hi" to Lebron for me: Jerryd Bayless has declared for the NBA draft. Arizona is going to be able to replace his offensive output with the addition of Jennings. But Arizona needs to build on what they have, not just replace and sustain.
Chase Budinger has opted to declare for the draft, but will not be signing with an agent at this time. Sounds to me like he's just getting a feel for the waters, but I would expect to see him back in an Arizona uniform next year. He has until 06/16 to withdraw his name. If he doesn't do so, Arizona will be sorely hurting for offensive production next year.
Decisions, Decisions: Jamelle Horne has opted to stay at Arizona. Apparently the concern was that Olson would pull another LOA stunt next year. He and his father both needed to know that Olson was going to be around for Horne to remain a Wildcat.
Nic Wise on the other hand has been pretty tight lipped recently. He and his parents have met with Olson a few times, but no word one way or another has leaked out. The longer this goes on, the more concerned I am. He would be a solid PG, or back-up (depending on the lineup Olson puts on the floor). Without him, Arizona will be short handed on the bench once again.
Watch out, Incoming!! : PG Brandon Jennings is the #1 high school player in the nation is clearly the biggest addition. But Arizona has 4-star recruits coming in to fill in the holes in their line-up. Even with Bayless gone, Arizona will still have a formidable offense, especially if Budinger opts to return. Unfortunately, there won't be much of a bench if things continue how they are.
Arizona State Sun Devils (Updated 04/08)
So Long Seniors: Antwi Atuahene is the only senior booking out of ASU. Not much of a loss as a senior, and shouldn't be hard to replace.
Say "hi" to Lebron for me: None.
Stickin' Around: Harden has opted to stay put for ASU, which is a huge plus for them considering they have basically no recruiting class worth the letter of intent they sign. Pendergraph still has not made any indication as to what his intentions are. Because he is an underclassmen and was not utterly dominant this past year, I would expect that he sticks around for his Senior season.
Watch out, Incoming!!: With only two Three-Star recruits signed, PF Rhode and SF Coy, Arizona State is not going to make any upward movement even if Harden and Pendergraph stick around. This is certainly a recruiting class to sleep on.
California Golden Bears
So Long Seniors: DeVon Hardin and Eric Vierneisel are both hitting the road. Hardin was a key player for the Bears last year, and Vierneisel was a good role player off the bench. Both will be missed.
Say "Hi" to Lebron for me: Ryan Anderson has declared for the draft, but has not hired an agent. So chances are, as long as the workouts go well, he will get drafted later in the first round, but he can withdraw his name after getting an idea of his draft stock and return for his Junior season.
Watch out, Incoming!!: Cal has a sub-par recruiting class. They will get a4-Star Recruit in shooting guard Seeley, and 3-star point guard Sim. Both should be positive role players, but Cal will be scrambling to find an answer for the loss of Ryan Anderson. Their biggest question has been resolved, however, as they have hired Mike Montgomery as their head coach. Montgomery is a phenomenal coach and will turn Cal into a force in the PAC-10.
Oregon Ducks
So Long Seniors: This Ducks team will look completely different next year as they are losing 5 seniors, including Hairston, Leunen, Taylor, Platt, and Schafer. The loss of that much senior leadership, especially Leunen, will hurt them significantly.
Say "Hi" to Lebron for me: No players have declared at this time, but I expect at least Hairston and Leunen will try out for the NBA.
Watch out, Incoming!!: Oregon has one of the largest draft classes in the conference with an entire starting lineup coming in. They have three Four-Star Recruits (SG Williams, SG Humphrey, and C Dunigan) and two Three-Star Recruits (PF Crittle and SF Wiley). These replacements aren't going to overwhelm anybody next year. Despite that they should be back to running like mad again next year, and will be another senior heavy team in four. Oregon builds teams for experience, not for instant results.
Oregon State Beavers (Updated 04/27)
So Long Seniors: OSU is only losing Marcel Jones this off season, but considering that he lead the team in scoring, this is a significant loss.
Say "Hi" to Lebron for me: Much to my surprise C.J. Giles (a Junior) is jumping ship to go pro. A pathetic OSU team just got worse, I didn't think it was possible.
Watch out, Incoming!!: A pair of 2-Star shooting guards (Jones and Rose) have signed onto become Beavs.... More importantly the Beavs have signed Coach Johnson, from Brown University. He has had some success at Brown, but coming to the monster PAC-10 I doubt this guy is going to make much of a difference this year. If you're an OSU fan, set your expectations high, however, at 2 conference wins.
Stanford Cardinal (Updated 04/27)
So Long Seniors: Finger, Washington and Prowitt are all gone. In and of itself that's not a huge deal. Their biggest loss would be Washington, but the departure of Taj Finger hurts a lot more now that the Lopez Twins have decided to go pro.
He's no senior.. at least in regards to graduating class, but he's splitting. Trent Johnson is bookin' out to LSU. Stanford's hopes for the 08/09 season are diminishing even quicker than Arizona's. What a blow. Maybe they'll pick up K.O. and save us the trouble of a lawsuit and paying him.
Say "Hi" to Lebron for me: With yesterday's announcement that both Brook and Robin are jumping out of the tree for the NBA, this team is going to take a severe hit. Even serviceable back-up, Finger, is hitting the trail.
Watch out, incoming!!: More importantly than the recruiting class is Johnson's replacement, Dawkins. No idea what this guy is He might be a good pick-up, but I would've liked to see Stanford pick up a marquee coach instead. They have the talent and track record at Stanford to do it, to me this is settling for what was easy. Stanford has a couple of players coming in, but nobody is going to even come close to replacing the Lopez twins, Taj Finger, and Washington. They've still got some time left to use the recently opened scholarships, but with no legitimate big men left on the boards, Stanford is going to take a huge drop in talent next year.
UCLA Bruins (Updated 04/27)
So Long Seniors: UCLA is only losing two seniors, Mata-Real and Lee. Mata-Real was probably the ugliest player in college basketball, but was a serviceable bench player.
Say "Hi" to Lebron for me: Love and Westbrook have both declared for the draft. Both have the talent to go, although I'm surprised that Westbrook is leaving early simply because he has a lot of potential to increase his draft stock with another year in the college game. Even more surprising is that Mbah Moute has also thrown his name into the hat. Shipp has shocked me by declaring for the draft, chances are it is simply to test the waters and withdraw his name. But it's more than I expected.
Stickin' Around: Collison goes four years?! That's a shock. I expect that Mbah-Moute and Shipp will both withdraw their names from the draft list and return for next season. I sure don't want them to, but I don't see them staying in. Love an Westbrook are as good as gone though.
Watch out, incoming: UCLA is reloading again this year. To accompany their strong upcoming senior class they are adding a Top 10 recruiting class as well. The feature player is PG Jrue Holliday, but he will be in good company as he's surrounded by three 4-Star recruits. UCLA will be fighting with Arizona for best in the conference next year.
USC Trojans (Updated 04/27)
So Long Seniors: None
Say "Hi" to Lebron for me: OJ Mayo has been gone since day one. He never intended on staying more than the required year in the NCAA's. Davon Jefferson has tugged at the Trojans' hearts this off-season. First saying he'll be back, then flip-flopping and declaring for the draft. He's yet to hire an agent, so he could just be testing the waters, the story line behind this indicates as much.
Stickin' Around: Gibson, and Hacket as I expected will be back next year.
Watch out, Incoming!!: USC has another premier freshman shooting guard in DeRozan coming in. They've also got a bunch of role players as well. USC should be solid again next year, remaining in the top half of the Pac-10
Washington Huskies
So Long Seniors: Appleby and Morris are the only seniors that will be leaving. Neither one of them has NBA talent, however Appleby's shooting ability was key for Washington. His long range capabilities will be missed.
Say "Hi" to Lebron for me: None.
Watch out, Incoming!!: Washington is doing a nice job reloading a bit with three Four-star recruits and a Three-Star shooting guard. The problem is that none of these guys could replace Brockman if he chooses to leave. Brockmans status combined with this recruiting class will do to things. If he stays the top 4 in the division will be really crowded, but if he goes the bottom 4 will be crowded.
Washington State Cougars
So Long Seniors: Washington State was more senior heavy than Oregon. They're losing Cowgill, Weaver, Low, Cross, and Henry. It's nice to see that, but unfortunately that was the core of their team. They'll be asking for a lot to replace these guys next year.
Watch out, Incoming!!: Washington State looks like they will be a much smaller team next year, with three Three-Star shooting guards, a powerforward and a small forward (both 3-Star recruits as well), WSU won't have a strong inside presence. I really like the program up at Washington State, but I just don't see this team competing without Love and Weaver next year. It will back towards the bottom of the pile.




