When Providence’s Ed Cooley, Marquette’s Steve Wojciechowski and Seton Hall’s Kevin Willard hit the recruiting trail this summer and fall, all of them will be able to pitch the fact that they had players enter the NBA Draft this year.
Providence’s Kris Dunn and Marquette’s Henry Ellenson are projected lottery picks in the June 23 NBA Draft, while Providence’s Ben Bentil and Seton Hall’s Isaiah Whitehead could go anywhere from the late-first round into the second.
Xavier’s Chris Mack, who isn’t expected to have anyone drafted this year, will also sell the Big East’s success in producing pros to potential recruits.
“It certainly factors in, you try to sell as many positives as you can,” Mack said Thursday on The 4 Quarters Podcast. “For 95 percent of these kids entering college basketball, that’s their dream, that’s their goal [the NBA]. And to see it realized in our league…getting the opportunity to be one of those players, we’ll certainly sell it. We’ll also sell the success of the league. Villanova winning a national championship doesn’t hurt our league in any way, shape, or form so it’s all good when it comes to recruiting that next generation to your program.”
Since the new-look Big East emerged in 2013-14, the league has not had more than two players drafted each season. That year Creighton’s Doug McDermott went in the first round and Xavier’s Semaj Christon in the second. In 2015, Villanova’s Darrun Hilliard and St. John’s Sir’Dominic Pointer both went in the second round.
By contrast, in 2013, the last year of the old Big East, six players were drafted, including four in the first round — Otto Porter (Georgetown), Michael Carter-Williams (Syracuse), Steven Adams (Pitt) and Gorgui Dieng (Louisville) — plus two second-rounders in Ricky Ledo (Providence) and Peyton Siva (Louisville).
Adams, now starring for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals, was also the last one-and-done from the Big East prior to this season.
This year the 6-foot-10 Ellenson is expected to become the Big East’s first one-and-done since 2013. He is projected at No. 13 by DraftExpress.com, while Dunn is at No. 5.
The last time the Big East had at least two lottery picks was in 2012 when Dion Waiters (Syracuse) went No. 4, Andre Drummond (UConn) went No. 9 and Jeremy Lamb (UConn) went No. 12.
The Big East had two other first-rounders in 2012 in Maurice Harkless (St. John’s) at No. 15 and Fab Melo (Syracuse) at No. 22.
That likely won’t happen this year, but the league could get four players drafted. Providence’s Bentil is currently projected at No. 45, with Seton Hall’s Whitehead at 58.
All of that should facilitate recruiting this summer.
“It certainly helps build some buzz about the league,” said Evan Daniels of Scout.com. “Anytime a coach has an NBA-level player, it’s a great pitch and selling point for that school and coach.”
That will be especially critical in the next year as Big East schools — along with many other national powers — target talent-rich New York and New Jersey-area AAU programs like the PSA Cardinals, NY Rens, NJ Playaz and Sports U, among others.
“Yes, guys want to know that if they play in a certain conference, they will have a chance at making it to the league,” said Terrance “Munch” Williams, director of the loaded PSA Cardinals team that features 2017 stars Mohamed Bamba, Brandon Randolph, Quade Green and Denk Gak, plus 2019 point guard Cole Anthony.
“Absolutely, kids will really get a chance to see that the Big East gives them national exposure and recognition,” added Brian Coleman of Team Izod Sports U, who coaches 2018 standouts Naz Reid, Louis King, Jahvon Quinerly and Luther Muhammad as well as 2017 point guard Nate Pierre-Louis.
Looking ahead to the 2016-17 college season and beyond, it should also help the Big East that players like Villanova’s Josh Hart and Xavier’s Trevon Bluiett opted to return to school after testing the NBA Draft waters.
Hart is currently projected at No. 43 in 2017 by DraftExpress.com and Bluiett at No. 53. Jessie Govan, the former Wings Academy star and rising sophomore big man at Georgetown, is projected at No. 29.
Guys like Villanova’s Jalen Brunson, Kris Jenkins and incoming freshman Omari Spellman; St. John’s Kassoum Yakwe and Yankuba Sima; and Xavier’s Edmond Sumner are also prospects to keep an eye on.
“We have some players in this league that are going to have terrific NBA careers,” Mack said.
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