Men’s DI college basketball is lacking a singular star
For sports fans who don’t closely follow college basketball, this season has been devoid of a singular star to grab their attention. Unlike past years, such as 2019, when Duke’s Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett, and Murray State’s Ja Morant had star drawing power, and went on to become the top three picks in the NBA Draft in 2019, there are no galvanizing players heading this class.
None of the projected first three picks in this June’s draft play college basketball. All are professionals in leagues overseas. Alexandre Sarr, an 18 year old, 7-1 power forward/center from France, showcasing his talents in Australia and New Zealand’s National Basketball League, is expected to be selected No.1.
Fellow Frenchman Zaccharie Risacher, also 18, a dynamic 6-8 small forward doing his business in France’s Pro A league, is gradually cementing himself as the second pick.
Nikola Topic, who like Sarr and Risacher is only 18, had been slotted in at No. 3 in numerous mock drafts and at 6-6 is widely viewed as the most complete point guard entering the draft. Topic is from Serbia playing in his country’s preeminent pro league.
With no Anthony Edwards (Georgia), Cade Cunningham (Oklahoma State) and Paolo Banchero, (Duke), the No. 1 picks in 2020, 2021 and 2022 respectively, college basketball lacks a signature figure.
The closest may be Purdue’s 7-4 senior big man Zach Edey, last season’s Big Ten and National College Player of the Year. But because basketball has become by and large an open court perimeter game, traditional big men such as Edey, who operates almost exclusively foul line down, can’t quite move the television ratings needle and his stock as a potentially high-impact NBA player is moderate.
Born and raised in Toronto, Canada, Edey played at IMG Academy in Florida before moving on to Purdue. He opted to return for his senior season after a stellar junior year to improve his draft position. Most scouts had him as a high second rounder in last year’s draft and have widely varying perspectives on where he should go this June. Some have him as high as the mid to late teens while others still predict he’ll fall to the second round.
With some conference tournaments already underway and the NCAA tournament beginning on March 19, with the First Four opening games, a player that could emerge as the star of March Madness is North Carolina’s point guard RJ Davis, a native of White Plains, NY and product of the CHSAA’s Archbishop Stepinac High School.
Davis and the Tar Heels lost 72-69 to the Kansas Jayhawks in the riveting 2022 championship game. The 6-1 senior has authored a First-Team All-American campaign this season for a UNC squad built for another deep run.
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