Posted by hackerhog on 8/11/2016 3:40:00 AM (view original):
One more thought on Hamblin from N Florida. He reminds me of the best player I ever had at Harding. In Iba, I've played in 4 championship games but won only one. The best player I ever had took me to two of those championship games. Wesley Ellis. The best PG I've ever coached. Regrettably he came on the losing end of both. Anyway, he also was a mid-to-high 400 level player that I red-shirted and then started for the next 4 years. He graduated as a high 800 level player and was drafted in the 1st round of the NBA Draft with the 28th overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers. He's still the career leader at Harding in Assists and 3rd in Steals.
It's rare to see a D2 player get drafted in HD. Much less in the 1st round. For all I know, Ellis may be the only one. Hamblin could be the next one.
I've had one as well Bedard, years ago on my Post team in Rupp. That's back when stats mattered all much as much as ratings did, so if you "really" loaded up on a guy AND he had decent ratings, you had a chance to have him picked. Also had a couple of guys go in the 2nd round as well. But what beats all is this one.
Under my Dcy ID, I've been at Northeastern State since season 3 of Tark (something like 110 seasons or so now). Way back when, in roughly season 55 or so, I was battling for a dropdown Center with a conference mate, kid's name was something White (James, Edward, something like that). Anyway, I ran out of money and lost the battle. Here's the kick in the balls. The kid was SO GOOD and his ratings SO HIGH for D2 that, get ready for it,................................the kid goes pro.............................after his JUNIOR SEASON!!! Yes, you read that right, a D2 player left a D2 school early for the draft!! And he was picked but the double kick in the balls was that he was drafted late in the second round (if I remember correctly). So the other coach wins the battle for the kid but loses the war as the kid leaves his school a year early. Man was he ******!!!!
I'll try to see if I can find the specifics here in just a second (tean, first name, season, etc.). Blew me away that a D2 kid left early. Now THAT is something I've not seen before or since but because of that I'm always just a littttttlllleee nervous when I have a stud and the season ends. Always just a little afraid I'll be the 2nd coach to experience the double nut crunch!
For what it's worth, I've got a SF on my Incarnate team in Allen. He's from NH and I like to scout those little states looking for a gem. Well, signings were drawing very near and I was crapping the bed that recruiting session and was getting really desperate so I go back and look and I see this guy with blue everywhere......except Ath and Spd (two of the three ratings I, and most everyone else, hold in high regard). But I was desperate for some depth so I signed him anyway. He started at 469 and near the end of his senior year he's rated at 834 overall. He's nowhere near the player Hamblin is, specifically "because" of that low Ath/Spd (they're both at like 50 or something. Pretty mediocre for those two really but, oh, all those blues), but for a last minute desperation grab he's not bad.
Also had a SG (who was really a SF in disguise) who I signed out of Canada that ended up at 882 overall on what used to be my Kentucky Wesleyan team in D2 Wooden. He's recent enough that his ratings are still visible. Paul Blasko.....BEAST!! I'm a little biased of course, but I think Blasko was every bit the stud that Hamblin is. Blasko didn't get drafted because for one reason , I didn't go crazy with his distro and have him shoot 40 times a game. I wanted that NC and I thought he'd deliver. Nope. Had a guy right after him on that team named Thomas Bittle. He started at 528 or 529 and ended up at 820 but what was cool about him was that he WAS able to handle the distro boost and he ended up NPOY his junior AND senior seasons. The junior season award was a surprise. The senior season would have been a surprise if he "hadn't" won it. Also.....undrafted.
My point to all this rambling is that if Paul Blasko at 882 couldn't even sniff the Draft Board (he never showed up on it one time, even by the end of his senior season), then I think it's going to be very difficult for Hamblin to get drafted. He could, especially if he scores a ton but the new way everything draft related is set up, I just don't think it'll happen. Back in the "good old days" of HD? No doubt in my mind he gets picked. Now? Not so sure.
8/13/2016 2:23 PM (edited)