4. Tippit, the quarterback of the football team, played on basketball and football teams that are a combined 33-3. Tyler remains the first and only player to not only skip college to turn pro, but he skipped part of high school as well. The basketball player was born to Brent and Anne Nizzi Clark, her sisters. They were the best onthe court, and it wasn't close. Kevin Love 6. Offensively, there is nobody like him.. Wagner was the No. Fans of 1A boys basketball may feel a sense of dj vu as last year's top contenders, region rivals Panguitch and PIute, are set to face off again. Unique lists featuring pop culture, entertainment and crazy facts. Cooke went up against his rival in a one-on-one game in 2001 and was soundly schooled, and for some inexplicable reason, allowed that one game to determine his fate forevermore. David Steele. He would play only 103 games in the NBA and his career was over by the age of 23. Jared McCain is a prominent face in high school basketball. A Lamborghini is a Lamborghini, and Williamson is a Murcilago with a 6.2 L V12 engine. Young is another entry on this list who was so good he starred at two high schools--and he did it in two different states; both Wichita East High School (a coed public school in Kansas) and Hargrave Military Academy (a private, all-male boarding school in Virginia). But, Wrenn was a troubled soul, who made emotional--rather than logical--decisions, and spent an uneventful college career bouncing from UConn to Washington, so his making it to the NBA was never really in the cards. So I've seen nearly every great basketball talent as a high schooler for the past four decades: Ewing, Mourning, Garnett, Davis. Emoni Bates, Jr., Ypsi Prep Academy (Ypsilanti) Preseason favorite to win MaxPreps National Player of the Year honors averaged 32.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.2 steals for the 19-3 Railsplitters. 5. She doesnt appear to share anything about her private life with others, though. Along with teammate Chris Monroe, Roger led Good Counsel to the WCAC tournament finals. He made a small Catholic high school in California one of the top 25 teams in the country and after a strong showing in the 2004 McDonalds All-American game, Swift went pro. COMPLEX participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means COMPLEX gets paid commissions on purchases made through our links to retailer sites. After being named Mr. USA Basketball in 1990, Knight recruited Bailey to play for Indiana. Washburn, from Hickory, N.C., was 6-11, 230-plus pounds, ran the floor like a forward, handled like someone eight inches shorter and 50 pounds lighter, shook backboards with his dunks and blocked everything in sight. 7 recruit in his class would average all of 3.7 PPG in two seasons with the Gators and declared for the 2015 NBA Draft. She has gained recognition for her exceptional gaming senses. 9. MISHAWAKA MARIAN (41): Dareon Thornton 3 2-2 10, Deaglan Sullivan 7 5-6 21, Jackson Price 1 0-0 3, Deuce Owens 1 0-0 2, Zion Rhoades 1 3-4 5 TOTAL: 13 10-12 41 News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. MORE: What drives LeBron's next decision? A knee injury wiped out his entire third season and by the time he was healthy, the SuperSonics were becoming the OKC Thunder and Kevin Durant was the young superstar. He waspronounced dead later that evening at Daniel Freeman Marina Hospital. Whether it was bad luck, bad advice, or tragedy, here are the top 5 football / basketball players who never made it in their professional sports league. 15 Basketball High School Phenoms Who Never Made It In The NBA (And 5 Who Became Bigger Stars). Caitlin won the IPSWA Miss Iowa Basketball award in 2020. Perhaps, but Earl's "Goat" handle may have several other origins, including his surname ending with "-gault". That's like saying a Lamborghini isn't as impressive because it's sharing the road with Volvos and Subarus. Of the 10 players who started in the 2013 Jordan Brand Classic, nine of them were either drafted or are currently in the NBA including Joel Embiid, Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker. Of course, Williamson is not just a great athlete; hes a great basketball player. It's unfortunate Ebi didn't make it in the NBA. In the 2010s, seeing high schoolers do things beyond their sizes is almost commonplace. For 15 year old Ryan Chian, love of basketball won't fade away. He last played professionally in 2007 in Argentina. Almost literally, because he resembled no player more than he did Shaquille O'Neal. They either flamed out in college or flamed out in the pros which means the highpoint of their basketball careers came as teenagers. Right after his junior prom, Tyler announced he was dropping out of school and heading overseas to start his pro basketball career. His last known basketball activity was a tryout with the Warriors D-League team in 2016. Chris Washburn's one moment makes him my choice." He was a very good player for the Hoosiers, was a four-year starter and left the school sixth on Indianas all-time scoring list. Last week, we unveiled our top high school basketball team in each state and today we are digging . (Michael A. Schwarz-USA TODAY Sports) Dwight Howard created a legendary resume in high school, especially his senior year in 2004. Swimming in National Player of the Year awards just a year after Kevin Garnett's successful leap from high school to the NBA, Bryant made the none-too-surprising decision to turn pro himself. McDonald's All-American. Hes been arrested multiple times and has been charged with reckless driving, unlawful possession of a shotgun, and an armed home invasion. I remember he dunked the ball so hard on a fast-break, the portable goal just collapsed to the ground. 1 prospect, was outplayed by an unknown player named LeBron James who would then supplant Cooke as the top player in the country. The No. Unfortunately, once Wagner reached the NBA his body started to fail him as he was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and ended up having to remove half his colon. Back in the late '90s and early 2000s, there were far fewer, readily accessible media outlets that covered prep sports beyond a local level. Dating back to the 1960s, and with a decade-long heyday beginning in 1995, some of the NBA's greatest talents made the leap right to the pros. "It's like playing with your brother in the backyard," said Panguitch coach Clint Barney. Mayo AKA Grocery List was the consensus top player of the Class of 2007 and ahead of such players as Kevin Love, Blake Griffin and James Harden. Cooke was once the top prospect in the nation but that may have been because he was so much older than everyone else. Unless youre a diehard basketball fan, you probably dont know about the majority of these players. Now, everbody knows Amar'e Stoudemire." Tyreke Evans 3. Manning ended up winning the MVP with 20 points; Washburn scored 18. Oden lived up to his billing in college, leading the Ohio State Buckeyes to the National Championship game. 9 in the next summer's NBA Draft. Either way, while these talented basketball players never made it to the National Basketball Association, they certainly had the game required to do so. As a sophomore in 201718, Caitlin averaged 27.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 2.3 steals, leading her squad to a 204 record and the state quarterfinals. He would spend the next three years shuffling between the NBA and the G-League and played a total of 80 NBA games. He was by far the best player to come out of Oakland. With Providence visiting Independence for a pivotal conference game one night, my buddies and I decided to go see if the hype was real. Consensus college player of the year Michael Jordan doing it was one thing. All that you've heard about his ability is true, except that it may be incomplete. Although he played college ball at Cal State LA, Lewis is most notable forbeing arguably the greatest California streetball legends of all time. Some say his nickname, The Goat, came about from a mispronunciation of his last name, others claim its an acronym for the Greatest of All Time. Either way, Manigault was another example of wasted talent. Selby would start just 11 games at Kansas and the team seemed to perform better when he didnt play. Yeah, right. He was on top of every national all-America team and recruiting ranking, along with Manning and John Williams (later known, after a blown-out knee and massive weight gain, as Hot Plate). Kody Clancy, Scottsburg: The junior guard had 28 points and four steals on 13-for-16 shooting in an 83-47 win over Mitchell and had 15 points in a 50-45 loss to Jennings County. She was also named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and unanimously selected for both the All-Big Ten Freshman Team and First Team All-Big Ten after the regular season. How Tall Is Grizzlies Star Player Desmond Bane? Walker thought that his play in high school would warrant a draft selection in the pros but that wasnt the case and he ended up lasting just one month as an undrafted free agent with the Rockets. Below is our take on the 30 greatest basketball players to never play in the NBA. She is getting popular day by day. It is so appropriate that this entry of Fields as a "Never Was" directly follows our previous "Became Bigger"--Kevin Garnett--because the pair were actually high school teammates at Chicago's Farragut Academy. MORE: Jalen Brunson is SN Player of Year. With that in mind, heres a look at the nine best players who fit this description. Buta lack of inner motivation proved to be a distraction, and the closest Ryan ever came to the NBA was a tryout he had with the then-New Jersey Nets in 1990. Such was the case when my Tampa Raptors, a rag-tag, best of the rest team, consisting of a band of players not good enough to be scooped up by Nike or adidas' summer outfits. Wrenn was the 1998 Washington (state) high school player of the year playing for O'Dea High, a Catholic all-boys school in Seattle's famed "First Hill" district. Duke has been viewed as the leader for his services for a long time, and the Blue Devils hope to add him to a class that already includes two top-10 players on this list. And even then you heard about players a lot more than you saw them. Such was Garnett's maturity that he was able to bypass college and still exceed expectations. Earl Manigault was a legendary basketball player with unbelievable hops. Iowa Womens Basketball Point Guard Caitlin is confirmed to be 19 years of age. Well, teams lie and Cooke went undrafted which forced him to play in minor leagues like the NBDL and USBL. Damon Bailey was LeBron James before LeBron James, in the sense that he was so hyped up as a high school prospect and he drew tens of thousands of fans to see him play. McBride now has 1,822 career points going into the sectional. How Tall Is Basketball Player Caitlin Clark? Well never know. There's not much to write about LeBron that hasn't already been published; he's one of the preeminent talents the NBA ever has, or ever will, produce. Except now he's got Magic Johnson's head on Karl Malone's body, and it's even more frightening." I nearly killed a full phone charge by pressing record each time Williamson touched the ball during the game. I don't mean potentially better, I mean better today. Bailey was LeBron before LeBron and had over 40,000 people coming to watch his high school games which remains an all-time attendance record. Two days after being taken by the Celtics, Biasdied of a cardiac arrest brought on by a cocaine overdose. A summer league stint with the Boston Celtics is the closest Cooke would ever get to the NBA and a pair of torn Achilles tendons ended his career by the age of 25. But Telfair wouldnt prove to be the Blazers point guard of the future and was nothing more than a journeyman backup during his 10 NBA seasons. Caitlin began playing basketball when she was a freshman in high school and quickly established herself as one of the top players at her school. Caitlin has played basketball since she was very little. He was one of the most-touted players to come out of New York in years and won the Mr. Basketball USA award in 1994. That is, until July 1, 2016 when he was banned from the league for two years for drugs. Go figure: The best high school player performance I saw was on campus when I was a college student attending a game at Evanston's Welsh-Ryan Arena, in Chicago's second-ever City/Suburban Showdown. Brent and Anne Nizzi-daughter Clarks Caitlin is a Clark. When you've put on the "classic" uniform of basketball franchises like Lokomotiv Mineralnye Vody and Bnai HaSharon, who needs the Celtics or the Lakers? His NBA career was even more of a letdown as he played for just four seasons and averaged 5.8 points per game. Follow Nonstop Sports Instagram - https://instagram.com/nons. IHSAA boys hoops: Avon defeats Danville 61-49. Dominique Murphy, East Chicago Central: The 6-5 sophomore scored 34 points on 13-for-19 shooting with six rebounds and two steals in a 76-58 win over Andrean. What happens if an high school basketball star decides to throw a "direct to the NBA Draft" party and no one decides to show? Nothing made me feel older than to watch his son, Jalen, playing in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eightfor Villanova at the Garden (different building, of course) this past year. Her zodiac sign is Aquarius, based on the day of her birth. There are other players like J.R. Smith, Kendrick Perkins and Monta Ellis who also went the prep-to-pro route and churned out serviceable NBA careers. He attempted suicide while with the Mavs after he swallowed 250 aspirin tablets and he told police I am an Indian fighting Columbus! Dallas would cut him and he wouldnt make his NBA debut until 2001 with the Hawks. The best high school basketball player you ever saw: Sporting News makes its picks, final seconds by one of Michael Jordan's most legendary dunks. By. Nick Fazekas-Ralston Valley High School- Mr. Basketball-Colorado" for the 2002-03 season along with being a two-time 4A classification player of the year. He was a lottery pick by the Supersonics but spent most of his first two years on the bench. I mashed up some of what I captured for an Instagram video. Lopez left school ranking sixth all-time in Big East history in points but when you are on the cover of Sports Illustrated as a teenager, more was expected of him. Either way, they never really "made it" as a pro. That pretty much sums up the professional "career" of Cisse, who lead Montgomery Catholic High School in Alabama to a state title in 1999. It was impossible to watch anybody else on the court. How Tall is POP Star I Cant Breath Singer Bebe Rexha? 1. It featured Rashad Anderson, UConn's all-time leading 3-pointer shooter and former USC standout and first-round NFL Draft pick wide receiver Mike Williams, but he was easily their best player. When you're known by just two letters--as in "KG"--you have to be something special. There weren't. In his 1985 recruiting class he was perceived to be better than Glen Rice, Danny Ferry, Sean Elliott, Pervis Ellison, Rod Strickland and Roy Marble - all who went on to have NBA careers. She was the most sought-after student at her high school and rose to fame as a result of her performances in high school athletics. Williams was a star with two different high schools in Mississippi and Texas and was ranked in the top 20 prospects of 2009. At Benjamin Franklin High in New York City, shooting guard Manigault set a record by scoring 57 points in one game in the late 1950s. The Trail Blazers saw Oden's career dwindle, with his knees never being able to hold up. 3 ranked played in the Class of 2001 and had a solid year in college as he averaged over 21 PPG for Memphis. For the last three seasons hes played for three different teams in the Chinese Basketball Association. As it stands, Selby has played 38 games in the NBA and 31 games in the D-League although he has found some success overseas. In alphabetical order, here are 10 Super 5 candidates to watch. Daniel Tippit, New Palestine: The senior hit a 30-footer in New Palestines 61-31 win over Greenwood on senior night as the Dragons finished off a 21-2 regular season. He was so skilled that the Lakers even selected him in the NBA's 1971 hardship draft. The 10th is Chris Walker who struggled as soon as he finished high school. I was in the hunt for the starting point guard slot, a battle I'd eventually lose a couple games into the state AAU tournament at Disney's Wide World of Sports in Orlando. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. By 18, Telfair was on the cover of Sports Illustrated and just months later he was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers. Oden lived up to his billing in college, leading the Ohio State Buckeyes to the National Championship game. In the state tournament shortly thereafter, Burnson had perhaps the greatest performance in Massachusetts high school basketball history: 42 points against Bishop Feehan in the state tournament at Boston Garden. Michael Dyer Dyers freshman year at Auburn not only brought NFL potential but also a national championship. Cell phones throughout that crowd were set in video mode and trained on Williamson before he even finished his stretches. He was so skilled that the Lakers even selected him in the NBAs 1971 hardship draft. Orem players celebrate a 3-pointer in the 5A boys basketball state quarterfinal game against Lehi at the Dee Events Center in Ogden on Wednesday, March 1, 2023. I left the game that night feeling lucky to have seen that caliber of player in person but also anguished knowing that I'd be seeing a lot more of Antawn Jamison in the future." But it was never meant to be in the NBA for Cisse, despite being drafted #46 overall in the 2001 by the Denver Nuggets, as hecouldn't stay healthy and bounced around, getting released by one NBA team after another until heading overseas. No, that isn't comedian Carrot Top, that's NBA flame-out Robert Swift, a great high school player that managed to get Garces High School (Bakersfield, CA) ranked in the USA Today top 25 teams during the 2002-03 season. Jerry West is one of the most accomplished players in NBA history. Ward didnt even become a starter until his senior season and by then the luster off his Naismith award had worn away. Although he never strutted his stuff in the NBA, Haynes played in two separate stints for the Harlem Globetrotters, mesmerizing the crowd with his style, pizzazz, and insane handle. A legend of Rucker Park, Hammond destroyed opponents with his thunderous jams and smooth shot. They had to wheel out another one. There's been an ongoing debate for years, even decades, on whether the "one and done" rule in the NBA should be liftedor if in fact, basketball players should spend even more time in college. I have no idea how many points Williamson scored that day, but I do remember being disappointed when the game turned into a blowout. Young was a talented small forward from Kansas but even his high school coach was surprised he opted to skip college. The closest he would get to the NBA would be an invitation to the Raptors training camp in 2002 and Ward would play everywhere from the Philippines to Japan to Lebanon during his 13-year pro career. Unfortunately, Gathers also had an abnormal heartbeat and it proved to be something even he couldnt overcome. Sara Jane Harris. Fat chance. She is 5 feet 11 inches tall and 70 kg, and she has a slim build. At 26.6 points per game, Caitlin set the Iowa freshman record and led NCAA Division I scoring in 202021. Like Antoine Walker and Juwan Howard before him, Smith was thought to be the next All-Star big man to come from Chicago. In the history of the NBA draft, 45 players have been taken directly out of high school. Williamson, at the time, was still considering South Carolina as a college commitment, so as a Gamecocks fan who had seen the YouTube videos, my friend was all in for a trip to see Spartanburg Day play in the first round of the state playoffs. ARLINGTON, Texas - For Arlington Martin High School, Tuesday was the biggest game of the post-season.. It was a well-deserved ranking as the Legend of Mayo had reached epic heights by then. She was an incredible shooter and I had NEVER seen handles like that, ever." Brandon Jennings 5. He says it was due to him smoking marijuana and abusing prescription drugs though many suspect some other drugs were in his system. Avon defeats Danville 61-49 on Friday, February 24, 2023. Who is IHSAA boys basketball player of the week? ', Was I wrong about any of that? He added six rebounds, four assists and one steal in 32 minutes, attempting double-digit 3 . But Maggette was the best all-around player on the floor against a favorite team that had Kentucky recruit Ryan Hogan. The Philadelphia 76ers selected Raymond Lewis with the No. West began his pro career with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1960. Bill Bender is a national college football writer for The Sporting News. Players who made the most successful jumps from high school to the NBA, The paths of KD and Kyrie: How one month changed three franchises and two superstar legacies, Morant to miss two games after video with gun, Grizzlies' Clarke tore Achilles, out for season, 'Not going out this way': Nets, down 28, stun C's, Kerr touts 5-0 homestand: Dubs 'turned a corner', KD: Mavs tilt, Kyrie meeting 'just another game', Sources: Dragic joining Bucks for rest of season, Nets filling out big-man depth with Noel signing, Isaac has surgery on adductor, done for season. 3 min read Chet Holmgren, the top high school player in the country, has been named the 2021 Morgan Wootten Boys High School Basketball Player. Because ESPN ranked her as the second best guard, more people started paying attention to what she had to say about the game. Throughout the regular season, many Oklahoma high school girls basketball stars made their cases for consideration of The Oklahoman's Super 5 Player of the Year. Best move: Uses a hesitation dribble to free the defender then shoots a 3-pointer or blows past for a lay-up. With National Signing Day coming on Wednesday, Sporting Newsasks that question. Conversely, the five listed as becoming bigger stars in the pros somehow exceeded the hype that was bestowed on them coming out of high school. Benjamin N. Cardozo High School in Bayside, Queens, was Rafer Alston 's launching point for an incredible career that evolved from the AND1 Mixtape Tour all the way to the 2009 NBA Finals. D.J. How Tall Is Celebrity Singer Paula Abdul? Malone didn't need college; his last two years in high school, his team didn't lose a single game, taking back-to-back state titles in Virginia. Born in the Dominican Republic, Lopezs family moved to New York when he was 14 and he enrolled at Rice High School in Manhattan. Between 1995 and 2005, these nine future NBA All-Stars (including two future Hall of Famers) decided to skip college and head directly to the league. Graham made a spot start for the Spurs on Thursday, finishing with 18 points on 5 of 10 shooting. The ball had hit the rim and was rising toward the top of the backboard; Williamson snatched the ball, his head easily above said rim, before gravity had a chance to take effect. The Tigers coach, John Calipari, then revoked Wagners scholarship after the season to force him to go to the NBA so Coach Cal was pulling the one-and-done long before he got to Lexington. Averaged 19.4 points, 5 . MORE: Have you seen the legend of Mac McClung? Coincidentally, Dawkins also skipped college, but never became the pro on Malone's level. He played a total of 15 games in the NBA and played in now-defunct leagues such as the IBL and BSN. As a senior he led the Mustangs to a 25-2 record and a state championship after an undefeated regular season and semi-finals appearance the previous year. She also received the most weekly Player of the Week honours in the Big Ten Conference with five. These four players, and many more, skipped college to jump straight from high school to the NBA to great results. Charlie fouled Brunson from behind, pushing him into the brick wall, and he fractured his wrist. The volume of his talent is staggering, even breathtaking. Caitlin was born on January 22, 2002, in Des Moines, Iowa, and is currently 19 years old. Those players were: 1. Top Basketball States. It was a Golden Age in Central Ohio hoops in the 1990s. Below is our take on the 30 greatest basketball players to never play in the NBA. Oden was already being called the next Patrick Ewing or the next Tim Duncan when he was just 16 years old. These individuals have broken records, displayed otherworldly talent, and taken the game itself to new heights. From then until I moved out of Pittsburgh in 1993, I went to the Dapper Dan every year. The WCAC was the best high school league in the country, as at least 3 teams were nationally ranked. This is what I wrote in Sporting News after seeing LeBron James play as a rising junior at the 2001 ABCD Camp in New Jersey: 'Some baby boomers who've got me by a few years make a big deal of the first time they saw The Beatles on 'The Ed Sullivan Show.' And in the early 1990s, I began to cover recruiting camps like the ABCD and then the elite tournaments like the Big Time and Peach Jam. There was actually an HBO movie made about Manigault starring Don Cheadle entitledRebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault. But damn are they fast." Watch James make one routine trip down the court and the whole package hits you at once: the size, the skills, the awareness, the competitiveness. And it's really not close. Inside Her Life! The World's Most Entertaining Car Website. She therefore embraces her subject of interest with zeal and determination, which is why she is currently becoming more well-liked among basketball fans. It could be Williams' lack of desire or competitive fire, or maybe he didn't get a chance, sometimes it's as simple as that. Only two members of the Fab Five II would go on to play in the NBA: Maceo Baston and Maurice Taylor. 18 pick in the 1973 draft, yet on account of a contract dispute, Lewis never played a single game in the NBA. Lamborghinis are known for their luxury and class in addition to their performance and speed. How Tall Is WWE Beast Cody Rhodes? There's almost nothing else to remember from Chris Washburn's basketball career, except him posing with Len Bias after they were picked back-to-back in the 1986 NBA Draft, or maybe him lounging on the Warriors' bench before or after one of his suspensions. The top three-ranked players in the Class of 1998 all jumped straight from high school to the NBA. Basketball scorers start young. LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett and Tracy McGrady are all examples of when the prep-to-pro process works out. Malone was a three-time NBA MVP (1979, 1982 and '83), and in 1981 took alackluster Houston Rockets team all the way to the NBA Finals, before Larry Bird and Kevin McHale won their first title with the Boston Celtics. Telfair was arguably the most famous basketball player in the New York City area in the early 2000s. Her date of birth is not known. We wound up matching up against his team late in the tournament. Gabriella Brooks and Liam Hemsworth Were Spotted Together Following Miley Cyrus Release Of A Song About Him. Was Manigault the original "G.O.A.T"? Led the Tigers to a 28-5 record heading into the Class 4A sectional final. Weve watched our fair share of ESPNs 30 for 30 documentaries, yet few affect us as much as, BENJI, the story of Ben Wilson, Chicagos pride and joy and the best high school basketball player in the country. Some players found themselves a little too drawn to the hustler lifestyle. Here are SN's staff picks: "I will always be indebted to my sophomore year biology teacher for noting my passion for basketball and asking if I'd like to go along with him to see the 1976 Dapper Dan Roundball Classic. The No. As the top-ranked recruit in his class, Ward was expected to be the next Chris Webber but he wasnt even the next Juwan Howard or Jalen Rose. The NBA has been home to plenty of elite ball handlers, but in all fairness, point guard Marques Hayenes was on another level. Greg Oden did in fact spend a year in college after being hyped up as a future superstar in the NBA. Drafted in the 2000 NBA Draft after putting on a show in numerous high school all-star games he was so spectacular that Michael Jordan endorsed the Clippers taking him near the top of the. He dominated the Georgia basketball scene that year, leading. Maggette was smooth and fun to watch doing everything on the floor." -. Won two gold medals with USA Basketball. It certainly seemed at the time as if only Jordan himself could even have matched that any time in our lifetimes. Believe me, I tried. In this blog post, we are going to talk about the Best High School Basketball Player That Never Made It. Standing about 6-8 and about 230 or 240 pounds, he looked like a grown man, and I had no clue who he was. Mike DeCourcy. Lopez stayed local with his college choice at went to St. Johns where he was solid but unspectacular. But Baldwin is also . 1 overall pick to be sent down to the D-League. He played for four teams in four seasons and even Michael Olowokandi lasted nine seasons in the NBA.