El-Amin was the toast of Storrs during his tenure for UConn, but his game struggled to translate to the NBA.
1989 – Rumeal Robinson (Michigan) Pre-Fab Five, Steve Fisher took over mid-season to lead his team to his own National Title. Robinson was the consummate point guard, and hit the clinching free throws to beat Seton Hall in the finals. What happened to him? Robinson was taken with the 10th pick in the 1990 draft, but was nothing more than a journeyman in the NBA. He now is a real estate developer and an advocate for restoring the Michigan basketball program after the Ed Martin scandal.
1990 – Anderson Hunt (UNLV) Nevada-Las Vegas was one of the best teams ever assembled on a college floor. They had Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon, Greg Anthony and Hunt who could beat you on any given night. However, out of all the stars on that team, Hunt won the Most Outstanding Player award after a 103-73 thumping of Duke in the finals. He would be a key component of the 1991 Final Four team as well. What happened to him? As the only underclassmen in the starting lineup in 1991, he decided to leave school a year early. Despite dominating at the college level, he was the only starter to go undrafted in the NBA. He played overseas for a few years, but the little headlines he has made since have been mostly negative.
1991 – Greg Koubek (Duke) Koubek became the first player in NCAA history to play in four Final Fours. He never possessed much individual talent, but was one of the first great system players for Coach K. What happened to him? He founded the Greg Koubek Basketball Camp Inc. soon after graduation with his brother Tim in upstate New York.
1992 – Bobby Hurley (Duke) One of the greatest point guards in college basketball history was a mainstay on three straight finals teams. His sophomore year, he played every minute of the Final Four, and in his junior year he took home Most Outstanding Player honors. He left Duke as the NCAA all-time assists leader. What happened to him? Early into his NBA career, he was involved in a car accident after a game for the Kings that pretty much ended his career. He made a few comebacks, but was never the same player Sacramento thought they drafted with the 7th overall pick. These days, he owned Devil Eleven Stables as a thoroughbred racing fan, as well pursuing his aspirations to coach basketball in the near future.
1993 – Donald Williams (North Carolina) Most basketball fans remember the 1993 NCAA Championship more for the Chris Webber timeout blunder, but Williams was great in other ways in that game. He hit five three-pointers on his way to 25 points and Most Outstanding Player honors. What happened to him? Williams was another one of those tweeners, never playing in the NBA put in numurous places overseas. After officially ending his playing career, Williams now coaches the varsity girls basketball coach at Raleigh Charter High School in Raleigh.
1994 – Scotty Thurman (Arkansas) The Razorbacks' run to back-to-back title games were led by Corliss Williamson and Thurman, the outstanding guard who could do everything. His huge three in the final minute of the '94 title game against Duke will forever be remembered in the state of Arkansas. Whatever happened to him? After 1995, Thurman was the victim of bad advice. He declared for the NBA draft with those around him saying he was guaranteed a first-round pick. He never was drafted nor stepped foot in the NBA, settling for a career in other countries. These days, he is employed in contruction back in Little Rock, as well as coaching AAU basketball.
1995 – Ed and Charles O’Bannon (UCLA) I had to pair the O'Bannon brothers together, although you could basically say this whole team seemingly disappeared as fast as Jim Harrick was out of coaching. J.R. Henderson? Tyus Edney? Toby Bailey? George Zidek? Cameron Dollar? These guys all teamed up to bring UCLA their first title in 20 years, and the O'Bannon brothers headlined the front court. What happened to them? Ed was too much of a tweener and had too many injuries to ever really produce in the NBA, despite being a lottery pick. After a few years in various countries, he called it a career. He went back to finish his degree (at UNLV), and now sells cars in Nevada. Charles was also drafted, although just a 2nd round pick by the Pistons. He played two seasons in the NBA. He currently is the leading scorer in the Japanese Basketball League for Toyota Alvark.
1996 – Jeff Sheppard (Kentucky) From 1996-1998, no team in NCAA basketball was better than Kentucky. Sheppard was on both title teams, and while his best tournament might have been 1998, he was a solid four year player for the Wildcats. What happened to him? He played a total of 18 games in the NBA before making a living overseas. He officially called his basketball career after 9/11. In 2003, he and his wife Stacey started a clothing company called 15inc., which sells corporate and sports apparel with custom logos. He also is a sales director for WazooSports.com, a site dedicated to live high school sports broadcasts in Kentucky.
1997 – Miles Simon (Arizona) The backcourt of Mike Bibby and Simon proved to be the only recipe to prevent a 3-peat for Kentucky. What happened to him? Playing briefly for the Magic, he made his professional name in the CBA. In the 2001-2002 season for the Dakota Wizards, he was the CBA Rookie of the Year, MVP and Playoff MVP. He returned to Arizona in 2005 to become part of Lute Olson's staff, but his contract was not renewed after the 2007-2008 season.
1998 – Wayne Turner (Kentucky) Turner left Kentucky in 1998 with the aforementioned Sheppard as a two-time NCAA champion. The point guard also became the NCAA leader in total games played. What happened to him? A short stint for the Celtics was all Turner could get in the NBA. He played one year for the Harlem Globtrotters before spending quite a few years in Australia to play. These days, he is back in Kentucky playing for the East Kentucky Miners of the CBA.
1999 – Khalid El-Amin (UConn) Who could forget the face of the Huskies back in '99? He yelled into the camera that they "shocked the world" by beating Duke, but the husky Husky had a pretty good team as well. What happened to him? Citing financial issues at home, El-Amin shockingly entered into the NBA draft after his junior year. Although he did play in the 200 Rookie All-Star game, he only appeared in 50 total game in the association. He's had quite a few successful years overseas, particularly in the Turkish League. He currently plays for Azovmash in the Ukraine League.
2000 – Mateen Cleaves (Michigan State) A throwback point guard, he quarterbacked the Spartans to their first title since Magic Johnson was there. His college career was pretty remarkable. He was a 3-time All-American, as well as being named the Big Ten Player of the Year twice. His small size and lack of a jump shot made people wonder about his NBA future though. What happened to him? Those doubts ended up being true. He was a lottery pick after graduation, but never became any type of NBA threat. After bouncing around four NBA teams, he now plays in the Development League with the Bakersfield Jam.
2001 – Jason Williams (Duke) Back when he was known as Jason, the do-everything point guard dominated college basketball. He was also one of the first players to leave early, but still graduate in the three years in Durham. What happened to him? The similarities between Hurley's career and Williams' are eerily similar. After a pretty decent rookie season, Williams almost lost his life in the summer of 2003 in a motorcycle accident. The injuries he suffered made many wonder if he would ever return to basketball, and the Bulls eventually bought him out of his contract. He made a brief comeback attempt with the Nets and in the Development League, but has now called it quits on playing. He now serves as an analyst during college basketball broadcasts for ESPN.
2002 – Lonny Baxter (Maryland) Baxter was one of the mainstays for the great Maryland teams in the early '00s. He twice earned Regional MVPs in the tournament. What happened to him? Baxter played briefly and sparingly for a handful of teams in the NBA until 2006. In August of that year, he was arrested for firing a gun in the air near the White House. He served jail time for pleading guilty to possession of an unregistered firearm and unregistered ammunition charges. He also is still currently in the middle of a 2-year supervised release for shipping firearms without properly notifying FedEx.
2003 – Gerry McNamara (Syracuse) Everyone remembers Carmelo Anthony, but McNamara was the other super freshman who helped lead the Orange to the title. He hit 6 threes in the first half of the title game against Kansas, and was named to the all-tournament team. Later on as a senior, he took a below .500 Orange team to the Big East Tournament Title, cementing his legacy. What happened to him? Going undrafted in the NBA out of college, he has never played a minute in the NBA. He has continued his play both abroad and in the minor leagues. He was playing most recently for the Reno Bighorns of the NBDL, but was waived for personal reasons a week ago.
2004 – Rashad Anderson (Connecticut) The clutch sharp-shooter from deep was always overlooked in the shadows of Emeka Okafor and Ben Gordon, but he still played an intergral part in their championship run. He had 28 in the regional final against Alabama, and 18 in the title game against Georgia Tech. What happened to him? Another player with great numbers could not find a NBA team interested in him. He currently plays for TDShop.It Livorno in the Serie A2 Italian League.
2005 – Jackie Manuel (North Carolina) A tri-captain for the 2005 team, Manuel was a defensive specialist and the key senior for the Tar Heels. What happened to him? Manuel saw a lot of his underclassmen teammates drafted, but his name was never called. He has played primarily in the NBDL, receiving only one invite from the Celtics to training camp before being waived. He plays for the Erie Bayhawks currently.
2006 – Taurean Green (Florida) Green was the point guard for the talented 2004 recruiting class for the Gators. What happened to him? The Blazers took him late in the 2nd round of the 2007 draft. He went back and forth between the NBDL and NBA before being traded to the Nuggets near the trade deadline for Von Wafer. That summer, he was once again traded to the Knicks, who promptly waived him the next day. He currently plays for CAI Zaragoza in the Spanish ACB.
2007 – Lee Humphrey (Florida) Out of the five starters for Florida during their back-to-back championships, it was easy to forget Humphrey. He was the only one not to be drafted, and was also the only senior in 2007 out of them. He owns the record for most 3-pointers in NCAA tournament history, and scored 14 in the championship against Ohio State his senior year. He was also a first team Academic All-American. What happened to him? Despite not being drafted, he did get an invite to the Wizards summer league before being cut. He now plays for Ratiopharm Ulm in the first German Division.
2008 – Russell Robinson (Kansas) Known as the glue for the Jayhawks, Robinson controlled the ball and played tenacious defense in their championship run last year. What happened to him? He currently plays for the Reno Bighorns, hoping to catch the eye of a NBA team to call him up from the Development League.
By Daniel Utts
Original here
No comments:
Post a Comment