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Message: [QUOTE="CardiacCuse, post: 2946931, member: 6979"] after the Duke win when Battle went HAM on the team with Zion and Barrett for the win - he played lights out - I was SURE he would get drafted in this Draft (despite being down on his early season play)... I remember checking the mocks soon after that game and Battle was the only SU player in most - a late second rounder...since then - he and the team have struggled - and now battle is not in any of the mocks... face it, these players in college know and probably look at the mocks and that's the carrot they are all playing for... Battle's gotta be discouraged to go into Cameron and beast on the 1st and 2nd picks in next year's draft and not get a little more love - i mean, he flat out EMBARRASSED some of those DOOKIES...and got the win ending a 90 game home winning streak for the blue devils...one of the best performances of the season in the entire NCAA, imo personally, if I was an NBA GM that game alone would convince me to draft battle with AT LEAST a 2nd rounder - there aren't 60 better draft-eligible players out there than him, imo. yes he has weaknesses - but the guy is a warrior and winner - and he's not exactly bereft of talent, either... there's no doubt in my mind that he will make it in the NBA (barring injury)...if not now, then later on his 20s (assuming he keeps at it)...he's definitely one of those players who will work...and fix his weaknesses and if he can do that - he has everything else - will, fire, size, etc...might not be a star...might be a bench option...but he could also surely be one of those 2nd rounders/undrafteds who outperforms his draft position. SU is due for one of those types of players too after having so many recent under performers relative to draft spot. people that doubt him undervalue his competitive fire - really high in him - and it will take him where he wants to go... TANGENT: I really think the draft stock and lack of team success this year is compounding a lot of the team's struggles...BIG TIME. If you go down the roster, almost every player is either trending down or not where they thought/want to be i.e. future prospects - that's gotta be tough for the players who all want to be in the NBA some day and are close enough to at least envision it...Marek might be the only guy who is trending up as far as pro prospects but he's still a long way off from sniffing the NBA... look at the squad: [LIST=1] [*]Carey - talk of one and done to now glued to bench [*]battle - hoping to improve draft stock to not on most (any?) mocks [*]brissett - regressed - not on (m)any mocks [*]hughes - underwhelming a bit and not looking like "one of the best offensive players in years" that he was called early pre-season - got to get a lot better to think of NBA - has potential but this year cannot be encouraging in that regard for him [*]chukwu - lol [*]sidibe - there is a faint trace of a heartbeat - but hard not call this season/career way below expectations - nowhere close to draftable yet [*]Howard - he was locked in this summer - looking to really build on his best season ever as junior - sweet 16 - had an outside shot at doing something pro-wise if he could've built on last years performance but has FALLEN FLAT like almost no other senior at SU I can recall...gotta be very discouraging for him to basically know that his pro dreams especially nba wise are non-existent - outside of a 1-1000 ncaa title [*]Marek - put on some weight and improve jumper he actually has an outside shot imo - as a dennis rodman, joakim noah type - he's one of the few trending up on this squad as far as projecting him...but still FAR from where he would need to get. [/LIST] the weight of high expectations - not only team-wise - but personal MUST be weighing on these players...its a numbers game on the team - only so many players in this system can actually shine - but more importantly - it is a numbers game in the sport - only less than 1% get a shot at the next level...soooo the realization that it might not be happening for players that thought it would has got to be crushing...and i think this dynamic must have something to do with why the team is letting a bad stretch spiral. I mean these guys were legit talking national title in preseason - that's what they were aiming for...with at least a modicum of reasonableness after sweet 16 and everyone returning - and to be SO FAR from that at the moment has gotta be challenging - there's always the chance that a "new season" rejuvenates them and a clean slate could somehow wake them from their slumbers... [/QUOTE]

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