Thursday, April 14, 2005

Hoops: Jack and the draft

Brief mention of Jack in this review of players considering the jump:

Jarrett Jack, PG, Georgia Tech. Almost all of his running mates are gone, so Jack might be enticed to depart. Another year working on his jumper and being the guy wouldn't be bad, though.


Here's an article on those leaving early, along with this quote from Chris Bosh:

"It's a real confusing time, very nerve-wracking," Chris Bosh, Toronto’s second-year forward who left Georgia Tech after his freshman year, said recently. "You have the thought in your head, 'Maybe I should go back to school, but if I go back I might not be as good as this year, and if I go, I might not do well.' So like, you’re thinking in a double-negative all the time."



Bosh could have returned for his sophomore season at Tech and been part of a talent-laden team that lost to Okafor's Huskies in the national finals. He was projected to go anywhere from fourth to ninth in 2004 mock drafts and wound up with his best-case scenario – fourth.


"You feel like you’re being pulled in different directions," Bosh said. "It kinda messed with my mind a little bit. Some people said, 'You're not ready, you need more time.' Some people said, 'You are ready.' And some people said, 'It doesn't matter because they're drafting people on potential.' So it basically comes down to, you have to follow your heart. The way I looked at it, eventually you have to prove you can play, no matter what. So I decided to go ahead and go."


Deng and Bosh were emphatic that their college coaches were supportive and were looking out for their best interests, and not necessarily stacking the deck to try to persuade them to return to college.