Who was our biggest (best) player who could have gone pro...

...but didn't, and came back for another year?

Magic in 1978. Come on nigel tighten it up this is grade school level stuff.

I have no idea the circumstances of magic coming back. I'm sure they would have taken him if he went pro a year earlier.

Magic then Mateen

Travis of the Cosmos wrote:Magic in 1978. Come on nigel tighten it up this is grade school level stuff.

I have no idea the circumstances of magic coming back. I'm sure they would have taken him if he went pro a year earlier.

Couldn't go pro after your FR year back then.

But, nice try.

aualum06 wrote:Magic then Mateen

Was there a lot of talk about Mateen going pro?

NigelUno wrote:

aualum06 wrote:Magic then Mateen

Was there a lot of talk about Mateen going pro?

Yes after the final four his junior year there was a decent chance he would go.

A player's brother and I were discussing this.

The closest comp to this situation in the modern era is Harrison Barnes coming back. But in reality since the NBA did away with the straight outta High School rule, Bridges would be the best/highest rated player to come back after his freshman year.

NigelUno wrote:

Travis of the Cosmos wrote:Magic in 1978. Come on nigel tighten it up this is grade school level stuff.

I have no idea the circumstances of magic coming back. I'm sure they would have taken him if he went pro a year earlier.

Couldn't go pro after your FR year back then.

But, nice try.

You sure about this? Pretty sure you didn't have to have to go to college at all back then.

Kirk Gibson

Kalin Lucas isn't at the top of the list, but he deserves a mention, right?

duffy munn wrote:

NigelUno wrote:

Couldn't go pro after your FR year back then.

But, nice try.  

You sure about this? Pretty sure you didn't have to have to go to college at all back then.

My recollection (which seems to be wrong) was that you could declare "hardship" after your SO year.  I don't recall a lot of talk about Magic going pro after his FR year, but maybe I'm just not remembering it.  

You could enter as a HS player (due to the Haywood lawsuit in '71).  Malone entered the ABA in '74 (then merged with the NBA), and Dawkins and Willoughby entered the NBA in '75.  No high school player went direct to the NBA for 20 years after that.  

Manute was the biggest name to go as a FR, and that was in '85.

So, technically Magic would apply, but I was thinking more along the lines of under Izzo.

NigelUno wrote:

duffy munn wrote:

You sure about this? Pretty sure you didn't have to have to go to college at all back then.

My recollection (which seems to be wrong) was that you could declare "hardship" after your SO year.  I don't recall a lot of talk about Magic going pro after his FR year, but maybe I'm just not remembering it.  

You could enter as a HS player (due to the Haywood lawsuit in '71).  Malone entered the ABA in '74 (then merged with the NBA), and Dawkins and Willoughby entered the NBA in '75.  No high school player went direct to the NBA for 20 years after that.  

Manute was the biggest name to go as a FR, and that was in '85.

So, technically Magic would apply, but I was thinking more along the lines of under Izzo.

Back before the NBA drafted on potential​ too

aualum06 wrote:

NigelUno wrote:

My recollection (which seems to be wrong) was that you could declare "hardship" after your SO year.  I don't recall a lot of talk about Magic going pro after his FR year, but maybe I'm just not remembering it.  

You could enter as a HS player (due to the Haywood lawsuit in '71).  Malone entered the ABA in '74 (then merged with the NBA), and Dawkins and Willoughby entered the NBA in '75.  No high school player went direct to the NBA for 20 years after that.  

Manute was the biggest name to go as a FR, and that was in '85.

So, technically Magic would apply, but I was thinking more along the lines of under Izzo.

Back before the NBA drafted on potential​ too

Yeah. One and done's didn't really get going until the late 1990's.

Gary Harris?

Harris and Payne recently. In the Izzo era though it was definitely Mateen.

WhiteBoyHatcher wrote:Harris and Payne recently. In the Izzo era though it was definitely Mateen.

I definitely remember talk about G. Harris going pro (and then coming back).

Cameron wrote:Kalin Lucas isn't at the top of the list, but he deserves a mention, right?

Wasn't summers rated higher?

NigelUno wrote:

WhiteBoyHatcher wrote:Harris and Payne recently. In the Izzo era though it was definitely Mateen.

I definitely remember talk about G. Harris going pro (and then coming back).

There was a lot of talk about AP, too. Don't you remember? I actually hung on that one quite a bit. Harris announced early he was coming back. AP's decision lingered. I thought we were going to be the best team in the country if AP came back. I was right...until Appling hurt his wrist.

InTenSity wrote:

Cameron wrote:Kalin Lucas isn't at the top of the list, but he deserves a mention, right?

Wasn't summers rated higher?

He was great in both final four runs

Summers should have gone early

NigelUno wrote:

duffy munn wrote:

You sure about this? Pretty sure you didn't have to have to go to college at all back then.

My recollection (which seems to be wrong) was that you could declare "hardship" after your SO year.  I don't recall a lot of talk about Magic going pro after his FR year, but maybe I'm just not remembering it.  

You could enter as a HS player (due to the Haywood lawsuit in '71).  Malone entered the ABA in '74 (then merged with the NBA), and Dawkins and Willoughby entered the NBA in '75.  No high school player went direct to the NBA for 20 years after that.  

Manute was the biggest name to go as a FR, and that was in '85.

So, technically Magic would apply, but I was thinking more along the lines of under Izzo.

Magic could have bolted after his freshman year. And yes you are right about hardship.

NigelUno wrote:...but didn't, and came back for another year?

Tolbert out of hs. lock it

CORNER BLITZ wrote:Summers should have gone early

And kill, and Ballenger, and hill

IIRC, Sten Feldreich was listed at 7'1" at MSU, which makes all you fuckers wrong. I'm certain Sten could've played pro ball somewhere like Monaco or Luxembourg. Eat shit, Travis.

tGreenWay wrote:IIRC, Sten Feldreich was listed at 7'1" at MSU, which makes all you fuckers wrong. I'm certain Sten could've played pro ball somewhere like Monaco or Luxembourg. Eat shit, Travis.

But, he didn't come back.

WhiteBoyHatcher wrote:A player's brother and I were discussing this.

The closest comp to this situation in the modern era is Harrison Barnes coming back. But in reality since the NBA did away with the straight outta High School rule, Bridges would be the best/highest rated player to come back after his freshman year.

A potential top 10 pick in this years draft from Texas AM is coming back.
Ivan Rabb did it last year after being in that range. It looks like he might have fell about five spots