Which Players Without an Agent Can Change the Landscape of College Basketball by Returning

It’s something that I’ve been asked quite a bit lately. ‘Who should return to college basketball?’ Which, will lead to a mini rant before I get into the answer. First, I hate when the question is phrased that way. No one SHOULD return to college basketball. My biggest pet peeve with this sport are people who blast a kid for leaving early, or one who says they need another year to develop in college. First of all, we don’t know their situations. There are plenty of examples – most recently and notably former Arkansas player Michael Qualls who wasn’t on any draft board declaring early because he had to support his family. The notion that you lose value by leaving early or staying in college guarantees something else is completely false and such an old way of thinking. It’s complete bullshit honestly and more people cost themselves money by staying in college. Sure, you get the Buddy Hield story. But for every Buddy Hield there’s a Thomas Bryant and Ivan Rabb who have cost themselves a couple million dollars right off the bat. Also, can we stop pretending that you can only develop in college? The way the D-League is set up now with 2-way salaries, Tier A and B salaries and the fact the competition keeps getting better, allows for more development there. Oh, not to mention that whole don’t have to worry about class or grades thing. One thing I’ll never do is blast a kid for leaving early. There’s money – and in some cases, really good money – to be made in Europe, Australia, China, D-League, wherever. It’s all a professional career and if they want to be a professional basketball player good for them.

So instead of asking who should return to college basketball, we’ll look at it as those who could completely change the landscape of the game next year. This is predicated on USC getting Bennie Boatwright back for his junior year and immediately solidifying themselves as a top-15 team heading into next year. Seriously, USC is going to be really good and depending what happens in the Drat with Arizona players, they may be the favorite in the Pac-12.

The Names You Know:

Donovan Mitchell (Louisville) – If Donovan Mitchell returns to Louisville, there’s a good chance they will be No. 1 in some preseason polls. Mitchell made a case for ACC Player of the Year this past season and if he returns will be preseason First Team All-American. This is a guy who started to shoot the ball really well, giving Louisville some help on the offensive end in the halfcourt, especially if they weren’t forcing turnovers. This is arguably the most important decision from a team standpoint because it will determine who will be preseason No. 1 or 2 (you can argue Michigan State over them here) for next season. If I had to guess I think Mitchell stays in the Draft because he’ll be a first round pick.

Caleb Swanigan (Purdue) – Pretty obvious here. Swanigan was the arguably the best big in the country this past season and an All-American. If he returns, he keeps Purdue very relevant and is on the short list for National Player of the Year yet again. He was a double-double machine last season and watching him vs Miles Bridges for Preseason B1G-Player of the Year would be all sorts of fun. If Swanigan returns, Purdue is a top-15/20 preseason team but if he doesn’t you’ll be shocked to see them in any top-25 heading into the year. My guess though is he stays in the Draft as again, his stock will never be higher.

Aaron Holiday (UCLA) – Holiday quietly had a really nice sophomore year putting up 12.3/4.4 per game and shot 41% from three for the second consecutive year. He’ll likely be handed the keys a little bit more if he returns with Lonzo Ball out of the picture and UCLA becomes a top-15 team. They do have a couple strong freshmen coming in with Kris Wilkes and Jaylen Hands but Holiday is a guy that is likely to make a jump to 15/5 per game. I think he returns because he’s the type of player that could benefit from hearing what he needs to improve on and developing.

Jevon Carter (West Virginia) – What’s there to talk about? We all know what Jevon Carter can do defensively as he won national defensive player of the year this past season. He’s a good ball handler and can run the point guard spot in Bob Huggins system. More importantly he’s become a better scorer and similar to Mitchell/Louisville, can give West Virginia a break in the halfcourt. He upped his shooting to 38% from three and upped his points from 9.5 per game to 13.5 per game. My guess is he returns to Morgantown, battles DeVonte’ Graham and possibly Johnathan Motley for Big 12 Player of the Year and makes a legit case for All-America. West Virginia also becomes a top-10 preseason team with him.

Semi Ojeleye (SMU) – Ojeleye was the best player on SMU this past season and led the Mustangs to national relevance. He allowed SMU to run some small ball and was a complete mismatch at the forward spot, especially with him shooting 42% from three. Unfortunately for SMU fans, he’s athletic and good enough to be a first round pick and throw in the fact he’s already 23 it’s hard to see him returning. If he does, SMU will be a top-20 team. Without him, they won’t be in the top-25 rankings.

Hamidou Diallo (Kentucky) – Yes, he’s never played a game for Kentucky, but he did spend half the season practicing and learning Calipari’s system. The Wildcats have lost a ton of talent from last season and Diallo could be a special player for Kentucky if he returns. He’s an incredible athlete, who needs to develop a more consistent jumper, but he can get to the rim and defend incredibly well. I’d guess he returns as he’s going to hear feedback (likely a 2nd round pick now) and jump into a potential lottery pick next season.

Names Under the Radar: 

Eric Mika (BYU) – Mika put up 20.2/9.2 rebounds per game last season as a sophomore. If he returns, BYU is a top-25 team and can challenge St. Mary’s and Gonzaga for the WCC title and more importantly will likely make the WCC a three-bid league, which is pretty crazy to think about. The 6’10” sophomore showed off his ability to compete against big talent when he single-handily beat Gonzaga on the road to end the regular season last season. I think he does return and you see BYU get some love in preseason polls.

Angel Delgado (Seton Hall) – We know what Caleb Swanigan did last year in terms of double-doubles. But, right behind him was Angel Delgado. The dude averaged 15/13 per game and had a double-double in 14 of his last 15 games (the only game without was an 8/8 game against Villanova in the Big East finals). He had back-to-back 20 rebound games against St. John’s and Butler and will challenge Jalen Brunson for Big East Player of the Year if he returns. I love this Seton Hall team with him (and Carrington) and think they are top-15 in the country. My guess is you see him come back and put up 20+ double-doubles.

Braxton Key (Alabama) – Don’t look now but Avery Johnson has Alabama basketball being talked about in the offseason. He brings in a loaded freshman class with Collin Sexton (one of my favorite players in the class) and John Petty, which will give Alabama top-25 votes alone. Throw in Braxton Key, who averaged 12.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game and you have a team that is for sure in the top-25 and giving the SEC four teams floating around the rankings with Kentucky, Florida and Texas A&M. I would bet he returns and becomes the important third key to Alabama’s team and gives Avery Johnson an NCAA Tournament team.