ESPN Men's Basketball

Originally Published: May 19, 2005

SEC has 12 in, but how many should it be?

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By Pat Forde
ESPN.com

No league had more underclassman signees put their names in the NBA draft than the SEC – and no group of players comes with more question marks about the players' pro readiness.

Here's a breakdown of the SEC early-entry players' pros and cons:

Kelenna Azubuike, Kentucky
Why he could be a pro: Exceptional athlete with an NBA body.

Why he shouldn't go: Poor ballhandling skills for a perimeter player, and a lack of basketball instincts or discernible passion for the game. No one believes he will go in the first round.

Brandon Bass, LSU
Why he could be a pro: Strong and athletic frontcourt player who improved significantly between his freshman and sophomore years.

Why he shouldn't go: At 6-foot-8, he's undersized by NBA power forward standards, and his perimeter game hasn't developed enough to make him a ready-made small forward.

Jermareo Davidson, Alabama
Why he could be a pro: Long, athletic post player with a great upside.

Azubuike went from Kentucky hero to undrafted free agent.

Why he shouldn't go: Considering his raw offensive skills, he might have been the fifth-best player on a team that lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. In other words, the NBA is not clamoring for an opportunity to put Davidson to work.

Toney Douglas, Auburn
Why he could be a pro: Took the league by surprise as a freshman and thrived in Jeff Lebo's 3-point-intensive offense, averaging 16.9 points per game.

Why he shouldn't go: He's a 6-1 shooting guard. How many NBA teams are dying to get one of those?

Monta Ellis, Mississippi State signee
Why he could be pro: Explosive scorer with a good handle and sufficient size to play in an NBA backcourt.

Why he shouldn't go: He's still not projected as a lottery pick, so what's the rush?

Olu Famutimi, Arkansas
Why he could be a pro: Athletic wing player who came out of high school with a big rep.

Why he shouldn't go: He never has scored more than 18 points in a college game, never has pulled down double-digit rebounds, never has handed out more than four assists and has 20 more turnovers than assists in two years – while playing for a mediocre team. Other than that, what's not to like?

Randolph Morris, Kentucky
Why he could be a pro: At 6-10 and 260 pounds, he has pro size, nice hands and good athleticism. Most important, the NBA is perpetually starving for big men.

Why he shouldn't go: A highly touted recruit, he was a disappointment as a freshman. He was foul-prone, lacked intensity and had a surprisingly small array of post moves. Two more years of college might make him a force; right now, he's a farce.

Anthony Roberson, Florida
Why he could be a pro: There won't be many point guards in the draft with more quickness or scoring ability.

Why he shouldn't go: There should be plenty of point guards in the draft with greater distributing skills (averaged a miserly 2.4 assists last year) and a better team-first mentality. He's the anti-Nash in both categories.

Matt Walsh, Florida
Why he could be a pro: Smart kid with good perimeter size and shooting touch. He finds ways to score off the dribble.

Why he shouldn't go: Still lacking in upper-body strength, and physical defense seems to get in his head. Is he athletic enough to guard on the perimeter?

Louis Williams, Georgia signee
Why he could be a pro: Big-time scorer who blew up last summer on the high school circuit, which these days is a passport to the league.

Why he shouldn't go: At 6-1, he's another guy with point-guard size and a shooting-guard game.

Kennedy Winston, Alabama
Why he could be a pro: High skill level coupled with a scorer's mentality makes him a threat to score from outside, off the dribble or with post-up moves.

Why he shouldn't go: Has no apparent interest in playing defense, and he's hardly Reggie Miller when it comes to moving without the ball. Still seems to lack maturity.

Pat Forde is a senior writer for ESPN.com.