Regression and Progression of Future Stars

Who's Down?
John Wall - It's hard to really voice a complaint about the future No. 1 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, but his play has been particularly un-stunning over the course of conference play. His assists and scoring are down, and in particular he has been unable to be effective in transition. Wall is still the best player on one of the best teams in the country, but he has to find a impose his will on a game even when the other team is playing a zone.

Xavier Henry - Henry's play has been pretty average over the course of conference play. His scoring and rebounding are down, and he is in a dismal shooting slump. His play forced coach Bill Self to keep him on the bench for an extended period in the second half of the Kansas-Kansas St. game Saturday. It will be interesting to see how Henry is used over the remaining conference games, because Kansas certainly has the talent and depth to relegate Henry to the bench during stretches of certain games.

Who's Up?
Demarcus Cousins - Cousins has been an absolute monster for Kentucky over the past few weeks, and is likely going to lock up his third straight SEC Freshman of the Week. Cousins has still been rebounding the ball with great tenacity, but has become the Wildcat's go to scorer. His agility is unparalleled at his body size, and he has the foot speed and touch around the rim to be a prolific scorer for some time. He seems to be much more comfortable receiving the ball in the post, displaying a unique skill set of patience, vision, head fakes, and spin moves that make him unguardable at the collegiate level.

Avery Bradley - Although Texas has been slumping over the course of the past few weeks, Bradley has displayed a very unique all around game for a freshman. In a win over Colorado, Bradley scored 29, grabbed 9 boards, and handed out 3 assists with only one turnover. Four days later, against Iowa St., Bradley scored 24, grabbed 6 boards, had 6 assists with no turnovers, and had three steals. In those games, he went 22 for 28, and 7 for 8 from behind the arc. Bradley has been showcasing a great feel for the game at the college level. While I don't believe he possesses the NBA star type talent of Wall or Cousins, Bradley is just as ready to contribute to an NBA team, and could become a lock down defender who fills up the stat sheet night in and night out. I think any NBA team that picks up Bradley in next year's draft (if he comes out), is immediately a much better team. Personally, I'd love to see him land with OK City and start right away with Westbrook and Durant. He and Westbrook would both be capable of playing off the ball and running the point, which would give them great versatility in the backcourt with bringing in Harden and Sefolosha off the bench. Tasty.

Perfect Storm Brewing in Memphis

With all eyes focused on Championship Week, Joe Lunardi, and the impending March Madness, recruiting has taken something of a backseat in the general roundball consciousness. Well, we may want to redirect our gazes (even if only briefly) to the world of blue chip recruits, AAU tournaments, and Sonny Vaccaro-type peddlers of fortune. Developments with the potential to shake the college basketball landscape are taking place in southwestern Tennessee.

On November 18, Xavier Henry, a 6-6 210-pounder rated as the third best player in the 2009 high school class and the nation's top two-guard, signed on as just the latest of John Calipari's high-profile, highly-skilled recruits. In doing so, Henry follows in the footsteps of Dajuan Wagner, Derrick Rose, and most recently, Tyreke Evans. One-and-dones (or probable one-and-dones) who selected the friendly confines of Conference-USA and Calipari's free-wheeling, improvisational dribble-drive offense to showcase their lucrative talents during a mandatory pit stop on their way to the Promised Land.

Yesterday, DeMarcus Cousins, a 6-9 250-pound native of Mobile, Alabama, decided that he would also spend a year in Memphis. Cousins is considered the second best player in class of 2009 and is widely regarded as the best power forward and post player in the country. So, if you're keeping count, that means Calipari has wrapped up two of the top three recruits from this year's graduating class. Cousins originally said he would attend UAB. However, after UAB refused Cousins' request for an escape clause that would allow Cousins to get out of his letter of intent if head coach Mike Davis should leave or be fired, he reopened his recruiting.

The final piece of the puzzle is Raleigh Word of God Christian Academy point guard John Wall. Wall, the number one player in all of high school basketball is still weighing his college options, and Memphis is on his short list. Rumor has it that Wall will reveal his intentions at the McDonald's All-American game.