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North Carolina Tar Heel Coach, Roy Williams, followed up his 2009 NCAA Men’s basketball championship with a top 5 2009 NCAA recruiting class. Although North Carolina will miss Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, and senior Tyler Hansbrough who will all be playing professionally next season, Coach Williams returns a talented crop of players from last season to go with John Henson, Travis and David Wear, Leslie McDonald, and Dexter Strickland who comprise the 2009 recruiting class.

Many pre-season rankings hold the Tar Heels a bit lower than their usual pre-season nr 1-3, however, most agree that Coach Williams has more than enough talent returning next year to achieve 30 wins, compete for the ACC title, and just maybe make a deep run in the 2010 NCAA tournament.

Projected 2009-10 Starting Lineup for the North Carolina Tar Heels

2009 North Carolina Tar Heels Projected Starter – Point Guard – Larry Drew II

Larry Drew averaged just under 10 minutes a game last season with his most minutes coming with star point guard, Ty Lawson, was out with a toe injury. Drew played in all of North Carolina’s games last season. Drew didn’t really get enough FT and 3PT attempts for fans to see what he is capable of, so you shouldn’t really look hard at the 41% free throw or 35% field goal clips he achieved over the course of the season. Dexter Strickland also looks to see some minutes behind Larry Drew as he picks up the offense and adjusts to the college game. Look for Drew’s playing time to increase as the season progresses.

2009 North Carolina Tar Heels Projected Starter – Power Forward –Deon Thompson

Deon Thompson comes off a season where he averaged 10.6 points a game to go with 5.7 rpg. He’ll be expected to up his production a bit with the loss of Hansbrough for his senior year and gives the Tar Heels an experienced front court presence heading into the 2009-10 season. Star recruit, David Wear will compete for playing time with Thompson and will likely see increased minutes as the season proceeds and the Tar Heels get deeper into ACC play when Coach Williams will need added depth in the front court.

2009 North Carolina Tar Heels Projected Starter – Center – Ed Davis

A huge win for Tar Heels fans was Ed Davis choosing to return for the 2009-10 NCAA season vice declaring for the NBA. He finished the second half of the 2008-09 season extremely strong. Davis led the Tar Heels with 65 blocked shots and pulled down 6.6 rebounds per game. Look for Davis to be the defensive lead of the Tar Heels next season with a bit more offensive production than we saw out of him last season. He’s not likely to pull down 20 points a game, but 13-15 a game is not out of the question.

2009 North Carolina Tar Heels Projected Starter – Small Forward – William Graves

William Graves heads into the summer time as the leading candidate for starting at the SF role for Coach Roy Williams next season. Star recruit, John Henson, will be battling for playing time and could see time behind either Graves or Deon Thompson. John Henson looks like he can play naturally in either the 3 or 4 position in Coach Williams’ offense next season, so his minutes may very likely will just depend on how quickly his defensive came gets up to ACC level competition.

2009 North Carolina Tar Heels Projected Starter – Shooting Guard – Marcus Ginyard

Marcus Ginyard received a medical redshirt for last season after only playing three games. He’s started 55 times in his career as a Tar Heel and was also voted the team’s top defender his sophomore and junior years. He’ll bring experience to the backcourt which should help North Carolina jell more quickly as a team as the Tar Heels get into the 2009-10 NCAA basketball season. As the season moves along, expect to see recruit Leslie McDonald start to see an increase number of minutes as Coach Williams gets his team ready for another post-season run in 2010.

Projected 2009-10 North Carolina Tar Heels Starting Line-Up:

PG: Larry Drew, II

SG: Marcus Ginyard

SF: William Graves

PF: Deon Thompson

C: Ed Davis

Refs:

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/players/81568, http://www.collegehoopsvideo.com/2009/05/2009/05/top-5-2009-ncaa-basketball-recruiting-classes/, http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/players/60116, http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/player/profile?playerId=27016, http://www.tarheelfanblog.com/2009/04/did-i-mention-i-really-like-this-ed-davis-kid/, http://www.tarheelfanblog.com/2009/04/john-henson-is-awesome, http://www.tarheelfanblog.com/2009/06/four-heels-get-drafted/, http://www.collegehoopsvideo.com/2009/06/2009-north-carolina-basketball-recruiting-john-henson/,

Blake Griffin, Likely Nr 1 Pick in the 2009 NBA Draft

With the 2009 NBA Draft Lottery order set, its time to project the first round of the NBA Mock Draft. The selections are based on projected team need and will likely change a bit between now and draft day on 25 June 2009 depending on trades and player performances at team work-outs. We’re very likely to see a fair bit of movement in the first round picks once you get past Hasheem Thabeet in the NBA Draft lottery with the first two lottery picks, Blake Griffin and Ricky Rubio being pretty set. Feel free to comment and feedback on any 2009 NBA Mock Draft choices that you think are too high or too low!

2009 NBA Mock Draft Round 1

#1 Pick 2009 NBA Mock Draft Lottery – LA Clippers
Blake Griffin – PF – Okalahoma

#2 Pick 2009 NBA Mock Draft Lottery – Memphis Grizzlies
Ricky Rubio – PG – Spain

#3 Pick 2009 NBA Mock Draft Lottery – Oklahoma City Thunder
Hasheem Thabeet – C – UConn

#4 Pick 2009 NBA Mock Draft Lottery – Sacramento Kings
James Harden – SG – Arizona State

#5 Pick 2009 NBA Mock Draft Lottery – Washington Wizards
Jordan Hill – PF Arizona

#6 Pick 2009 NBA Mock Draft Lottery – Minnesota Timberwolves
DeMar DeRozan – SG – USC

#7 Pick 2009 NBA Mock Draft Lottery – Golden State
Tyreke Evans – PG/SG – Memphis

#8 Pick 2009 NBA Mock Draft Lottery – New York Knicks
Stephen Curry – PG/SG – Davidson

#9 Pick 2009 NBA Mock Draft Lottery – Toronto Raptors
Earl Clark – SF/PF – Louisville

#10 Pick 2009 NBA Mock Draft Lottery – Milwauke Bucks
Gerald Henderson – SG – Duke

#11 Pick 2009 NBA Mock Draft Lottery – New Jersey Nets
Wayne Ellington – SG – North Carolina

#12 Pick 2009 NBA Mock Draft Lottery – Charlotte Hornets
Chase Budinger – SF – Arizona

#13 Pick 2009 NBA Mock Draft Lottery – Indiana Pacers
Brandon Jennings – PG – International Play

#14 Pick 2009 Mock NBA Draft Lottery – Phoenix Suns
Eric Manor – PG – VCU

#15 Pick 2009 NBA Mock Draft Detroit Pistons

Tyler Hansbrough – PF- North Carolina

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North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough

 

There is a mix of talent at the Power Forward position for the 2009 NBA draft. It ranges from Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin who is expected to be the top overall choice in the draft, to Tyler Hansborough from North Carolina. Several of the Power Forward prospects are expected to take a few years to be impact players in the NBA.

Top 5 2009 NBA Draft Power Forward Prospects

#1 2009 NBA Mock Draft Power Forward – Blake Griffin – Oklahoma

Blake Griffin is the clear #1 overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft. He’s got the NBA body, post skills, and athleticism to succeed in the NBA. He’ll need to work on his perimeter game and free throw shooting to reach the NBA all-star level of performance, but isn’t anything he won’t be able to accomplish.

#2 2009 NBA Mock Draft Power Forward – Jordan Hill – Arizona

Jordan Hill is an excellent defender and rebounder. He is only considered average on the offensive end, but he did not get a ton of transition opportunities last season at Arizona. He’ll go high in draft, though likely won’t be considered for the lottery.

#3 2009 NBA Mock Draft Power Forward – Earl Clark – Louisville

Early Clark is one of the best perimeter power forward prospects for the 2009 draft. He’s considered a cross between the SF and PF position, but brings great athleticism to the draft. He’ll have to work on his efficiency when he hits the NBA and has a lot of downstream growth potential for the team who picks him in this year’s draft.

#4 2009 NBA Mock Draft Power Forward – Dejuan Blair – Pitt

Dejuan Blair is one of the strongest and most physical power forward prospects in the 2009 NBA draft. He is well known for over-powering opponents in the paint and has great footwork. He’s considered a bit short for the NBA and needs to work on his shot blocking capability.

#5 2009 NBA Mock Draft Power Forward – Tyler Hansbrough – North Carolina

Tyler Hansbrough stayed at college to win the NCAA title last season. Although his numbers slipped a bit in 2008-09, but he’s got a great perimeter game and gets to the foul line on a consistent basis. He’s also the second most efficient power forward in the 2009 draft in the post position. He’ll do well in the draft, though expect to see him in the later portion of the 1^st or start of the 2^nd round.