NBA Draft Combine List No Jakarr

http://zagsblog.com/articles/nba-draft-combine-list-released/#more-115893

Surprised no one posted this.

Got to say I am a little surprised & disappointed that  Jakarr was not invited.

http://zagsblog.com/articles/nba-draft-combine-list-released/#more-115893

Surprised no one posted this.

Got to say I am a little surprised & disappointed that  Jakarr was not invited.

nail in coffin on the NBA dreams....

Shoulda stayed in school...... I can't believe he didn't just test the waters figure out he wasn't highly regarded before hiring an agent. Stupid on his part. Wish him the best though.

He should make some money in europe and maybe hone his skills for a later shot at the NBA hopefully.

http://zagsblog.com/articles/nba-draft-combine-list-released/#more-115893

Surprised no one posted this.

Got to say I am a little surprised & disappointed that  Jakarr was not invited.

http://zagsblog.com/articles/nba-draft-combine-list-released/#more-115893

Surprised no one posted this.

Got to say I am a little surprised & disappointed that  Jakarr was not invited.

I'm not that surprised. And although I like him and wish him the best. Our coaches advised him of the likelihood of making the NBA , slim. He made his own bed and should have stayed another year.

He should make some money in europe and maybe hone his skills for a later shot at the NBA hopefully.

I doubt he can play at the top Euro level.  The NBA is likely never going to happen for him.  Just a terrible decision...I feel bad for him.  He could have had a shot at top Euro if he stayed longer.

He's going to have to make a name for himself in Europe or the DLeague. I wish him the best but yeah, probably not an NBA player.

Sampson played for Lavin for two years, during which time he stunk, and didn't improve, and was a selfish cancer black hole whose foot work on screens was awful and whose numbers were deceiving to the extent they were not unimpressive. He is not an NBA player. He's not even a top euro player. It's a darned shame he didn't stay another year in the program where in two years he stank and didn't improve and ruined the team's chemistry, because if he did, then he might be a first round draft pick. And of course we wish him the best, despite his having made his own bed and being a stupid. Good luck Jakarr, the SJ family is really pulling for you.

Sampson played for Lavin for two years, during which time he stunk, and didn't improve, and was a selfish cancer black hole whose foot work on screens was awful and whose numbers were deceiving to the extent they were not unimpressive. He is not an NBA player. He's not even a top euro player. It's a darned shame he didn't stay another year in the program where in two years he stank and didn't improve and ruined the team's chemistry, because if he did, then he might be a first round draft pick. And of course we wish him the best, despite his having made his own bed and being a stupid. Good luck Jakarr, the SJ family is really pulling for you.

F'in brilliant!

Sampson played for Lavin for two years, during which time he stunk, and didn't improve, and was a selfish cancer black hole whose foot work on screens was awful and whose numbers were deceiving to the extent they were not unimpressive. He is not an NBA player. He's not even a top euro player. It's a darned shame he didn't stay another year in the program where in two years he stank and didn't improve and ruined the team's chemistry, because if he did, then he might be a first round draft pick. And of course we wish him the best, despite his having made his own bed and being a stupid. Good luck Jakarr, the SJ family is really pulling for you.

Just because posters point out aspects of his game that need improvement and would hurt his chances at the next level doesn't mean we think he stunk or didn't show improvement. The fact that it appears he is not even being considered on NBA draft boards only supports those points made and shows those posters who continued to harp his "numbers" as a sign of how good he is that there is more to a players game than numbers. I think Jakarr would have continued to improve if he stayed, not sure if that would have equated to a NBA first round pick, but it would have surely increased his chances. Still hope a team gives him a chance. 

Jakarr didn't stink by any means. But he's incredibly raw.

Jakarr can stick that 10 footer. It was a big part of our offense. He can go to the basket with authority, and quickly, but not in traffic. He's afraid of contact. If you can't handle the ball, you're not a 3 in the league, and if you're afraid of contact, you're not a 4 either. I didn't see  much improvement in Jakarr from freshman to sophomore. That doesn't mean that wasn't a good player. He was good as a freshman, and he was good as a sophomore, too.

He's not ready for the league. He's not even close to ready. Is that something people are going to pin on the kid, or Lavin? IDK. I know this, I sat and watched Jakarr play zone defense when the rest of the team was playing man. I listened to the guards constantly reminding him where he should be on the court. It clearly has taken him longer to learn the game. It doesn't seem like he's the least bit aware of it, however. 

Just because posters point out aspects of his game that need improvement and would hurt his chances at the next level doesn't mean we think he stunk or didn't show improvement.

You personally said he was a "terrible" rebounder (you said rebounds just happened to fall in his hands) and a "terrible" defender (regarding which you were "not sure how much he could improve") and that we would not miss him because of his poor "free-throw shooting, passing, dribble penetrating, screening, decision making, etc, etc."?

If what you said last month is true it is unlikely that even one or two more years seasoning at the hands of the great Steve Lavin would get him into the league. Because he's "terrible" at so many important aspects of the game, see? In which case his options seem to be to go play overseas, which he can do now, or stay in school a year or two more, then not get drafted because he's 25 and "terrible" and make his way in the world with a sports marketing degree from a mediocre commuter school in the garden spot of Jamaica. Or he can go live in Paris for a couple of years while pursuing his basketball dreams and banging French broads.

If on the other hand Lavin is able to make "terrible" players ready for the NBA in two years we have no worries, as we have no shortage of terrible players who are even worse than Sampson, and thus have so much more room to improve.

If what you said last month is true it is unlikely that even one or two more years seasoning at the hands of the great Steve Lavin would get him into the league. Because he's "terrible" at so many important aspects of the game, see? In which case his options seem to be to go play overseas, which he can do now, or stay in school a year or two more, then not get drafted because he's 25 and "terrible" and make his way in the world with a sports marketing degree from a mediocre commuter school in the garden spot of Jamaica. Or he can go live in Paris for a couple of years while pursuing his basketball dreams and banging French broads.

Its possible he could improve enough over the course of two years to be drafted in the first round, its very common for players to show improvement from their freshman through their senior year. Although it may not be the case that he will improve, neither is him playing in Paris, its convient that you mentioned Paris. If playing in the league is that improtant to him then I would argue playing in the Mecca of basketball for two more years is a better option than playing for Etka Gorgan and sleeping with goats, which is also a possibility, wouldn't you agree? Then after two years if he doesn't get drafted to the NBA then Paris could still be an option. All that being said, if playing in Paris is a viable option now, then it may not be a bad decision opposed to returning. 

If playing in the league is that improtant to him then I would argue playing in the Mecca of basketball for two more years is a better option

Yeah, the road to the NBA goes through Carnesecca Arena. Good one.

You do realize that the NBA drafts prospects under the assumption that they are going to get better right?    Jakarr improving over the next two seasons is to be expected.   

But if I'm a person close to him, I think a well-reasoned argument can be made for why going to Europe now is his best bet.   He's not projected as an NBA player right now.   Even assuming he improves in most areas over the next two seasons, scouts still aren't impressed.
But he could get a leg up on the competition by going pro and playing year-round while his peers play November-March.

And if it doesn't work out, he's still getting paid to play the game he loves.  I'm not sure it's the route I would take, but I'm not Jakarr Sampson.
Either way, staying at St Johns is not the obvious path to improvement and, eventually, the NBA that some of you are making it out to be.

You do realize that the NBA drafts prospects under the assumption that they are going to get better right?    Jakarr improving over the next two seasons is to be expected.   

But if I'm a person close to him, I think a well-reasoned argument can be made for why going to Europe now is his best bet.   He's not projected as an NBA player right now.   Even assuming he improves in most areas over the next two seasons, scouts still aren't impressed.
But he could get a leg up on the competition by going pro and playing year-round while his peers play November-March.

And if it doesn't work out, he's still getting paid to play the game he loves.  I'm not sure it's the route I would take, but I'm not Jakarr Sampson.
Either way, staying at St Johns is not the obvious path to improvement and, eventually, the NBA that some of you are making it out to be.

+1--look at Justin Burrell; didn't start in Europe but went to Japan first and had great success in that league. 

Bball is a world wide sport with plenty of opportunities for young men to earn a decent living.  The NBA has approximately 450 jobs--division one, NCAA, has approximately 4,500 scholarship players annually.  The best example we have is Walter Berry, who after 3 years in the NBA, had a successful, long and lucrative career in Europe.

Bootsy has had a long lucrative career playing in Italy. So is D-Buckets. St Johns guys are getting paid to play hoops, just in leagues other than the NBA, Harkless excluded.

Let's face it.  Jakarr wants to be playing for pay starting this summer and he will have the opportunity to do so somewhere.   If he excels there or at higher levels later he has a shot, a long shot maybe, but a shot at getting some looks from the NBA.  But like others have said, he'll make a decent living and done right will at least be able to pay to finish his degree after his career is over, if that is something he is interested in.  Good luck to him.

http://zagsblog.com/articles/nba-draft-combine-list-released/#more-115893

Surprised no one posted this.

Got to say I am a little surprised & disappointed that  Jakarr was not invited.

Not sure why you'd be surprised. As I posted on April 5th, Sampson wasn't on a single mock draft list:

http://johnnyjungle.com/forum/index.php?topic=8777.0

And for those who say he can play his way into the NBA, please tell me about all the undrafted American players who have done so.

This is the sad thing about players leaving early - you never hear about the ones who disappear, never to be heard from again. And playing in Europe is harder than it sounds.

This is the sad thing about players leaving early - you never hear about the ones who disappear, never to be heard from again.

You never hear about the ones that are never heard from again. That is sad.