April 25th was the deadline for underclassmen in college basketball to declare for early entry into the NBA Draft.
May 8th was the deadline for players on the early entry list to withdraw their names and elect to return to school for another season.
The May 8th deadline is a significantly earlier date than years' past, when early June was the withdrawal date. The reason for the change can be attributed to wanting to end months of looming concerns about who will and will not be returning to school.
The new May 8th deadline gave only 2 weeks for players to decide whether they want to stay in the upcoming draft. Very few teams have been working players out, but it's close enough to draft day for most players to determine where they might be considered being drafted.
Here are the official lists of NOTABLE college underclassmen who have ENTERED the 2010 NBA Draft, and who have WITHDRAWN from the Draft, with my added comments:
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ENTERED:
Solomon Alabi, Florida State - Good decision to stay in the draft. Late-1st round potential
Cole Aldrich, Kansas - No brainer, should be a lottery pick
Al-Farouq Aminu, Wake Forest - Top 10 pick. His game more suited for NBA than NCAA
James Anderson, Oklahoma State - College star could go anywhere from top 7 to late 20's
Luke Babbitt, Nevada - Good decision, could go in 1st
Armon Bassett, Ohio - Poor decision. Made a name for himself in Tourney, but likely undrafted
Eric Bledsoe, Kentucky - Would have liked to see another year. Unknown where he will go
Craig Brackins, Iowa State - If he came out 2 years ago, would have gone in 1st. Now, unsure
Avery Bradley, Texas - Disappointing frosh year, but showcased his potential. Could go top 15
Derrick Caracter, UTEP - Many issues, he will go in 2nd round
DeMarcus Cousins, Kentucky - Should go top 5. Character issues are only concern
Jordan Crawford, Xavier - Good decision to enter, with stock on a major rise
Ed Davis, North Carolina - Disappointing sophomore year. Top-5 talent, will go mid-1st
Devin Ebanks, West Virginia - Great at WVU, but fringe 1st. Could have improved stock
Derrick Favors, Georgia Tech - Should go top 5
Keith "Tiny" Gallon, Oklahoma - Loaded with potential, but questionable entry
Charles Garcia, Seattle - He's a great story, but unlikely to be drafted
Paul George, Fresno State - Sleeper to be a 1st rounder
Manny Harris, Michigan - Detroit star doesn't look like NBA player. 2nd rounder at best
Gordon Hayward, Butler - Sad to see him leave Butler. But stock is high, will go mid-1st
Xavier Henry, Kansas - Surprised he left KU without chance to become star next year
Darington Hobson, New Mexico - Stock is high, might get drafted
Wesley Johnson, Syracuse - No brainer, will go top 5
Armon Johnson, Nevada - Another sleeper that could go in 1st round
Dominique Jones, South Florida - Super-athletic wing could be solid late 1st round pick
Sylven Landesberg, Virginia - Poor decision. Good player at UVA, unlikely to be drafted
Gani Lawal, Georgia Tech - It's time for him to leave. Fringe 1st rounder
Tommy Mason-Griffin , Oklahoma - Very poor decision. Terrific young player, stock is low
Greg Monroe, Georgetown - Top 10 pick, had to go
Daniel Orton, Kentucky - Very questionable. Could have used another year. Fringe 1st
Patrick Patterson, Kentucky - Lottery pick. Had to go
Samardo Samuels, Louisville - Not sure he has the athleticism for NBA
Larry Sanders, Virginia Commonwealth - Great athlete, big sleeper, should go mid-first
Lance Stephenson, Cincinnati - Nobody is surprised about this. He may go late 1st, though
Evan Turner, Ohio State - No brainer, top 5 pick
Ekpe Udoh, Baylor - Rising stock, super athletic defender, will go top 20
John Wall, Kentucky - Only question here is which team will be selecting Wall with #1 pick
Willie Warren, Oklahoma - Top 10 talent with issues both on and off court. Fringe 1st
Terrico White , Mississippi - Sleeper. Could go late 1st
Hassan Whiteside, Marshall - Super-duper sleeper that scouts say might be a lottery pick
Elliot Williams, Memphis - Fringe 1st for former Dukie
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WITHDRAWN:
Jimmer Fredette, BYU - Complete surprise. Not sure if he can prove any more next year
Lavoy Allen, Temple - Had potential to get drafted, good decision to stay and improve
Jeremy Hazell, Seton Hall - Not sure what else he can prove. Should have entered
Talor Battle, Penn State - Good decision to return
Chris Wright, Dayton - Great athlete needs to work on offensive moves, good decision
Herb Pope, Seton Hall - Good decision. He has potential to get drafted next year
Alex Tyus, Florida - Also a good decision. NBA potential forward, but needs work
Malcolm Delaney, Virginia Tech - Big surprise. Decorated ACC star, can't prove much
E'Twaun Moore, Purdue -Great news for the Boilermakers. Big 3 will be back next year
JaJuan Johnson, Purdue - Johnson might have best NBA potential of he, Hummel, Moore
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If you're looking for a big name underclassman that's not on this list, it means he never entered his name for the 2010 NBA Draft and will be returning to school next season (Kyle Singler, Kalin Lucas, etc.).
