GREENSBORO, NC – MARCH 12: Montrezl Harrell #24 of the Louisville Cardinals dunks against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the quarterfinals of the ACC Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on March 12, 2015 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
The Madness of March is upon us once more, and it provides a perfect platform for Suns fans to get studied up on college stars who very well could be wearing the Suns orange and purple next season. It’s almost certain that Phoenix will end up with a mid-first round pick come June (pick #13 or 14 likely), barring a trade or incredibly good luck with the lottery ping pong balls. So let’s zoom in on the players that are currently projected to be available around the mid-first round in the 2015 NBA Draft, and that are also competing in this year’s NCAA Tournament.
Kevon Looney – PF – UCLA – Freshman
First game: Thurs, 3:10 pm Eastern vs SMU
A 6’9″ power forward, Looney has great length (7’1″), energy, and aggressiveness. His tremendous nose for rebounds and great defensive effort would be welcome addition to the Suns next season.
Devin Booker – SG – Kentucky – Freshman
First game: Thurs, 9:40 pm vs Hampton
Not an athletic freak by any stretch of the imagination, but Booker still gets the job done due to his high skill level and lights-out shooting (50/43/83 shooting %s). And since he plays for Kentucky he must know how to play D, too.
Bobby Portis – PF – Arkansas – Sophomore
First game: Thurs, 9:50 pm vs Wofford
At 6’10” 242 lbs, with a 7’1.5″ wingspan, Portis would bring Phoenix some much-needed size and strength up front. He also crashes the boards and brings it on the defensive end, two more pluses for the Suns.
Montrezl Harrell – PF – Louisville – Junior
First game: Fri, 4:10 pm vs UCI
A great athlete, with a NBA body (6’8″ 240 lbs with a 7’3″ wingspan), Harrell also has had the good fortune of being coached by Rick Pitino for three years. Would also be a good fit on the Suns roster.
