Everyone knows who the most talented players are in college basketball. From Marcus Smart to Doug McDermott to incoming freshmen Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker, there will be no shortage of talent on the hardwood during the upcoming 2013-14 season.
Marcus Smart, Doug McDermott are coaches’ most coveted college basketball players in 2014
College coaches from around the country recently voted for which player they would want most on their team.
Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports
CBS Sports recently polled head coaches across the country and asked which player they would want the most on their team next year. Thirty-four percent of the coaches said they would take Smart on their team over anyone else in the country. Second on the list was McDermott at 24 percent. Wiggins, who is widely regarded as the top-ranked incoming freshman for the 2013 class, was third with 15 percent of the vote.
Senior point guard Aaron Craft and incoming Kentucky freshman Julius Randle rounded out the top-five in voting with 6 and 5 percent, respectively.
The results weren’t too surprising, although it is pretty clear that the college coaches polled placed an emphasis on experience and track record over potential upside. Nearly every 2014 mock draft has Wiggins going No. 1 overall, even though he was just third on the list. Smart is projected as a top-five pick, while McDermott probably won’t be taken until later in the first round. Craft is a lockdown defender and arguably the best point guard in the country, while Randle is projected to be another freshman star. A handful of other incoming freshmen also received votes.
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