It's rare for players who don't average
double figure points or even start for a high-profile program to enter early into
the NBA Draft, but that is the decision that Jamaal Magloire has made in
regards to entering the 1999 NBA Draft pool. With the perceived lack of true big men
available, Magloire probably feel that he could be at least a 1st round pick in the
draft. However, Magloire is playing it safe as he has publicly stated that he will
not hire an agent, and will return to school (where Tubby Smith is keeping his
scholarship for him) if he decides to withdraw from the draft, or if he goes
unselected. This latest decision is only the next in what has been the
controversial nature of Jamal Magloire ever since his high school days. A
native Canadian, Magloire burst onto the recruiting scene as a senior as the top
prospect in Canada, and became the subject of an intense recruiting battle between
Purdue and Kentucky. After flip-flopping back and forth between the schools,
Magloire finally settled on Kentucky, in what was a very controversial
situation (Magloire's coach, Simeon Mars, was hired as an administrate assistant at
UK, leading to all sorts of speculation). Magloire saw immediate playing time at
Kentucky. He started the majority of the team's games at center, and was
actually the starter in the 1997 NCAA title game for UK. However, foul trouble
and poor decisions in games limited his minutes. As a sophomore, Magloire started
the season as the starter, but moved to the bench with the emergence of Nazr
Mohammed. Magloire took on the role of rebounder and defensive specialist, and
sometimes enforcer (just as Duke's Steve Wojciechowski). He did, however, provide
some solid moments during UK's NCAA run in '98, and was a key contributor off of
the bench. This past season during his junior year, Magloire once again was
more of a player off of the bench, and continued as the team's top interior
defender. If Magloire were to return to school for his senior year, he would
undoubtedly be the starting center, especially with the departure of Michael
Bradley.
Shotblocking and defense -- those are Jamaal Magloire's main bread-earning
skills. Unlike many college players who simply rack up impressive block totals,
Magloire is actually a solid defender who has a tremendous knack of timing in
blocking shots, and doesn't particularly bite on fakes. He runs the floor well, and
possesses a body that is just about ready for the pro level. He also hits the
boards well. The biggest question regarding Magloire by far is his offensive
ability. While he has shown flashes here and there of a post game (just ask Michael
Doleac about the move Magloire put on him in the '98 NCAA finals), there has been
nothing consistent. He lacks range on his shot and his hook shot scares nobody
but the fans when he takes it. He is incredibly raw in this aspect, but has shown
improvement in this area over his 3 years at Kentucky. Being the controversial
player that he is, some of Magloire's on and off the court activities are also
worthy of questioning. On the court, Magloire is a very emotional player, and
certainly has had his share of flare-ups and confrontations with other players over
his UK career. Off the court, Magloire has been accused of hanging around with some
questionable characters as well. However, his attitude, though often
questioned, is credited in that he never really complained about coming off of
the bench for much of his career at UK, and he actually seemed to excel in that
role.
What's the prognosis? Magloire is going to pay his own way and attend the
Chicago pre-draft camp, where he hopes to show that he's more than just a defensive
specialist. If he can assure himself and his advisors that he's a first round pick,
he'll stay around in the draft. How certain that is nobody really knows -- last
year, former teammate Mohammed was actually projected as a lottery pick, yet
slid down to the last pick of the draft. As stated earlier, if Magloire were to
return to UK he would be the likely starting center, and would certainly position
himself to be possibly a lottery pick in the 2000 draft. At this point, the crystal
ball would predict that he return to school.