No, Cam Long was not drafted in Thursday night's 2011 NBA Draft. Jamie Skeen was not either. As it turns out, Charles Jenkins, one of the best New York players for the last few years, was the only CAA player drafted.
NBADraft.net had both Jenkins and Long being drafted with the 45th and 57th picks respectively. As the 2010-11 season moved along, I saw the highest influx of NBA scouts when Charles Jenkins came for Hofstra's lone game at the Patriot Center. Yet there was a contingency of scouts after he left.
The more I talked to them, the more they seemed interested in Long. Even after seeing Jamie Skeen dominate at VCU and lead his team to the NCAA Final Four, I thought Cam had the second-best chance of a CAA player to go to the big dance. And neither one was drafted.
No respect from the NBA. Maybe if Cam or Jamie won the whole thing, something good could have come out of it.
But good for Chuck. He's the third CAA player in three years to go to the NBA, something big that has come out of the CAA's tournament success. Hopefully that rate can continue or even rise in the future. Still no respect yet, but let's just wait for the CAA and other mid-majors to show players that the NBA simply cannot refuse.
I'm working on talking to Cam to see where he goes from here. Overseas, anybody?
Also, the media guys I've talked to don't seem too confident about a summer league. Although apparently some coaches are...
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