The deadline to declare for the NBA Draft passed last night.
Barring any late surprises from players who didn't announce their intentions on Twitter or to their school, the growing list of early departures from Big East programs has slowed down to a trickle. With school semesters coming to a close, most players have met with their coaches, decided whether they wanted to stay with their programs, and are settling in to their offseason training routines.
Which means that this is a good time to start the Rumble's offseason analysis of the Big East. Keep checking in for notes about the Red Storm's rivals, Big East news, and analysis of the league and its teams.
First, let's take stock of players leaving the league's programs - the early entrants, the transfers, and the major seniors leaving the Big East, below the fold.
Players leaving the Big East for professional or transfer opportunities:
Player |
Pos.
|
HT/ WT
|
Eligibility Yr
|
School | Destination |
Andre Drummond |
C
|
6-11/275
|
Fr.
|
Connecticut | Pro |
Jeremy Lamb |
G
|
6-5/195
|
So.
|
Connecticut | Pro |
Alex Oriakhi |
PF
|
6-9/240
|
Jr.
|
Connecticut | Unknown |
Roscoe Smith |
F
|
6-8/205
|
So.
|
Connecticut | Unknown |
Michael Bradley |
F
|
6-10/225
|
Fr.
|
Connecticut | Unknown |
Tony Freeland |
SF
|
6-7/225
|
Jr.
|
DePaul | Long Beach State |
Macari Brooks |
SG
|
6-2/190
|
Fr.
|
DePaul | Unknown |
Hollis Thompson |
F
|
6-8/212
|
Jr.
|
Georgetown | Pro |
Jared Swopshire |
SF
|
6-8/200
|
Jr.
|
Louisville | Northwestern |
Mark Jackson |
PG
|
6-3/210
|
Fr.
|
Louisville | Unknown |
Jamail Jones |
F
|
6-6/210
|
So.
|
Marquette | Unknown |
Mike Broghammer |
PF
|
6-9/245
|
Jr.
|
Notre Dame | [retiring] |
Alex Dragicevich |
SG
|
6-6/215
|
So.
|
Notre Dame | Unknown |
Isaiah Epps |
PG
|
6-2/185
|
Fr.
|
Pittsburgh | Unknown |
Khem Birch |
PF
|
6-9/220
|
Fr.
|
Pittsburgh | UNLV |
Bilal Dixon |
PF
|
6-9/245
|
Jr.
|
Providence | Unknown |
Gerard Coleman |
SG
|
6-4/180
|
So.
|
Providence | Unknown |
Ron Giplaye |
F
|
6-6/230
|
So.
|
Providence | Unknown |
Gilvydas Biruta |
PF
|
6-8/240
|
So.
|
Rutgers | Rhode Island |
Sean Grennan |
PG
|
6-2/170
|
Fr.
|
Seton Hall | Unknown |
Blake Nash |
PG
|
6-1/190
|
Jr.
|
South Florida | Unknown |
LaVonte Dority |
PG
|
6-1/195
|
So.
|
South Florida | Valparaiso |
Moe Harkless |
F
|
6-8/210
|
Fr.
|
St. John's | Pro |
Nurideen Lindsey |
SG
|
6-3/180
|
So.
|
St. John's | Rider |
Malik Stith |
PG
|
5-11/185
|
Jr.
|
St. John's | Unknown |
Fab Melo |
C
|
7-1/245
|
So.
|
Syracuse | Pro |
Dion Waiters |
G
|
6-4/215
|
So.
|
Syracuse | Pro |
Mookie Jones |
SF
|
6-6/220
|
Jr.
|
Syracuse | Unknown |
Isaiah Armwood |
PF
|
6-9/210
|
Jr.
|
Villanova | George Washington |
Maalik Wayns |
G
|
6-2/185
|
Jr.
|
Villanova | Pro |
Dominic Cheek |
G
|
6-6/180
|
Jr.
|
Villanova | Pro |
The notable exodus from Connecticut will be the talk of the offseason (and we'll touch on it when posting the Mind the Gap series, as we did last offseason).
Providence and Villanova's departures will also be worth watching. Despite an exciting recruiting class, the Friars strill lack depth, though they may address that during the spring signing period. Villanova has been looking at transfers, and may not add an impact player for next season's 15-team Big East (with West Virginia off to the Southeastern Conference).
The seniors who finished their NCAA eligibility this season:
Player |
Class
|
Pos
|
Height
|
Team |
Dion Dixon |
SR
|
G
|
6'3
|
Cincinnati |
Yancy Gates |
SR
|
F
|
6'9
|
Cincinnati |
Jeremiah Kelly |
SR
|
G
|
6'1
|
DePaul |
Krys Faber |
SR
|
C
|
6'10
|
DePaul |
Jason Clark |
SR
|
G
|
6'2
|
Georgetown |
Henry Sims |
SR
|
C
|
6'10
|
Georgetown |
Kyle Kuric |
SR
|
G-F
|
6'4
|
Louisville |
Chris Smith |
SR
|
G
|
6'2
|
Louisville |
Darius Johnson-Odom |
SR
|
G
|
6'2
|
Marquette |
Jae Crowder |
SR
|
F
|
6'6
|
Marquette |
Tim Abromaitis* |
SR
|
F
|
6'8
|
Notre Dame |
Ashton Gibbs |
SR
|
G
|
6'2
|
Pittsburgh |
Nasir Robinson |
SR
|
F
|
6'5
|
Pittsburgh |
Jordan Theodore |
SR
|
G
|
6'1
|
Seton Hall |
Herb Pope |
SR
|
F
|
6'8
|
Seton Hall |
Kris Joseph |
SR
|
F
|
6'7
|
Syracuse |
Scoop Jardine |
SR
|
G
|
6'2
|
Syracuse |
Augustus Gilchrist |
SR
|
F
|
6'10
|
South Florida |
Ron Anderson |
SR
|
F
|
6'8
|
South Florida |
Hugh Robertson |
SR
|
G
|
6'6
|
South Florida |
Kevin Jones |
SR
|
F
|
6'8
|
West Virginia |
Darryl Bryant |
SR
|
G
|
6'2
|
West Virginia |
*late addition to the list
Notre Dame seniors Scott Martin and Tim Abromaitis are hoping for sixth years of eligibility (update: Abromaitis' sixth year has been denied); Notre Dame feels that Scott Martin has a good chance to be approved for another year of competition by the NCAA.
Let us know in the comments if there is anyone that we missed.
Who among these players will be the biggest loss?
Follow the Rumble on Facebook | Follow on Twitter: Rumble In The Garden | Tim | Quinn | Pico | Follow on Tumblr