Official 2006 NBA Draft Early-Entry List, with Commentary

The Official 2006 NBA Draft Early-Entry List. 30 International Players, 62 underclassmen and one lone 5th year high school player make up this year's list, for a total of 93 early-entrants. Extensive commentary and early draft status projections are included.. For comparison, in 2005, 108 players declared (61 NCAA, 12 high school, 35 internationals), up from 94 in 2004, and 73 in 2003.

There were no major surprises on the early-entry list, besides a few mid-major, Division II and NAIA players that decided to enter, as well as 5th year high school player Clarence Holloway. Amongst the International players, Hrvoje Peric, Renaldas Seibutis, and Kyrylo Fesenko are considered mild surprises who could end up cracking the 2nd round. NCAA Lottery prospects Joakim Noah, Al Horford, Corey Brewer, Josh McRoberts, Brandon Rush and Tyler Hansbrough decided to sit this one out as expected, as did Marco Belinelli, Uros Tripkovic and Goran Dragic on the international front.

NCAA Players- IN
Player	Class	Agent?	Early Draft Projection	Commentary
Akbar Abdul-Ahad 6-0, PG, Idaho State	Junior	No	Undrafted	Averaged under 6 points in 20 minutes per game playing in the Big Sky. Being the first player on the NBA Draft Early-Entry list will likely go down as the highlight of his basketball career.
Arron Afflalo, 6-5, SG, UCLA	Sophomore	No	Undrafted	Afflalo initially told the LA media he’s returning to school, but after a deep run in the NCAA tournament-- more in spite of his play than because of it--Afflalo will be testing the waters. Afflalo has very average size, athleticism, perimeter shooting and ball-handling skills. He’s clearly receiving bad advice on where his stock lies.
LaMarcus Aldridge, 6-11, PF/C, Texas	Sophomore	Yes	Top 5 pick	Aldridge made his announcement official to enter the draft some weeks ago. He will hire an agent soon (Arn Tellem?) and is considered a lock for the top 5 and a strong candidate for #1 overall.
Morris Almond, 6-6, SG, Rice	Junior	No	???	Almond announced he’ll be entering the draft, without an agent. He might be the best scorer in the NCAA you’ve never heard about. His stats are terrific, despite being the sole focal point of opposing defenses, and he’s capable of scoring in a variety of ways, particularly with his jumper. He’s hoping for an invite to Orlando.
Renaldo Balkman, 6-8, PF, South Carolina	Junior	No	Undrafted	After winning the NIT MVP award, Balkman has decided to see where he stands in the eyes of the NBA by testing the waters. He’s likely to find them downright freezing, as he’s a skinny and undersized power forward with little to no skills who came off the bench for a very average team.
Larry Blair,6-1, SG, Liberty	Junior	No	Undrafted	The 22 point per game scorer Blair is attempting to get some exposure for himself by testing the waters.
Will Blalock, Iowa State, 5-11, PG,	Junior	No	Second round pick?	Declared for the draft together with Curtis_Stinson after Iowa State’s coach was fired. Size is a big question mark. Will likely hope to attend the pre-draft camp in Orlando and try to show scouts he’s a 1st rounder. Likely returns for his senior year.
Jahsha Bluntt, 6-6, SG, Deleware State	Junior	No	Undrafted	Puts up fairly average numbers (14.6 ppg, 41% FG) in one of the worst conferences in America. Looking for exposure at the Orlando pre-draft camp but its highly unlikely to receive it.
Josh Boone, 6-10, PF/C, UConn	Junior	No	First round pick?	Boone announced he’ll be entering the draft without an agent. An up and down season has left his stock in the air, and will likely force him to prove himself at the Orlando pre-draft camp. Would greatly benefit from a productive senior season as an offensive focal point now that UConn has lost almost all of its firepower from last year.
Ronnie Brewer, 6-6, PG/SG, Arkansas	Junior	No	Lottery pick?	After initially wavering a bit on his decision, Brewer announced he’ll be entering the draft without an agent in a press conference. Brewer is considered a likely late lottery pick to mid-first rounder pick, as his physical attributes and array of versatile skills on both ends of the floor are highly sought after.
Bobby Brown, 6-1, PG, Cal-State Fullerton	Junior	No	First round pick?	DraftExpress exclusively reported that Brown will be testing the waters. Still considered a bit of a sleeper because of the school he plays for, he will not be hiring an agent at this point. Some scouts are very high on his quickness and perimeter shooting ability and feel he will help his stock tremendously in private workouts.
Shannon Brown, 6-4, SG, Michigan State	Junior	No	First round pick?	As exclusively reported by DraftExpress, Brown will be testing the waters. He will likely conduct a number of workouts and attend the Orlando pre-draft camp to attempt and gauge where his stock lies. Scouts compare him to Celtic guard Tony Allen, but with a better attitude. He’s a very borderline first rounder in a draft that is stacked with shooting guards.
Derek Burditt, 6-7, SG, Blinn Junior College	Sophomore	No	Undrafted	Unknown Junior College prospect. Not ranked as one of the top 25 JUCO players in the country, averaged around 17 points per game. Not burning his draft card as he’s not yet an NCAA player, so really doesn’t have much to lose, or gain.
Leroy Dawson, 6-2, SG, Emporia State	Junior	No	Undrafted	Anonymous Division II player from the MIAA conference. 2nd team all conference, averaged 20 points per game. Like MANY on this list, only declaring because he can and has nothing to lose.
Travis DeGroot, 6-4, SG, Delta State	Junior	No	Undrafted	Plays in a strong Division II conference, but is at best only the 3rd best prospect on his own team after Jasper Johnson and Jeremy Richardson, and is therefore not a prospect at all.
Guillermo Diaz, 6-2, PG/SG, Miami	Junior	Yes	First round pick?	As reported by DraftExpress all year long, Diaz decided to forgo his senior year of college by hiring an agent, Miami based Jason Levien. One of the top athletes and shooters in the draft, which makes for an intriguing combination.
Cem Dinc, 6-10, SF/PF, Indiana	Freshman	No	Undrafted	As exclusively reported by DraftExpress, Dinc will be testing the waters. The coach that recruited him and then never played him, Mike Davis, resigned, so it would not shock anyone to see Dinc return to play in Europe and become automatically eligible next year after pulling out of this year’s draft.
Quincy Douby, 6-3, PG/SG, Rutgers	Junior	No	First round pick	As exclusively reported by DraftExpress, Douby sent out his paperwork to enter the draft. NBA scouts are all over the board on him, with some saying they consider him a 2nd round pick and others saying they would not be surprised if he ended up in the lottery. Terrific shooter and shot creator, averaged 28 ppg in the Big East conference. A real sleeper who will likely play in Orlando.
Mike Efevberha, 6-5, SG, Cal State Northridge	Junior	???	Undrafted	Ramona Shelburne of the LA Daily News reported that Efevberha will be testing the waters. Efevberha was the leading scorer in the country until he had a falling out with his coach and saw his playing time reduced significantly. He’ll likely be looking for an invite to the Orlando pre-draft camp, and does not appear to be likely to head back to school.
Carl Elliot, 6-4, PG, George Washington	Junior	No	Undrafted	Elliot is using his use it or lose it draft card as a junior to get some exposure for himself through workouts and try to figure out where he stands in the eyes of the NBA. Elliot has excellent size for the PG position, but is still lacking plenty of all-around polish. His senior year will be essential to his development as a player. Reportedly has a family to support, which makes his decision tough considering how old he is already, despite only being a junior.
Jordan Farmar, 6-2, PG, UCLA	Sophomore	No	First round pick?	Farmar was the engine that led his team to the Finals of the NCAA tournament, and the only player that showed up once they got there. He is one of the top playmakers in the country, a Steve Nash type point guard, but his average athleticism, defense and outside shooting means he’s only a bubble first-rounder. DraftExpress has been on his bandwagon since day one at UCLA, but is the NBA on it too?
Nick Fazekas, 6-11, PF, Nevada	Junior	No	First round pick?	Fazekas announced he’ll be entering the draft without an agent and will likely return to Nevada if it looks like he’s not going to be a first round pick. If he’s not a first rounder this year, it’s hard to imagine him ever being one since there isn’t much left for him to accomplish individually in the NCAA. An interesting candidate for the pre-draft camp in Orlando.
Thomas Gardner, 6-5, SG, Missouri	Junior	No	Second round pick?	The St. Louis Post Dispatch reported that Gardner will enter the draft. Firing of underachieving Missouri coach Quin Snyder appeared to be the straw the broke the camel’s back. Gardner will have to hope to get invited to Orlando, but moving into the first round appears unlikely without an incredible performance there.
Rudy Gay, 6-8, SF, UConn	Sophomore	Yes	Top 10 pick	Gay announced he’s leaving UConn at a press conference on campus, with Coach Calhoun by his side. He will hire an agent eventually. Size, length, incredible talent and athleticism means he might have the most upside of any player in this draft. Does he have the fire to capitalize on it though?
Reggie George, 6-10, PF, Robert Morris Chicago (NAIA)	Junior	No	Undrafted	Transfer from Iowa State had a nice season in the NAIA and is looking to capitalize on it by gaining some exposure for himself.
Daniel Gibson, 6-2, PG/SG, Texas	Sophomore	???	Second round pick	As exclusively reported by DraftExpress, Gibson will be entering the draft. There appears to be a conflict between Gibson and Texas regarding what his role will be next year, specifically whether or not he’ll be playing the point, meaning it’s unclear whether or not he’ll be returning. Gibson will likely go to Orlando to help him decide what his next step is. Showing off some PG skills will be essential there.
Aaron Gray, 7-0, Center, Pitt	Junior	No	First round pick?	After a disappointing end to his season, being outplayed by Patrick O’Bryant in the NCAA tournament, Gray has put that behind him and entered his name in the draft without an agent. He’s yet another underclassmen with huge questions marks about his pro potential that will likely have to go to the Orlando pre-draft camp to show he is worthy of a first round pick. Made some great strides this year, but still has a ways to go, especially conditioning-wise.
LeShawn Hammett 6-0, PG, St. Francis	Junior	No	Undrafted	Undersized combo guard played only 7 minutes in the mighty Northeast Conference before being suspended indefinitely for conduct detrimental to team. The NBA is clearly the only goal left for him to achieve.
Brandon Heath, 6-3, PG/SG, San Diego State	Junior	No	Second round pick?	Streaky shooting combo guard Heath announced the he will test the NBA draft process this summer, and is hoping for an invite to the Orlando pre-draft camp. MWC player of the year; has a lot of wrinkles to his game that need to be ironed out before he can legitimately think about the NBA.
Tedric Hill, 6-10, PF, Gulf Coast Community College	Sophomore	Yes	Undrafted	Ineligible to return to school after flunking out of college once again. Has bounced around over the past few years, and received some early hype from wannabe draftniks such as Gregg Doyel (CBS-Sportsline) and Sam Smith (Chicago Tribune) who compare him to Kevin Garnett. Very athletic we're told, but has absolutely no idea how to play the game. Has no chance of being drafted without an amazing showing at the Orlando pre-draft camp.
Clarence Holloway 7-0, Center, IMG Academy (Prep School)	5th year High School	No	Undrafted	Lone high school player in this year’s age-limit depleted draft. Former Louisville commit never got eligible for college and was always considered too slow and heavy to make much of an impact anyway. Reportedly lost weight and improved his grades this past year at IMG and is currently being recruited by UConn, Kansas State and Oklahoma, amongst others.
Ekene Ibekwe, 6-9, PF, Maryland	Junior	No	Undrafted	Sources told DraftExpress exclusively that Ibekwe will be testing the waters. Likely only making this move because he can, as his chances of being drafted are very low. Athletic and long, but still lacking any type of polish.
Donald Jeffers, 6-8, PF, Roxbury Community College	Sophomore	No	Undrafted	Anonymous junior college player.
Alexander Johnson, 6-9, PF, Florida State	Junior	Yes	First round pick?	Sources told DraftExpress, that Johnson will be hiring an agent, mainly because he is already 23 years old. He’s considered intriguing because of his strength, raw offensive tools and freakish athleticism at the 4 position, and could work his way into the 1st round with strong workouts.
David Johnson, 6-7, PF, Clinton Junior College	Sophomore	No	Undrafted	6-7 JUCO power forward who averaged 2 points and 3 rebounds per game.
Trey Johnson, 6-5, SG, Jackson State	Junior	No	Undrafted	Small school prolific scorer and one of the most accurate perimeter shooters in the country will attempt to draw some more attention to himself by testing the waters this summer. Johnson is hoping for a chance to prove himself in the Orlando pre-draft camp in June.
Coby Karl, 6-4, PG/SG, Boise State	Junior	No	Undrafted	Son of Denver Nuggets head Coach George Karl put up nice numbers (17 ppg, 5 rebs, 4 assists, 39.5% 3P) in the underrated WAC conference. Had surgery in March to remove a cancerous lump from his thyroid.
Mark Konecny, 6-10, Center, Lambuth (NAIA)	Junior	No	Undrafted	Transfer from Syracuse with mediocre production is looking for any type of exposure he can get before he graduates next season.
Kyle Lowry, 6-1, PG, Villanova	Sophomore	No	First round pick	NCAA tournament performance showed that he definitely needs another year, but regardless, Lowry is in. For now it’s without an agent. Considering the lack of quality point guard prospects in this draft, Lowry is likely a first round pick. Says he will attend the Orlando pre-draft camp if invited.
Aleks Maric, 6-11, Center, Nebraska	Sophomore	No	Undrafted	As exclusively reported by DraftExpress, Maric will be testing the waters. What may have played a role in this is the fact that the assistant coach that recruited him at Nebraska, Scott Spinelli, just moved on to Wichita State. Maric is considered a very average athlete who is still very raw and is therefore likely to go undrafted should he decide to stay in. Thanks to his Croatian passport, there is money waiting for him overseas if he chooses to take it.
Japhet McNeil, 5-10, PG, East Carolina	Junior	No	Undrafted	Severely undersized PG averaged 4 points and 5.6 assists in watered down Conference USA.
Paul Millsap, 6-8, PF, Louisiana Tech	Junior	Yes	First round pick?	As expected, Millsap has declared his intentions to enter the NBA draft, and according to sources hired an agent as well. Millsap has likely achieved just about everything he can in college at this point, and will land somewhere in the 20-40 part of the draft depending on workouts and measurements.
Matt Mitchell, 6-0, PG, Southern University-New Orleans	Junior	No	Undrafted	Anonymous NAIA player.
Adam Morrison, 6-8, SF, Gonzaga	Junior	Yes	Top 5 pick	As DraftExpress exclusively reported that Morrison will be declaring for the draft and hiring Chicago based agent Mark Bartelstein. Morrison, the top scorer in college basketball, is expected to be a top 5 pick and potentially the #1 pick overall. Questions linger about his athleticism and defense, but no one questions his passion, talent or feel for the game.
Patrick O'Bryant, 7-0, Center, Bradley	Sophomore	Likely	First round pick	NBA sources in Portsmouth told DraftExpress exclusively that O’Bryant will be testing the waters without an agent, but is likely to go all the way once he hears that he’s a lock for the 1st round. His steady improvement, strong sophomore season, outstanding NCAA tournament and considerable upside means he’s probably gone. O'Bryant since confirmed both DraftExpresss reports, particularly the one about hiring an agent in the Tri-State area (Andy Miller) should he decide to go all the way.
Evan Patterson, 6-7, SF, Texas Wesleyan	Junior	No	Undrafted	Mediocre numbers (11 ppg, 2 rebs) in a mediocre Southland conference.
Danilo Pinnock, 6-5, SG, George Washington	Junior	No	Undrafted	The extremely athletic Pinnock has told GW’s student paper he’ll be testing the waters. Pinnock will attempt to capitalize on his team’s success this year by potentially attending the NBA pre-draft camp in Orlando. Pinnock will have to show better ball-handling and perimeter shooting ability than he did during the regular season.
Leon Powe, 6-7, PF, Cal	Sophomore	No	Second round pick	Powe announced he’ll be testing the waters in a statement released by Cal. Where he ends up being projected depends heavily on how his knee checks out. Powe is already considered a serious tweener by NBA scouts, and had a hard time this season gaining back much of the explosiveness he had earlier in his career. Could realistically go undrafted should he decide to stay in.
Richard Roby, 6-5, SG, Colorado	Sophomore	Likely	Second round pick	As first indicated by DraftExpress Roby has decided to test the waters. Disappeared against any major competition he went up against, particularly towards the end of the season. Roby will likely have to put on weight in the next few months and show off his perimeter stroke in the Orlando pre-draft camp. Sources tell us that he is on the verge of making a huge mistake by hiring an agent.
Rajon Rondo, 6-2, PG, Kentucky	Sophomore	Yes	First round pick	As expected, Rondo has decided to enter the NBA draft, and has also hired an agent, Bill Duffy. Despite an inconsistent sophomore season, most scouts we’ve spoken to still had him as at least the #2 point guard on their board because of his intriguing upside. Workouts will be huge for him.
Blake Schilb, 6-7, SG/SF, Loyola Chicago	Junior	No	Undrafted	Declared his intentions to enter the draft, without an agent, and is hoping for an invite to Orlando. Schlib is sorely lacking in the quickness and explosiveness departments that scouts demand from swingman prospects, but he makes up for it with his skill set to a certain extent. Regardless, sources tell us he won’t be invited to Orlando, meaning he has to go back to school.
Mustafa Shakur, 6-4, PG, Arizona	Junior	No	Second round pick?	According to the Arizona Star, Shakur will likely enter his name in the draft, without an agent. Lute Olson confirmed it, saying he is not concerned about it. Shakur is hoping for an Orlando invite to show what he thinks he couldn’t at Point Guard U.
Cedric Simmons, 6-9, PF/C, NC State	Sophomore	No	First round pick?	Simmons is reportedly "exploring his options," in regards to the 2006 NBA draft, but will do so without an agent. Nice size, frame, length, athleticism and defensive skills make him a very intriguing prospect.
Marcus Slaughter, 6-8, PF, San Diego State	Junior	Yes	Second round pick?	After burning his lone draft card a year early last June, despite being considered a marginal prospect, Slaughter has announced that he will be hiring agent Dan Fegan and forfeiting his remaining college eligibility. Slaughter’s father thinks that “There was nothing else for Marcus to do at San Diego State.” Many would disagree with that.
Curtis Stinson, 6-3, PG/SG, Iowa State	Junior	Yes	Second round pick	After swearing up and down last month that he has no intention on entering the draft, Stinson did just that. His coach Wayne Morgan, who he was very close to, was fired, resulting in him hiring agent Kevin Bradbury. The 23 year old combo guard will have to go to the Orlando pre-draft camp and impress if he wants to come close to being a 1st rounder.
Tyrus Thomas, 6-9, PF, LSU	Freshman	Yes	Top 5 pick	As DraftExpress exclusively reported Thomas called a press conference to announce his intentions to enter the 2006 NBA draft, as well as hire agents Brian Elfus and Mike Siegel. SEC Freshman of the year could be the most athletic player in the draft, as well as the player with the most overall upside.
PJ Tucker, 6-5, SF, Texas	Junior	No	Second round pick	As reported all year long by DraftExpress, Tucker will be entering the draft without an agent. Considering that he’s a 6-5 combo forward with tremendous skills, his stock widely fluctuates depending on who is being asked. Phenomenal basketball player, but is severely lacking in 2-3 inches of height. Will likely need a strong showing at the Orlando pre-draft camp to have a legitimate shot at the 1st round. Some scouts compare him to Bonzi Wells.
Jontae Vinson, 6-4, SF/PF, Cal State-Los Angeles	Junior	No	Undrafted	Undersized Division II post player has no chance of being drafted despite 20+8 averages.
Ian Vouyoukas, 6-10, Center, St. Louis	Junior	???	Undrafted	Vouyoukas declared his intentions to enter the draft, supposedly without an agent. Sources in Europe tell us he is likely to return to Greece to take a large contract offer from a first division team once he realizes he has no chance of being drafted. Vouyoukas is a nice mid-major big man who has improved somewhat in his junior season, but does not possess the necessary combination of athleticism and size required of an NBA center.
Darius Washington, 6-2, PG, Memphis	Sophomore	Likely	First round pick?	DraftExpress exclusively reported that Washington will be in the draft. It appears that he’ll be hiring an agent as well, despite not being anywhere near a lock for the first round.
Albert Weber, 6-3, SG, Connors State	Sophomore	No	Undrafted	Transfer from Alabama led his conference in scoring and is considered one of the top Junior College players in the country. Not officialy an NCAA player yet, and has not committed to any school yet, so really doesn't stand much to lose (or gain) from this move.
Marcus Williams, 6-3, PG, UConn	Junior	Yes	Late Lottery-Mid-First	As expected, Williams is expected to announce that he’s hired Calvin Andrews of BDA Sports Management as his agent at a press conference next week. A strong junior season and outstanding NCAA tournament, establishing himself as one of the purest playmakers in the nation, means he’s likely one of the first PGs taken.
Shawne Williams, 6-9, SF, Memphis	Freshman	???	Second round pick	Williams always had a definite itch to make the NBA, but an inconsistent season after a hot start has put him firmly on the first round bubble. With all the recent declarations and considering his many weaknesses (average athleticism, perimeter defense, slashing ability, being extremely old for a freshman) he is more likely to fall to the 2nd round should he stay in for good. Misinformed mass media, fueled by Coach Calipari, is setting him up for a colossal disappointment

International Players- IN
Player	Year	Nationality	Early Draft Projection	Commentary
Andriy Agafonov, 6-8, PF, Khimik	1986	Ukraine	Undrafted	Ukrainian power forward played 15 minutes and scored 6 points with 4.4 rebounds per game playing for FIBA EuroCup participants, and is declaring in hopes of getting his name out as he has one more draft card to burn after this before becoming automatically eligible.
Nemanja Aleksandrov, 7-0, SF/PF, KK Reflex	1987	Serbia & Montenegro	???	American agent has been telling us all year that he’s likely to enter. Still hasn’t played a game this year after taking slow recovery process from torn ACL. Once regarded as a prodigy and potential #1 overall pick, but injuries mean he hasn’t played in nearly two years and is now considered damaged goods. Might just look for an attractive team to guarantee him in the 2nd round and develop him in the NBDL.
Pape-Philippe Amagou, 6-1, PG, Le Mans	1985	France	???	Amagou’s American agent has informed us that he will enter the NBA Draft this year, and participate in the Reebok Eurocamp in Treviso. Shares playmaking duties and spotlight with fellow early-entrant Yannick Bokolo.
Andrea Bargnani, 7-0, PF, Benetton Treviso	1985	Italy	Top 5 pick	Bargnani's Italian agent Stefano Meller told DraftExpress in Portsmouth that the Italian star power forward will definitely be entering the NBA draft. Bargnani is in the process of hiring an American agent and the only question is how long will it take for him to make it over to the US after Benetton finishes up in the Italian playoffs, which could last as far as mid-June. He is expected to be a top 5 pick with a shot at going #1 depending on how the lottery plays out. Considered a phenomenal talent thanks to his excellent size, perimeter skills and athleticism relative to height.
Yannick Bokolo, 6-3, PG/SG, Le Mans	1985	France	???	Terrific athlete who is still making the transition to playing the point full time.
Carlos Cedeno, 6-5, SG, Guaiqueries	1985	Venezuela	Undrafted	Relatively unknown Venezuelan player. Has some international experience at the junior levels.
Tadija Dragicevic, 6-8, PF, Red Star Belgrade	1986	Serbia & Montenegro	Undrafted	Undersized power forward barely played in the Adriatic League this past season.
Lior Eliyahu, 6-9, SF/PF, Galil Elyon	1985	Israel	Second round pick?	Prolific and athletic Israeli combo forward will be entering the NBA draft this year looking for certain guarantees from an NBA team in the 1st or 2nd round. Eliyahu is still in the Israeli army and will stay overseas for another year regardless of what happens. He'll be represented by the American agency Entersport in the United States. A midseason injury set him back from being the top Israeli player in the league despite his youth.
Rudy Fernández, 6-5, SG, DKV Joventut	1985	Spain	First round pick?	Has some minor buyout issues to deal with to make sure he can stay in the draft. Excellent season in Spain has him projected as a pretty solid first round pick. Improved outside shooting, and still the same excellent athlete, passer, defender and all-around player he’s always been. Still very skinny too.
Kyrylo Fesenko, 6-11, PF, Azovmash	1986	Ukraine	Second Round Pick	More to come.
Rafael Hettsheimeir, 6-9, Center, Akasvayu Girona	1986	Brazil	Undrafted	Undersized Brazilian center did not overly impress at the Nike Hoop Summit, showing that he will likely lack mobility until he takes off some weight.
Marko Lekic, 6-11, PF, Atlas	1985	Serbia & Montenegro	???	American agent Marc Cornstein, Lekic told us he’ll be putting his name in the draft this year once again. Still a bit of an unknown, numbers are fairly average in the Serbian YUBA league.
Damir Markota, 6-11, SF/PF, Cibona Zagreb	1985	Croatia	Second round pick	American agent Marc Cornstein told us Markota will definitely be putting his name in the draft once again. He had a breakout season in the Euroleague and Adriatic league before a groin injury slowed him down and eventually forced him to have minor surgery. Likely won’t be able to come to the States until very late in the process. Does not have a buyout.
Mickael Mokongo, 5-11, PG, Chalon	1986	France	???	DraftExpress was exclusively informed he’ll be in the draft. Considered a talented athlete, but lack of size and the fact that he missed a large chunk of the season due to injury means his draft stock is very much up in the air still.
Brad Newley, 6-6, SG,	1985	Australia	Second round pick	Newely has told the Australian media that he’s entering the draft. Hired Philadelphia based agent Leon Rose. Scouts who saw him play in Argentina last summer like his athleticism. Desperately lacking exposure, but agent appears to be unwilling to provide him with it.
Oleksiy Pecherov, 6-11, PF, Racing Basket	1985	Ukraine	Second round pick	DraftExpress received indication that Pecherov will be entering his name in the draft after a nice 2nd half regular season in France. Pecherov has his draft card in hand one year before he becomes automatically eligible, meaning he has nothing to lose. Has some nice skills facing the basket, but is still very soft and underdeveloped.
Hrvoje Peric, 6-8, SF, KK Split	1985	Croatia	Second round pick?	Good athlete who is still coming into his own as a basketball player. Did not play in the Adriatic League this season. Definitely needs at least another year in Europe, but could use the exposure that declaring for the draft provides.
Kosta Perovic, 7-2, Center, Partizan	1985	Serbia & Montenegro	Undrafted?	DraftExpress has been told that Partizan needs Perovic to be drafted this year to relieve them of his 500,000$ salary next year as well as help them financially with buyout money for their budget. Unfortunately this is happening about 3 years too late as we’ve seen little to no improvement from Perovic over that span.
Georgios Printezis, 6-9, PF, Olympiakos	1985	Greece	Undrafted	Greek power forward played 9 minutes and scored 4 points per game playing for a Euroleague team, and is declaring in hopes of getting his name out before he becomes automatically eligible next year.
Milovan Rakovic, 6-10, PF, Atlas	1985	Serbia & Montenegro	???	American agent Marc Cornstein told us Rakovic will be putting his name in the draft. Still an unknown player, puts up nice numbers on occasion in the fairly weak Serbian YUBA league.
Alexandr Rindin, 7-5, Center, Gala Baku	1985	Azerbaijan	Undrafted	Huge body, complete unknown. 5 points, 5 rebounds per game in FIBA Europe Cup.
Sergio Rodríguez, 6-3, PG, Estudiantes	1986	Spain	First round pick	Rodríguez’s agent in the States told DraftExpress exclusively he’ll be in the draft, likely for good if he gets a commitment in the 1st round. A disappointing start to his season both in Spain and the ULEB cup made this European prodigy point guard fall on most team’s draft boards, but Rodríguez picked things up substantially towards the end of the year and is now playing terrific basketball. Weak NCAA PG crop could put him in the lottery with good workouts.
Dusan Sakota, 6-10, SF/PF, Panathinaikos	1986	Greece	Undrafted	Fairly unathletic perimeter oriented big man was in the draft last year already. Plays for one of the best teams in Europe and rarely sees the floor for meaningful minutes.
Renaldas Seibutis 6-5, SG, Olympiakos	1985	Lithuania	Undrafted	One of the most productive players in Europe in his age group considering the level he plays at. Important cog on an excellent team, but lacks athleticism and isn’t as good of a shooter as you would hope at this point in his career.
Saer Sene, 7-0, Center, Pepinster	1986?	Senegal	First round pick?	Freakishly long and athletic African prospect who played extremely well at the Nike Hoop Summit. Many question his age and lack of productivity in the very average Belgian league A player teams will want to look at closely.
Sidiki Sidibe, 7-1, Center, Levallois	1985	France	???	7-1, 265 pound volleyball player and former Kansas State commit will be in this year’s draft according to his American agent. Too raw to get any playing time whatsoever in French 2nd division.
Tiago Splitter, 7-0, PF/C, Tau Vitoria	1985	Brazil	Lottery pick	Splitter’s American agent Herb Rudoy told DraftExpress exclusively he’s entering the draft Splitter is having a terrific season in both the ACB Spanish League and the Euroleague, but lack of buyout in his contract means he might not be able to stay in. CBA rules allow him to withdraw and become automatically eligible next season. Tau Vitoria’s president was quoted saying Splitter will be back in Spain next season.
Sun Yue, 6-9, PG/SF, Aoshen	1985	China	Second round pick?	Super talented tall point guard with decent athleticism and nice defensive skills. Lacks strength and outside shooting ability. Level of competition is mediocre in American semi-pro ABA league, which makes him an intriguing candidate for Orlando pre-draft camp.
Ali Traore, 6-9, PF, Roanne	1985	France	???	Puts up nice numbers in France. Will participate at the Reebok Eurocamp in Treviso.
Ejike Ugboaja, 6-8, PF, Union Bank Lagos	1985	Nigeria	Undrafted	Plays for Nigerian National Team.

>

NCAA/International Players- OUT
Player	Class	Commentary
Goran Dragic, 6-4, PG, Geoplin Slovan	1986	Agent initially notified us that Dragic will be entering the draft, but in the end decided to keep him out. His buyout was always a question mark.
Leigh Enobakhare, 6-10, Center, Oostende	1986	Agent Ugo Udezue from BDA Sports Management told us that Enobakhare will be entering the draft. In the end he must have heard that he is not considered a prospect at all, and decided to keep him out of the draft.
Cartier Martin, 6-8, SF/PF, Kansas State	Junior	Martin pondered entering his name in the draft, especially after the firing of Kansas State coach Jim Wooldridge.
Nick Young, 6-6, SG, USC	Sophomore	Young told the LA Daily News in February that he’s staying at USC for another year.
D.J. Strawberry, 6-5, SG/SF, Maryland	Junior	Strawberry initially intended to test the waters, but eventually ended up not doing so once he found out that his chances of being drafted are almost non-existent.
Al Thornton, 6-7, SF/PF, Florida State	Sophomore	Implied earlier on in the year that he might put his name in, but sources recently told us it appears that he will return for his senior year. Tallahassee media backs this up.
Marcus Williams (AZ), 6-8, SG/SF, Arizona	Freshman	After initially appearing to be gone after numerous “definitive” reports, Williams surprised everyone and thrilled Arizona fans by announcing in a press conference he’ll be returning for his sophomore year.
Josh McRoberts, 6-11, PF, Duke	Freshman	After being upset by LSU in the Sweet Sixteen, McRoberts was quoted saying “I’ll be at Duke next year.”. Duke issued a press release a month later confirming this.
Yi Jianlian, 7-0, PF, Guangdong	1987? International	Jianlian announced in a press conference that he’ll be staying in China. A CBA official was also quoted on this matter, sounding as if they were the main factor for him staying put.
Acie Law, 6-3, PG, Texas A&M	Junior	After a fantastic showing in the NCAA tournament, Law helped his NBA draft stock considerably but will return for his senior year where A&M is expected to make a run at possibly winning the Big 12.
Joakim Noah, 6-11, PF/C, Florida	Sophomore	Huge 2nd half regular of the regular season and NCAA tournament boosted his stock into as high as the top 5. Noah came out and said afterwards he’s staying regardless.
Al Horford, 6-9, PF, Florida	Sophomore	Horford indicated all season long that he’s staying “at least one more year,” but playing extremely well in winning the national championship gave him a realistic chance at being a lottery pick. Regardless, Horford announced he'll return.
Corey Brewer, 6-8, SF, Florida	Sophomore	Brewer indicated all season long that he’s staying “at least one more year,” but a terrific performance in the NCAA tournament gave him a realistic chance at being a top 20 pick. Regardless, Brewer announced he'll return.
Glen Davis, 6-8, Center, LSU	Sophomore	Davis announced he’ll be returning to LSU immediately after an absolutely horrendous showing in the Final Four which exposed all of his glaring weaknesses. Made it official as an LSU press conference alongside Tyrus Thomas.
Jason Smith, 7-0, PF/C, Colorado State	Sophomore	Smith announced that he’s returning for his junior year, stating that "a little further down the road, it [the NBA] might be in my plans. I'm continuing to concentrate on my academics and see how I can help CSU as much as possible."
Tyler Hansbrough, 6-9, PF, North Carolina	Freshman	Hansbrough decided to squash the rumors early on by releasing a statement saying: “it is best for me to come back and be with my teammates again and hopefully have another fantastic season...”
Jermareo Davidson, 6-10, PF, Alabama	Junior	After burning his lone draft card a year early last June, Davidson considered entering the draft again, but eventually made the right decision in announcing he’ll be returning for his senior year.
Ron Steele, 6-2, PG, Alabama	Sophomore	After a true coming out party in the last half of the season and especially the NCAA tournament, Steele indicated that he will not consider declaring for the draft “unless he’s a top 5 pick.”
Richard Hendrix, 6-8, PF, Alabama	Freshman	Told Alabama media after NCAA tournament loss that he’ll be back in Tuscaloosa next year.
Brandon Rush, 6-7, SG/SF, Kansas	Freshman	Immediately after being upset by #13 seed Bradley in the NCAA tournament, Rush told reporters “yes, I'm back next year. I can't go out like this.”
C.J. Giles, 6-11, PF/C, Kansas	Sophomore	Immediately after being upset by #13 seed Bradley in the NCAA tournament, Giles told reporters that he is definitely coming back while looking forward to “lifting weights and improving my game.”
Ja'Vance Coleman, 6-3, SG, Fresno State	Junior	Testing the waters according to the Fresno Bee. Whoops, no he’s not.
Sean Singletary, 5-11, PG, Virginia	Sophomore	Singletary told The Daily Progress in early February that he’s returning.
Gabe Pruitt, 6-4, PG/SG, USC	Sophomore	Pruitt told the LA Daily News in February that he’s staying at USC for another year. (link since removed from newspaper’s archives)
Alando Tucker, 6-5, SF, Wisconsin	Junior	Tucker told the Capital Times that he’s “coming back next year.”

Unknown individuals have also applied as "early entry" players to be eligible for selection in the 2006 NBA Draft:

Christopher Black
Mohamed L. Kaba
Richard Chaney
Joshua Last
Kaseem Fields
Malik Raji
David Isaacs
Damien Tasby

The following players are eligible for the 2006 NBA Draft:

Daniel Artest Southern Nevada/Brooklyn (USBL)
Klavs Bedritis Three Rivers CC/Falco (Latvia)
Gianno Bianconi Western Nebraska CC/Hebraica (Brazil)
Fabian Calvez Evansville/Evreaux (France)
Jaz Cowan Hampton/Nebraska (USBL)
Marques Crane Utah State/Tijuana (ABA)
Andrea Crosariol Fairleigh Dickinson/Benetton Treviso (Italy)
Ian Crosswhite Oregon/Sydney (Australia)
Samba Dia SW Missouri State-West Plains/Chalons (France)
Benito Flores Wisconsin-Green Bay/Panteras (Dominican Republic)
Michael Frazier Northern Colorado/SoCal (ABA)
Brian Kim Vanguard/Mobis (Korea)
Dennis Latimore Notre Dame/Amsterdam (Netherlands)
Carl Lee Fresno CC/Idaho State/Harlem (ABA)/Brooklyn (USBL)
Louis Levros CC of Rhode Island/Montreal (ABA)
Audrius Maneikis Central Fla./Motlow St (TN)/Cuxhaven (Germany)
Helgi Margeirsson Birmingham Southern/Thor (Iceland)
Lionel Medina North Platte CC/AS Cherbourg (France)
Carlos Morais Community Christian (GA) HS/Petro Luanda (Angola)
Jun Nakanishi Santa Monica CC/Tokyo Apache (Japan)
Edwin Ofori-Attah William & Mary/Wuerzburg (Germany)/Karlsruhe (Germany)
Harold Padilla Miami-Dade CC/ Morovis (Puerto Rico)
T.J. Parker Northwestern/Paris Basket Racing (France)
Marius Prekevicius South Florida/Anwil (Poland)
Rob Sanders Providence/Toledo (ABA)/Boston (ABA)
Maurice Shaw Bridgton Academy (ME)/Harlem Globetrotters
Eddie Smith Texas A&M
James Sutton CC of Beaver County/Pittsburgh (ABA)
Ilias Tevetzidis SW Missouri State-West Plains/ ICBS (Greece)
Greg Wells Rockhurst/And-1
James Williams Brown Mackie JC/Sallen Basket (Sweden)
Lukasz Wisniewski Barton County CC/Harmattan (Poland)