Without question, one of the more successful teams in the 2011 SEC recruiting wars was the Arkansas Razorbacks. Draftnasty.com caught up with two of the team's signees last summer at the AAU National Championships in Orlando, Fla. The freshman duo of Hunter Mickelson, 6-foot-10 PF/C, and Kye Madden, a 6-foot-5 guard, could provide a unique mix of size and speed for the Razorbacks.
Incoming Notre Dame freshman shooting guard Patrick Connaughton (#24 pictured) will bide his time between two sports for the Fighting Irish, something that has always been a goal for the Danvers, Mass. native. Perhaps the biggest challenge Connaughton could face will come on the hardwood, where the Irish will look to replace former star Ben Hansbrough. DraftNasty.com got a chance to break down one of the nation's Top 100 recruits at last year's AAU national championships in Orlando, Fla.
Many expected Connecticut freshman PF-C Andre Drummond to take the circuitous route of prep level ball and head to the NBA after just one season. Instead, the Oakdale, Connecticut native decided to take his unique talent down the road to play for the national champions. The Big East is holding its breath.
Indianapolis PG Darius Adams enjoyed a DII All-American season en route to leading the team to unchartered territory in his final campaign. As he embarks on a professional career, the 2011 Reese All-Star Game Most Outstanding Player took time out of a busy work day to chop it up with DraftNasty.com. Based on his tremendous skill set, don't be a bit surprised if this isn't the final time you'll get a reservation at Adams' Mark.
In less than one year, Kentucky PF-C Josh Harrellson (# 55 pictured) emerged from bench warmer to 2nd Round pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. With a knack for rebounding and doing the 'Dirty' work, he established himself as Kentucky's enforcer on their 2011 NCAA Final Four run.
The Orlando Magic wanted a defender and grabbed one late in the draft with the selection of G/F DeAndre Liggins from Kentucky. Liggins, a member of the 2011 All-SEC Defensive Team, will give the Magic a versatile, athletic defender with upside on the team's second unit.
Indiana State combo guard Jake Kelly (pictured shooting) knows all about comebacks. After setting the Big Ten on fire as a sophomore in 2008-09, Kelly went through a number of personal setbacks. We caught up with the talented senior guard at Ed Schilling's Champions Academy and discovered his will to succeed would be a welcome addition to any NBA squad.
Kentucky's Brandon Knight came to Lexington as one of the country's top recruits. He certainly didn't disappoint in Year One. He helped lead the 'Cats to the 2011 NCAA Final Four and now hopes to land in this summer's NBA lottery.
John Jenkins (#23 pictured) put on a show this past Saturday in Nashville with a career-high 32 points as Vanderbilt won it's sixth SEC contest of the year and 18th game overall over Kentucky 81-77 in a matchup of Top 25 teams.
There were several quality SEC ballers (see Vandy's Jeffery Taylor pictured) on display as the Vanderbilt Commodores won their 18th game of the season over an Alabama Crimson Tide unit that could be very dangerous come NCAA tournament time.