PSR Showdown
Which Pitt Panther Will Play In the NBA Next Year?

Chris Taft
By Tim Benz
ESPN Radio 1250

Chris Taft can go pro, will go pro, and should go pro.

But for all the wrong reasons.

Taft is the prototype player that NBA scouts love these days. He's too young, too raw, and may not have a true position in the NBA. But the NBA is full of guys who fit those qualifications. It makes no sense to me that, in a 'win now' league, so many coaches and general mangers green-light draft picks who may not be ready to contribute until three or four years down the line.

Taft is one of those guys. He has all the upside in the world. But his skills are unrefined. His footwork and repertoire could stand to be polished. In the words of Rutgers coach Gary Waters following Pitt's home win over the Scarlet Knights last season, 'You know he's going to go right every time.'

But if he's young, 6-10, can dunk, scream and rebound athletically, he makes the eyes of NBA execs pop. Is he a true center by modern day NBA standards? No. He projects into more of a power forward. But in the NBA those guys are asked to hit outside shots. Currently, Taft's idea of an outside shot is the occasional free throw.

Despite all that, Taft is good enough to play in that league. He's the kind of player the league wants. So, for the money, he should leave if he follows up his freshman year with the type of elevated sophomore campaign that everybody expects him to have. His stock may never be higher. Because when it comes to NBA front office types, sadly, as recent drafts have indicated, there is such as thing as staying 'too long' in college basketball. If the teams have four years to look at you, all of your warts get exposed. And all of the positive attributes they think they can heighten get minimized by the negatives of your game that don't go away over time. Those are the same negatives that scouts would've been willing to ignore if you were still viewed as a 19-year-old unmolded piece of clay.

Tim Benz hosts a sports talk show weekend afternoons on ESPN Radio 1250.

Carl Krauser
By Tony DeFazio
PSR Editor

Tim's right: Chris Taft is almost definitely off to the NBA next season, although it's certainly not crucial that the Big Ticket punch that big pro ticket just yet.

Not so for junior Carl Krauser. He has no choice but to move on after this season.

This is not to say that Carl Krauser is the best NBA prospect at Pitt. He's not. Taft is. But Krauser's got to go now.

Krauser has said he will not leave college until he gets a degree, which he needs to be eligible next season. He came to Pitt as a partial qualifier, meaning he had to sit out his first season and graduate within four years in order to be eligible for a fourth season. No degree by April, no 05-06 season for Carl. His return to Pitt could be a moot point.

Krauser is 23 years old now and will turn 24 in May. Take a quick look at an NBA roster, how many first-year point guards are more than a year removed from legal drinking age? Not many. Krauser would be 25 should he play two more seasons of college ball. His window of opportunity is closing, quickly. Barring injury or an unforeseen plunge in his play this winter, it wouldn't be a bad idea for him to begin chasing his dream of playing in the Association.

The righteous among us like to talk about the 'degree.' We harp on the tragedy of college athletes never graduating. Well, if Krauser has a degree come April, what's left for him in college? Teammates Chevy Troutman and Mark McCarroll, both of whom already have college diplomas, are in their final seasons. The most talented Panther, Taft, will likely leave too.

Krauser can make money playing basketball next year if he so chooses. No, he doesn't have an NBA-jumper, but then again I don't remember many U.S. Olympians having one either. Krauser does have a physical presence, speed, and an ability to get to the line in the open court. That may not get him drafted, but it will get him a look, and he could very well stick.

If not, well, he'll have a college degree and he'll earn a nice paycheck in Europe, maybe, or some American pro league. And who can blame him? After all, he'll have that degree.