Revisiting The PCTI-I Draft

It's always easy for "Experts" to grade and scrutinize a GM's draft before the fact, but any good sport mind knowst he important grades come after. A team can change the course of history drafting a player one pick before another (Manning over Leaf being the obvious example). When looking back on PCTI-I, there are a few comparisons that could have changed the outcome of the PCTI history books. Let's take a look at the draft order and grades for each pick and see where things could have really changed:

Brent Carney-#1 Overall to Team 2
15 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 2.7 APG, 50% FG, 95% Productivity; Defensive MVP
Grade-A

The first annual PCTI draft had Carney going #1 overall to Team 2. Being the first pick in any draft comes with an abundance of pressure, all of which Carney lived up to. Coming 3/10th's of a point from a double double along with 2.7 APG (Tied 4th overall) showed his versatility and ability to make things happen. He defended, was a terror on the glass, and did a great job of drawing contact and getting to the line. Defensive MVP was awarded and well deserved, however his performance was an MVP type and had his team won, he would have been a lock.

Joe Thompson-#2 Overall to Inglorious Ballers
9.7 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 2.0 APG, 36% FG, 34% Productivity
Grade-C

Thompson came into PCTI-I the exact opposite of PCTI-II. He came in with a swag rather than a chip, letting everyone know he was his teams first pick and that he would be running the show. Just staring his acting career led to a significant amount of time in front of the camera practicing, making everyone wonder if his priorities were in check. Thompson had a woeful Game 1 going 1-14 from the field however, the more impressive stat was the fact that he shook the game off with a 23 point Game 2. What Thompson did that stood out most was his ability to hit the offensive glass. He pulled down 5.8 total boards per game, but what's impressive is his overall success rate when actually trying. Just about every time he entered the lane he made something happen, and to this day I still claim PCTI-I was the most athletic and physically fit Joe Thompson I have ever seen. Unfortunately, his overall performance was not what he is capable of.

Mike Hite-#3 Overall to Inglorious Ballers
16.7 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 2.8 APG, 49.4% FG, 59% Productivity
Grade-B

Since Mike is no longer a part of PCTI, I'm not going to break him down in depth. It took him a while to get going, but his 26 point Game 6 series clinching performance was back breaking to T2. No one had an answer for him.

Ben Wilson-#4 Overall to T2
14.8 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 1.3 APG, 44.6% FG, 47% Productivity
Grade-B

If you want to watch something obvious, take a look at Game 1 and only focus on Wilson. It was very clear he was playing with a group of guys' he was not used to, and wanted to feel them out/gain their trust by passing, deferring, etc. Although I respect that, the real Ben Wilson came out for Game 2, crushing IB for 29 points and 7 boards, which is PCTI's highest scoring game and best shooting performance, going 7-10 from 3 point range. His overall performance in PCTI-I was similar to what we have seen throughout his PCTI career, some explosive offensive games, some "Off" games where he scorers 15, and some games where he is too tired to try on offense. Regardless of what it is, the guy put up rock solid numbers despite playing with all new teammates.

Jeff Sabin-#5 Overall to T2
10.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 2.8 RPG, 32% FG, 28% Productivity
Grade-D

What hurts most about Sabin's performance isn't how he played, but who was picked after him. In one of the most frequently discussed topics, it has been determined that Sabin was just off. Despite that, he gave great effort defensively, was vocal, and distributed well. His lack of playing time with other PCTI members definitely did not help.

Josh Stephens-#6 Overall to Inglorious Ballers
16 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 2.0 APG, 43% FG, 61% Productivity
Grade-A

Getting this type of production in the 3rd round was huge for the IB. Stephens played full throttle all weekend, and was arguably the most prepared for the wear and tear of six games in two days. As usual, he wore down whatever defender was on him, moving without the ball, posting up and running the floor. His 21 point game 4 (The Battleground Game) was most impressive, as that game was going to go to whichever one player decided to take it over. It was his first All Tournament Team award and one that was well deserved.

Brian Eskildsen-#7 Overall to Inglorious Ballers
9.8 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 2.7 APG, 49% FG, 69% Productivity; MVP
Grade-A

Getting an All-Tournament Teamer and MVP winner in the 3-4th round snake was the nail in the coffin by Captain Anthony Hopkins. Despite going down with an injury in Game 5, Skilly's rock solid performance across the board was what earned the first annual PCTI MVP award. His Game 4 stat line of 14 points, 19 boards and 8 dimes came dangerously close to the first triple double, a line that could very well never come when this extravaganza's books are closed 20 years from now. Anytime you can get 11 boards a game from a guy playing point forward you know you made a sound decision drafting him.

Dawson Huff-#8 Overall to T2
12.3 PPG, 2.3 RPG, .8 APG, 56.4% FG, 38% Productivity
Grade-B

Huff's performance was praised by many, and what's not to love about a guy that shot close to 60% from the field? He was vocal and played with passion, all things that came to a surprise to the guys' that knew him. He doesn't give you much else across the board, and his performance, along with him as person has since been forgotten.

Bryan McKinney-#9 Overall to T2
7.5 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.3 APG, 39.4% FG, 39% Productivity
Grade-C

This was expected to be a huge value pick as Hops didn't know what he was capable of. However, PCTI-I was the beginning of Bryan McKinney's two year hiatus from himself where he escaped to Denver to eat, drink, study and snowboard-The latter of which I completely disprove of. Given the guy's that showed up to PCTI never touching a basketball, one could argue that McKinney should have been given an A for the way he played. Regardless, he was a shell of the aggressive, sharp shooting, high energy guy that the guy's that knew him were expecting. He still gave his squad close to 8 and 5, which in the 5th round could be considered value.

Ian Van Horne-#10 Overall to Inglorious Ballers
10.2 PPG, 4.3 RPG, .5 APG, 55% FG, 33% Productivity
Grade-A

If you want a good laugh, take a peak at the Bruise in PCTI-I. Probably the thickest (Not fattest but thickest) I have ever seen him... Or anyone I have seen for that matter. No one really knew what to think of Bruise as he was never a consistent hooper with this crowd due to a year long stint with a broken foot, along with an annoying class/drinking schedule that kept him out frequently. Bruiser didn't necessarily hit the glass with enthusiasm or play passionate D like he did in PCTI-II, however he was in double digits and shot a high %. He played solid team ball and showed good touch, hitting from a variety of spots on the court. Despite playing with a lot of volume shooters, Bruise knew he needed to make the most out of each opportunity, and he did. The most impressive part of his scoring performance is that he did that playing a full 10 minutes less a game then Thompson, Stephens and Skilly. I'm not sure who to blame for the lack of minutes.

Wes Murray-#11 Overall to Inglorious Ballers
7.2 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 1.8 APG, 39.4% FG, 20% Productivity
Grade-B

Coming in hobbled off what could have been a PCTI-I ending ankle injury, Murray sucked it up and was expected to play his usual role of tough defender, open shotmaker and consummate teammate. He did that. What gets this pick a B was Murray's offensive explosion, going for 19 in Game 4. I'm not sure I've ever seen a player hit 8 FG's in which every single one was classified as a backbreaker by the opposition, so considered that a first.

Josh Pitto-#12 Overall to T2
9.8 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 4.0 APG, 37.7% FG, 35% Productivity
Grade-D

The grade didn't come from Pitto's on court performance, as his teammates rallied around him in Game 1, leading his team to a win with a 22 pt, 5 rebound, 3 assist game. Where this grade went wrong was in Game 3 when he inexplicably quit on his team because the refs would not call hand checking. I'm not sure I've ever seen a best friend get in another best friend's head as bad as Skilly got into Pitto's in Game 2. He shadowed him everywhere, didn't go for fakes, and made him work. One game later, the refs were at fault, and his teammates suffered.