June 27, 2000

There will soon come a day when the NBA's most fervent fan base, American teens, will not recall a time when multiple high school players failed to declare themselves eligible for the draft. A lot has changed since the mid-'70s, when Moses Malone (Petersburg High, Va., 1974), Darryl Dawkins (Maynard Evans High, Orlando, Fla., 1975) and Bill Willoughby (Dwight Morrow High, Englewood, N.J., 1975) became scholastic hoop pioneers in consecutive drafts.

	After jumping to the NBA from high school, Al Harrington's success is still in doubt.

Players bypassing college for a shot at the big dollars and billboard notoriety of pro basketball, while not commonplace, now and forever have a permanent place in the draft dynamics of the world's greatest hardwood league. Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, who earlier this month won an NBA title in his fourth season at age 21, may be one of a kind, but he's got company.

"I can see why so many kids are coming out, and I don't have any problem with it," says Bill Willoughby, 43, who was taken with the first pick of the second round in '75 by the Atlanta Hawks and later guarded Bryant's father, Joe, a 1974 Golden State Warriors draftee who was immediately traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. "When I came out, there were only 18 teams and there was no dunking and no 3-pointers in high school or college. The high school game is more like the pro game now. Plus, there are 29 teams now, which means there are over 100 more jobs. When we did it, these guys weren't even born."

Change - even the kind that rocks tradition to its foundation - isn't necessarily a bad thing. Even Willoughby, who played nine seasons with six organizations and never got a chance to shine in a system that showcased his explosive skills, sees an upside to the slow growth of teen selections on the annual NBA Draft board. And Willoughby, like Kobe, is not alone.

"One of the biggest problems with college athletes is that so many kids who are there really don't want to be there," says ESPN basketball analyst Dick Vitale. "If a youngster wants to pursue his trade and basketball is his trade, who are we to say he should go to college. The bigger concern to me is a kid who is put on a college campus who doesn't really want to be there."

That said, there have been plenty of promising teen draft picks since 1995, when Kevin Garnett became the first high schooler in 20 years to jump straight to the NBA. Not all of those selections have traveled the same road as Garnett, who inked the richest long-term deal in NBA history - six years and $126 million - in 1997.

Check out the success stories, the wait-and-see guys and the flops among those players who have bypassed college completely and entered the NBA Draft in the past decade.

Success Stories

Kevin Garnett
Chosen fifth overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves out of Farragut Academy (Chicago, Ill.) in the 1995 draft, Garnett became the first high schooler in 20 years to make the league. Two years later, he inked the richest long-term deal in NBA history - six years and $126 million. The 6-foot-11, 220-pound forward has averaged 17.7 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per contest in his five-year NBA career and has played in three All-Star Games.

Kobe Bryant
Drafted 13th overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the 1996 draft out of Lower Merion High (Ardmore, Pa.), Bryant was immediately traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for center Vlade Divac. Bryant went on to become the youngest All-Star in league history and averaged 22.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game this past season, his fourth in the league. The 6-foot-7, 210-pound guard was instrumental in the Lakers' championship run this past season.

Tracy McGrady
The 6-foot-8, 210-pound graduate of Mt. Zion Christian Academy (Durham, N.C.) has improved in each of his three pro seasons. He was chosen with the ninth pick in the 1997 draft by the Toronto Raptors after being named the USA TODAY Player of the Year. The swingman averaged seven points and 4.2 rebounds per game during his rookie campaign and enjoyed a breakthrough season this past year, putting up 15.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per contest. He is considered one of the top free agents in the league.

The Jury's Still Out

Jermaine O'Neal
The 6-foot-11, 226-pound forward from Eau Claire High (Columbia, S.C.) has gotten mixed reviews and limited playing time during his four-year NBA career with the Portland Trail Blazers. He made his NBA debut at the age of 18 years, one month and 22 days, becoming the youngest player in NBA history. He was drafted by Portland with the 17th overall pick in 1996 and averaged 4.1 points and 2.8 rebounds per game his rookie season. His career averages in those categories are 3.9 and 3.1, respectively.

Rashard Lewis
The 6-foot-10, 215-pound forward averaged 28.2 points and 12.4 rebounds per game as a senior at Elsik High (Alief, Texas) and was passed over by the Houston Rockets - his hometown team - three times in the first round of the 1998 draft. He was eventually chosen 32nd overall by the Seattle SuperSonics in the second round and has weathered two up-and-down pro seasons. He averaged just 2.4 points per game and played in 20 games his rookie campaign and 7.1 points and 3.5 rebounds per game while playing in all 82 games this past season. His emergence late in the season and in the playoffs, however, has the Sonics drooling over his talent.

Al Harrington
The 6-foot-9, 254-pound forward was the USA TODAY National Player of the Year after his senior season at St. Patrick's High (Elizabeth, N.J.). He was taken with the 25th overall pick in the 1998 draft by Indiana, has played sparingly in two seasons with the Pacers, and didn't even make the playoff roster this past season after averaging 6.6 points and 3.2 rebounds per game in the regular season.

Jonathan Bender
The 6-foot-11, 202-pound forward from Picayune High (Miss.) averaged 23.2 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks per game in his senior year of high school and opted for the NBA. He was taken fifth overall in the 1999 draft by Toronto and traded immediately to Indiana for Antonio Davis. He played 24 games with the Pacers in his rookie season and averaged 2.7 points and 0.9 rebounds per contest.

Flops

Taj "Red" McDavid
The former Palmetto High (Wilmington, S.C.) star made himself eligible for the 1996 draft against the advice of nearly everyone associated with the NBA. The 6-foot-6 forward averaged almost 26 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks per game his senior season and declared for the draft because his grades were not up to par for college. After no one selected him in the draft, the NCAA restored McDavid's eligibility. He sat out a year and is now playing intramural basketball at tiny Anderson College (S.C.).

Ellis Richardson
The Polytechnic High (Sun Valley, Calif.) standout averaged 21 points per game before declaring for the NBA Draft in 1998. The 6-foot-4 guard didn't even make the All-State team, played little defense and wasn't a solid ballhandler. He didn't get drafted and is now in a Los Angeles jail, awaiting trial on burglary charges.

Korleone Young
After deciding to skip college and declare for the 1998 NBA Draft, Young fell to 40th overall and was taken by the Detroit Pistons. He played just 15 minutes in the NBA in 1999 and is now playing in the IBL for the Richmond Rhythm. Young is a 6-foot-7, 220-pound forward from Hargrave Military Academy (Chatham, Va.).

Leon Smith
The former King High (Chicago, Ill.) phenom was drafted 29th overall by the San Antonio Spurs and traded to the Dallas Mavericks in 1999. He was waived by the Mavericks after a suicide attempt and legal problems and was recently sentenced to 18 months of probation after pleading guilty to a charge of criminal damage to the car of his ex-girlfriend's mother. The Mavericks are still paying Smith about $145,000 per season, though he is presently out of professional basketball.