Jordan Crawford, guard, Xavier
The sophomore transfer from Indiana, where he averaged 9.7 points. A true shooting guard, Crawford should flourish in Xavier’s system, which will stay basically the same under new coach Chris Mack. The important fact is that Crawford is the player who dunked on LeBron this summer.
Derrick Favors, forward, Georgia Tech
The local product was the Naismith national player of the year (28.1 points, 13.3 rebounds) is the key to the Yellow Jackets believing they can turn around last season’s last-place finish in the ACC.
Xavier Henry, guard, Kansas
He will be joined in the backcourt by his older brother, C.J., who gave minor league baseball a shot. Coach Bill Self will have to find some room on a veteran team for a player who is a deep threat as well as a slasher.
Lance Stephenson, guard-forward, Cincinnati
He was a celebrity throughout a high school career that saw him finish as New York state’s all-time leading scorer. It will help that he steps into a lineup with four returning starters, and he’s good enough to have the Bearcats go with a three-guard lineup.
John Wall, guard, Kentucky
All you need to know is that coach John Calipari said Wall’s skills are ahead of Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans, two star guards he coached at Memphis. Wall will miss the season opener over NCAA violations then he’ll run Kentucky’s new uptempo offense.
