9. Mustafa Shakur
As a 6’4″ point guard at Arizona, Mustafa Shakur ran the show for players such as Andre Iguodala, Channing Frye, Jordan Hill, Chase Budinger and Salim Stoudemire. He shared the 2003 EA Sports Roundball Classic MVP honors with none other than LeBron James.
You can see why people were certain that this kid would pan out at the NBA level.
As a freshman, Shakur came out with averages of 9.4 points, 4.5 assists and 3.6 rebounds on a slash line of .519/.396/.803. He had his first 20 point game while playing No. 1 Stanford on the road. This helped earn him All-Freshman honors in what was then the Pac-10.
Unfortunately, his numbers took a hit as a sophomore. Fortunately, he managed to help pace Arizona to an Elite Eight appearance that season.
With something to prove during his junior season, Shakur came out firing. He averaged 11.2 points, 4.7 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals, posting a double-double against Stanford and going for 23 points and 9 assists in a 96-95 win against previously undefeated Washington.
Shakur’s star status had been solidified.
As a senior, Shakur rounded out a phenomenal by posting career-best averages of 11.9 points, 6.9 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals. At 6’4″, it appeared as if Shakur had all the makings of a star NBA point guard.
Unfortunately, he went undrafted in 2007.
Even as Shakur ranked fourth in Summer League play in assists, the Sacramento Kings refused to sign him to a deal. Fortunately, Shakur’s luck turned around when he joined Asseco Prokom Gdynia. He won the Polish National Championship and Polish SuperCup with the team.
He’d proceed to sign with Caja Bajoral of Liga ACB, thus leading to the belief that he’d reached an opportunity for European stardom. Shakur played between 12 and 14 minutes per game, but his shooting was a concern and he was eventually let go.
He’d then spend time with Panellinios of Greece but gained minimal traction.
Shakur would spend the following season in the D-League with the Tulsa 66ers after going with the first pick of the second round in the Developmental League Draft. Shakur rewarded their trust with his first of two D-League All-Star appearances—he’s one of just 15 players with multiple selections.
Shakur averaged 19.3 points, 6.9 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game. He appeared on the second team All-D-League squad.
Unfortunately, it’s been more up-and-down play in Europe since he made his second D-League All-Star Game appearance in 2011—the same season he made his NBA debut. After playing in 22 games, however, he was done.
Shakur’s return to Europe includes his most recent stint with Sidigas Avellino, where he averaged 11.5 points, 3.4 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.9 steals in 27.6 minutes.
10. Chris Wright
We could go either way here—Chris Wright of Dayton Flyers fame or Chris Wright of the Georgetown Hoyas. Believe it or not, both Chris Wrights were named D-League All-Stars in 2013—a statistician’s dream.
Considering we already touched on Patrick Ewing III, Georgetown Hoya fans will have to wait another week for their Mr. Wright.
As for Wright of Dayton Fame, he was a human highlight reel during his college days. For that reason, we’re certain that his history is going to strike your memory once we refresh it.
Wright played four years at Dayton, piling up double-doubles like it was nobody’s business. In fact, Wright’s college debut came with 23 points and 12 rebounds against East Tennessee State University—one of three double-doubles in his first seven games.
Unfortunately, Wright missed more than half of his freshman season. His value was on full display when he came back with 12 points in 18 minutes as Dayton nearly upset Ohio State in the Sweet 16.
The following season, Wright was out for blood. He had six double-doubles, including a 27 point and 10 rebound performance in an upset tournament victory over West Virginia. For the season, he averaged 13.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 26.1 minutes.
As a junior, he upped those numbers to 13.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks. This time, he had seven double-doubles and led Dayton to the NIT Championship with upsets over Cincinnati, Illinois, Ole Miss and North Carolina.
Wright had 14 points and 9 boards in the championship game.
As a senior, Wright continued his path of terror by posting 12 double-doubles. Although Dayton lost in the first round of the NIT Tournament, Wright had some memorable moments—that includes a 21 point and 13 rebound college finale.
Since then, he’s bounced around the D-League and played 24 games for the Golden State Warriors in 2011-12. He even started a game.
Wright is currently averaging 17.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.4 blocks for the Maine Red Claws. As previously stated, he was a D-League All-Star.
At 24, Chris Wright has a bright future ahead of him.
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Kevin Pittsnoggle, Dajuan Wagner, Derrick Zimmerman, Nikoloz Tskitishvili, Jeff Trapagnier, Anthony Goldwire, Big Country, Fred Jones, Chris Taft, Hollis Price.
I wonder what ever happened to the UCLA crew. Tyus Edney and the O’bannons. And what ever happened to Miles Simon from Arizona. I think Dujaun Wagner would be a good one to look into as well.
Former Wisconsin Badger & Suns’ Draft pick Alando Tucker now plays for Inter Bratislava in Slovakia. I had a couple tweets about him — http://www.twitter.com/Luke_Mellow