[ehmunro]

I haven't caught any USC games this year, so I wanted to know (from those that have) how much progress he's made since last year. Also, for you Draft Express guys, given the emergence of Ryan Francis, the presence of Nick Young, and the recruiting of Dwight Lewis & Kasey Cunningham (crowding things at the wing) what are the odds that he declares for 2006?

[Jonathan Watters]

My guess is that both guys want to declare. Neither should. Both are good prospects, but both have a lot of work to do. Pruitt needs work on his point guard skills. Young needs to add a lot of strength and overall polish.

I personally like Pruitt a bit more. He's got great size, nice athleticism, and a silky smooth jumper. Tons of defensive potential. The emergence of Francis is a real problem for Pruitt's development, because Pruitt will never play PG as long as Francis is on the team. Young is a better all-around player at the moment, but doesn't do anything that will stick out at the next level. He needs to add strength and to firm up his jump shot, ballhandling, and decision making before considering a jump.

[ehmunro]

I've heard raves about Francis from my friends in LA, so I figured that Pruitt would make the jump, rather than getting stuck in Luther Head's situation. I was thinking he'd make a good fit for Rivers' offensive set in Boston, which doesn't require "pure point guards" but rather prefers combo guards with good handles. Not sure where Boston finishes at the moment (they're as close to fifth in the east as they are to a top 3 pick), but I wondered if he was a possibility if they ended up with a mid first round pick.

[Jonathan Watters]

Yes, Francis is pretty amazing for a virtually unrecruited, 5'9, marginally athletic freshman. You rarely see a freshman come in and get by solely on smarts/feel for the game. He's just a pure point guard, and John Brady must be kicking himself for not offering the guy. I'm guessing that if LSU had Ryan Francis, they would be a top 10 team right now.

[Geaux Tigers]

Man I am surprised to see a thread where Francis is talked about like this. I saw him play several times while he was in high school and said that schools were going to look dumb for not recruiting him. He hustles every play and runs the team really well. Great floor leader and just knows the game of basketball. In the game I saw in high school he showed great competitveness and emotion as he lead his team to a comeback victory.

Great kid...