Duke or NBA? Question lingers for Livingston

These days, it seems as if the NBA is increasingly focusing on younger players. �

�Last year, none of the first three NBA draft picks were older than 18. Two of the past three top picks have been high schoolers. vSpurred by a weak collegiate senior class and a particularly strong crop of prep players, that trend appears to be continuing this year. Top high schooler Dwight Howard, a 6-foot-10 center from Atlanta, Ga., is the consensus number one pick in the draft. �

�"Nowadays, because of the success level of Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Tracy McGrady, Amare Stoudemire, and LeBron James all those top 10 [high school] players are thinking about the NBA," analyst Chris Monter said, adding that as many as ten preps may bypass college and enter the draft, which would be a new record. �

�Among those 10 players--and chief in the minds of Blue Devil fans--is point guard Shaun Livingston, the crown jewel of Duke's incoming freshman class. The Peoria, Ill. native is ranked as the consensus No. 2 high school player in the country, and NBA scouts have taken notice. "There were probably about 25 NBA scouts at the KMOX shootout," Monter said, referring to a tournament in which Livingston's Peoria Central High School team competed. "I'm sure a lot of people will look at him very highly." �

�It is not difficult to see what scouts like about him. Standing 6-foot-7, Livingston possesses tremendous size for a point guard. Coupled with smooth ballhandling skills, tremendous versatility, and other-worldly passing ability, Livingston presents an almost irresistible package for NBA teams. �

�"He isn't just a tall player with ballhandling skills; he is a pure point guard," college basketball analyst Seth Davis raved. "He has a great feel for the position...he has everything you want in a point guard but he's 6-foot-7." �

�Through his recruiting process, Livingston has kept mum on the prospect of entering the NBA draft. However, Livingston did reassure Blue Devil fans in an article posted by Duke fan site TheDevilsDen.com on January 14. �

� "Right now I am working to get better to go to Duke next year. I know the NBA is interested, but I am playing to get better to get to Duke right now." Livingston said in the interview. "My dream is to play in the NBA, but I won't go until I am ready physically and mentally. I believe Duke can prepare me for that. If it takes two years or four, I won't leave until I'm ready." �

�Nonetheless, last September Livingston did give an idea of what it would take for the NBA to lure him from the Gothic Wonderland. �

�"Right now I would probably have to be a top five pick for me to go," Livingston said. �

�Unfortunately for Duke fans, it's becoming increasingly apparent that some NBA executives think Livingston may be worthy of that type of selection. Many analysts believe that the Peoria, Ill. native could be a potential high lottery pick in the upcoming draft. �

�"We've gotten the sense that he is a likely top ten pick" said Kirk Wessler, sports editor of the Peoria Journal-Star. "There has been some speculation and indication that he may go as high as the top five." �

�Adding gasoline to the fiery debates concerning Livingston's future, a January 11th article in the Charlotte Observer hinted that the expansion Charlotte Bobcats may consider taking him with the fourth pick in the draft. As of last Thursday, NBADraft.net projected Livingston as the first point guard taken in the draft and fifth pick overall, which has some Blue Devil fans silently wondering whether their most prized recruit would ever don Duke blue. �

�"I truly believe Shaun wants to go to college," Peoria Central coach Chuck Buescher said last October. "[However], I don't think you can rule out the possibility of the NBA." �

�"I could see him going either way but...there's a strong likelihood that he'd be a lottery pick, which is a hell of a lot of money to turn down," Wessler said. "There's no way to know [where he's going]."