{"id":13515,"date":"2018-03-11T13:26:15","date_gmt":"2018-03-11T17:26:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnba.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=13515"},"modified":"2026-02-28T15:13:30","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T20:13:30","slug":"college-basketball-stars-stuck-g-league","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2018\/03\/11\/college-basketball-stars-stuck-g-league\/","title":{"rendered":"College Basketball Stars Stuck in the G-League"},"content":{"rendered":"

College Basketball is a place where modern day teens and twenty-somethings become immortals. Think of\u00a0Juan Dixon<\/strong><\/a> carrying Maryland to its only National Championship in 2002 or Jimmer Fredette <\/a><\/strong>turning\u00a0an entire country\u00a0into BYU fans with his impossible three point range. Guys like this are a dime a dozen, and will surely never pay for another drink on their respective campuses.<\/p>\n

But for every Michael Jordan<\/a><\/strong>, who lights the college world on fire and carries it over in to NBA stardom, there are a hundred more guys who do not enjoy such a flawless transition. Now while most of those players go on to successful careers overseas, some still plug away stateside in the NBA’s developmental G-League.<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0It is there that\u00a0they hope for another shot at professional stardom. Here is a list of\u00a0four household college names who are still stuck in the G-League.<\/p>\n

*Players must have entered the\u00a0NBA during\/or before the 2015 season\u00a0to be considered. (Apologies to Melo Trimble and Ryan Arcidiacono)<\/p>\n

College Basketball Stars Stuck in the G-League<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Perry Jones III (Iowa Wolves)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Throughout Perry Jones’<\/a> <\/strong>2010-11′ Freshman season at Baylor, many experts had him pegged as a top 5 pick in the following NBA Draft<\/a><\/strong>. The 6’11’, 230lb. forward was a five-star recruit by the Bears and turned in a Second Team All-Big 12 season.\u00a0As an 18 year old he\u00a0averaged just under 14\u00a0PPG and 7 RPG. He had the length and all the intangilbes that NBA scouts drool over. Unfortunately for the big man, the NCAA ruled him ineligible for\u00a0his first\u00a0Big 12 Tournament after an investigation uncovered that he had received improper funding from an AAU coach while he was in high school.<\/p>\n

Rather than cutting his losses and entering the draft as a projected top 5 pick, Jones\u00a0opted to bet on himself and return for his sophomore season. This decision would prove to be a costly one for the young star.\u00a0He would\u00a0do nothing to improve his stats from the previous year, despite being a pre-season All-American.<\/p>\n

As a result of his mediocre play,\u00a0Jones fell to the Thunder with the 28th pick\u00a0in the 2012 draft. After three seasons with the teams and scarce playing time, he was shipped to the Celtics who promptly waived him. Since then, he has played in both the G-League and Moscow, but currently has a home with the Iowa Wolves, where he has played in only 21 games this season averaging just\u00a011\u00a0PPG and 5 RPG. This is certainly not what was expected from a once promising talent.<\/p>\n

RJ Hunter (Rio Grande Valley Vipers)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Who could forget Georgia State’s<\/a> <\/strong>miraculous upset over Baylor in the 2015 NCAA\u00a0tournament? State, the 14 seed, pulled off the impossible when they stormed back from 12 down to shock the Bears on a bomb three-pointer from RJ Hunter<\/a><\/strong> with just over 2 seconds to go. The shot floored the junior’s father, the head coach of the squad, who was seated during the shining moment due to a recent surgery. It was the stuff they make movies about.<\/p>\n

But Hunter’s success started long before that heroic walk-off. The three year starter had a trophy case that any athlete would be envious of. He was 2x Sun Belt Player of the Year, CAA Rookie of the Year and 2x First-Team All-Sun Belt honoree. There is no doubt he left\u00a0the mid-major\u00a0as one of the most successful athletes in the conference’s storied history.<\/p>\n

The NBA, however, has been a different story. Hunter has been on three different teams\u00a0throughout his three-year\u00a0professional stint, playing in only 41 games as a result. Now he finds himself on the Houston Rockets<\/a> G-League roster, where\u00a0he\u00a0averages\u00a020 PPG\u00a0in 39 games played. If he can keep the scoring up and develop in to a solid 3-and-D player, the 24-year-old\u00a0could work his way back in to the primetime spotlight.<\/p>\n

Quinn Cook (Santa Cruz Warriors)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Quinn Cook<\/strong> <\/a>is\u00a0certainly the most\u00a0decorated G-League player on our list. He has been a two time All-Star, Rookie of the Year and First & Second team All-League\u00a0selection. Despite going un-drafted in 2015, Cook has been able to grab a few 10-day NBA contracts and has appeared in 30 games\u00a0with three different teams. As of today he has been splitting time between the Golden State Warriors<\/a> pro club and their G-League squad the Santa Cruz Warriors.<\/p>\n

With Santa Cruz, he has been able to put in another stellar season. The former second-team All-ACC point guard is averaging 25 PPG, 8 APG and 5 RPG in 28 appearances. Currently he is among the league’s list of two-way players<\/a><\/strong>, who are allowed to travel back at forth between both leagues.<\/p>\n

But prior to all that G-League success, Cook was the dynamic senior leader of Duke’s 2015 National Championship<\/a> <\/strong>team. The veteran\u00a0team captain led the Blue Devils to a 28-3 regular season before running the table in the NCAA tournament and defeating\u00a0Wisconsin to take home the title. With\u00a0Cook’s proven leadership and terrific numbers, it would not be a\u00a0stretch to imagine him making the Warriors post-season roster this season.<\/p>\n

Anthony Bennett (Maine Red Claws)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Perhaps the poster child for NBA Busts<\/a><\/strong>, Anthony Bennett<\/a><\/strong> is still doing everything in his power to chase down\u00a0his NBA dream. Bennett, who was taken with the number one overall pick in the 2013 draft, never found his footing once he made the transition to the league. But that does not change the fact that he\u00a0was a stellar collegiate athlete.<\/p>\n

Spending only one year at UNLV, the 6’8′ forward was able to impress scouts and coaches alike. He averaged 16\u00a0PPG and 8\u00a0RPG in his lone season with the Rebels and took home the honor of Mountain West Player of the Year, along with being\u00a0selected as\u00a0an AP honorable mention All-American. Despite his team being bounced in the first round of the NCAA Tournament by Cal, Bennett still impressed the Cavaliers enough to be selected with the top pick in the NBA draft.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately for the youngster, that is where his luck would run out. Since entering the NBA he has only\u00a0appeared in\u00a0151 total games in\u00a0four seasons, never averaging more than 15\u00a0MPG or 5 PPG. Due to his struggles on the court and with his weight, Bennett has been bounced around to\u00a0five different clubs since 2013. Currently, he is with the Boston Celtics<\/a> G-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, where he is putting up moderate numbers (14\u00a0PPG and 7 RPG) but struggling with his consistency shooting the ball. Certainly a far cry from being the top selection.<\/p>\n

\u00a0*Also considered: Jack Cooley, Terrance Jones,<\/strong> Dakari Johnson<\/strong><\/p>\n

Main Photo<\/p>\n

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Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n