Bruised Egos: All-Americans Bacot and LeDee Fail to Be Picked in NBA Draft

Remaining in college five seasons still wasn't enough for All-Americans Armando Bacot and Jaedon LeDee to become among the chosen few in this year's NBA draft. Of course, earning a spot on an NBA roster is a difficult nut to crack. Although they sported great credentials, there was no guarantee they would be selected this year; primarily because of the continued emphasis on international players and proliferation of largely untested young prospects.

With or without a college diploma in tow, were misguided undergrads thinking with same adeptness as embarrassment-to-village-idiots Jussie Smollett? Were they as delusional as compromised Congressman Adam "Shifty" Schiff exhibiting his impeachment expertise getting punked by Russian prankster? Denied sneaker honorariums during an FBI probe, undrafted scholars may be swayed to join lunatic leftist leeches seeking reparations from NBA "owners" or boycotting "one-percenter" NBA foreigners stealing their jobs. Amid truly smelly progressive puke convulsing after Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death left vacancy on Supreme Court impacting bloodthirsty #PlannedMurderhood obsession with butchering innocent babies in womb, it could blossom into one of those get in line behind the other kneeling mindless "diverse" robot routines and stand by for further "Strzok-out" instruction.

A year ago, Drew Timme, Oscar Tshiebwe and Azuolas Tubelis increased the number of NCAA consensus All-Americans to go undrafted in a 14-season span to 20. Do you need any more evidence that the quality of play at the collegiate level has diminished in recent years? The NBA draft was reduced to seven rounds in 1985, three rounds in 1988 and to its present two rounds in 1989. Centers Bill Spivey of Kentucky and Sherman White of LIU, All-Americans in the early 1950s, went undrafted by the NBA allegedly because of possible repercussions stemming from a game-fixing scandal. A total of 57 All-Americans, also five in 2011, have gone undrafted by the NBA thus far in the 21st Century. Granted, there were additional rounds but more A-As went undrafted in 2011 and this season than cumulatively in a 30-year span from 1957 through 1986 (four - SMU's Max Williams in 1960/Texas Western's Bobby Joe Hill in 1966/Kentucky's Mike Pratt in 1974/Memphis State's Dexter Reed in 1977).

Sherron Collins (Kansas) and Scottie Reynolds (Villanova) became the initial NCAA consensus first-team All-Americans not to be selected in the NBA draft 12 years before Timme became the first-ever three-time NCAA consensus A-A failing to be chosen. They're not a motley crew as Duke coach Jon Scheyer is among the following alphabetical list of All-Americans who weren't selected in an NBA draft:

Undrafted All-American Pos. School A-A Year(s)
Armando Bacot F-C North Carolina 2024
Charlie Bell G Michigan State 2001
Joel Berry II G North Carolina 2018
Trevon Bluiett G Xavier 2018**
Melvin Booker G Missouri 1994**
Joe Capua G Wyoming 1956
Chris Clemons G Campbell 2019
Kofi Cockburn F-C Illinois 2021** and 2022*
Sherron Collins G Kansas 2009** and 2010*
Bonzie Colson F Notre Dame 2017
Mike Daum F South Dakota State 2019
Antoine Davis G Detroit 2023
Devon Dotson G Kansas 2020**
Erwin Dudley F-C Alabama 2002
Melvin Ejim F Iowa State 2014**
Perry Ellis F Kansas 2016
Keenan Evans G Texas Tech 2018**
Carl "C.J." Fair F Syracuse 2014**
Kevin "Yogi" Ferrell G Indiana 2016
Jason Gardner G Arizona 2002 and 2003**
Collins Gillespie G Villanova 2021 and 2022
Ben Hansbrough G Notre Dame 2011**
Ethan Happ F Wisconsin 2017 and 2019**
Udonis Haslem C Florida 2001 and 2002
Bobby Joe Hill G Texas Western 1966
Terrell "Tu" Holloway G Xavier 2011
Kevin Houston G Army 1987
Markus Howard G Marquette 2020*
Keith "Mister" Jennings G East Tennessee State 1991**
Kevin Jones F West Virginia 2012**
Johnny Juzang G UCLA 2022
Sean Kilpatrick G Cincinnati 2014**
Brandin Knight G Pittsburgh 2002
Cameron Krutwig F Loyola of Chicago 2021
Jock Landale C-F Saint Mary's 2018**
Byron Larkin G Xavier 1988
Dedric Lawson F Kansas 2019
Jaedon LeDee F San Diego State 2024
Chris Lofton G Tennessee 2007** and 2008**
John Lucas III G Oklahoma State 2004
Luke Maye F North Carolina 2018
Billy McCaffrey G Vanderbilt 1993**
Jerel McNeal G Marquette 2009
Johnathan Motley F Baylor 2017
DeMarcus Nelson G-F Duke 2008
Markquis Nowell G Kansas State 2023
Kevin Pangos G Gonzaga 2015
Kevin Pittsnogle F West Virginia 2006
Myles Powell G Seton Hall 2020*
Mike Pratt F Kentucky 1974
Hollis Price G Oklahoma 2003**
Jacob Pullen G Kansas State 2011
Allan Ray G Villanova 2006**
Dexter Reed G Memphis State 1977
Scottie Reynolds G Villanova 2010*
Bill Ridley G Illinois 1956
Juan "Pepe" Sanchez G Temple 2000
Jon Scheyer G Duke 2010**
Shea Seals F-G Tulsa 1997
Ron Slay F Tennessee 2003
Charles E. Smith G Georgetown 1989
Jordan Taylor G Wisconsin 2011
Drew Timme F Gonzaga 2021**, 2022** and 2023*
Oscar Tshiebwe F-C Kentucky 2022* and 2023**
Azuolas Tubelis F Arizona 2023**
Seth Tuttle F-C Northern Iowa 2015**
Jarrod Uthoff F Iowa 2016
Fred VanVleet G Wichita State 2016
Scottie Wilbekin G Florida 2014
Max Williams G Southern Methodist 1960
Kyle Wiltjer F Gonzaga 2016
Andre Woolridge G Iowa 1997

*NCAA consensus first-team All-American.
**NCAA consensus second-team All-American.
NOTE: About half of the players on this list - Bell, Booker, Clemons, Collins, Dotson, Ferrell, Hansbrough, Haslem, Howard, Jennings, Jones, Juzang, Kilpatrick, Landale, Lucas, McNeal, Motley, Powell, Ray, Sanchez, Smith, Uthoff, VanVleet and Wiltjer - went on to play in the NBA after signing as free agents. Pratt played in the ABA.