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The 2023 Big East Draft Board: Talented Wings & Bruising Bigs Abound
This season’s rendition of the Big East will feature a litany of tournament ready teams flush with pro talent. Don’t take our word for it, here are some of the league’s rising stars and where others see them. We caught up with CJ Marchesani (@cjmarchesani) of The Stepien and Adam Spinella of The Box and One (@TheBoxAndOne_) to get a read for where the Big East talent pipeline may land next June.
Cam Whitmore – 6’7” 220 – Villanova – Freshman
Whitmore’s physicality lends one to believe he has the body to transition well to the professional level. Most 2023 mock drafts have him safely in the lottery, and some with Whitmore among the top 3. At just 18 years old next season, Whitmore will already have the talent to abuse opposing forwards and blow past larger defenders. The real test will be Whitmore’s ability to create on his own within half court sets as scouts already see him as a nearly unstoppable finisher in transition. Whitmore is the prototypical modern NBA power forward.
Scout’s Take: “Cam has the potential to be a Top 7 pick in 2023. His physicality and athleticism combination blended with his vision have always been impressive, but if he shoots the ball like he did for Team USA recently he could be one of the first two college freshmen selected in the draft next year.” – C.M.
Jordan Hawkins – 6’5” 183 – UConn – Sophomore
The billing on Hawkins entering last season was that the skillset was evident but he needed to grow into being a reliable ball handler. This was especially evident last November when he coughed up a critical turnover against Auburn in the Battle for Atlantis (the Huskies managed to hold on despite). Hawkins’ handle will tighten up and a summer of physical development could very well put “Hawk” in mid-first round territory by June’s draft.
Hawkins’ 2021-2022 Production per 40/MPG
PPG | RPG | APG | STL | BLK | FG% | 3PT% | FT% |
15.8 | 5.3 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 0.9 | .353 | .333 | .821 |
Scouts Take: “Hawkins makes a lot more sense as a big scoring guard if his efficiency numbers get better next year. I think he’s a pretty impressive shooting prospects, but his ability to score efficiently and sharpen himself into a more well-rounded offensive threat will be the difference I whether he can be an impact player or not.” – C.M.
Arthur Kaluma – 6’7” 220 – Creighton – Sophomore
Kaluma’s baby Blue Jays, a collection of heralded freshmen stars last season, made an immediate impact as the group ascended into the Big East Tournament Final against eventual league champ Villanova. Kaluma’s efforts were no small part of Creighton’s success (24.3% usage rate in 2021-2022). Following the departures of Ryan Hawkins and Alex O’ Connell, Kaluma figures to be an integral piece of a group that most prognosticators have as a pre-season top-10 team.
Kaluma’s 2021-2022 Production per 40/MPG
PPG | RPG | APG | STL | BLK | FG% | 3PT% | FT% |
15.5 | 8.0 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 0.9 | .444 | .265 | .671 |
Scout’s Take: “The idea version of Kaluma is a perfect complementary player for a Creighton roster with a lot of talent around him: a physical jack of all trades guy that fills in the gaps on both ends. He needs to cut down on the turnovers next year for that to happen; a 1:2 AST/TO ratio is pretty tough for a wing. Tightening up his handle a little or ideally just forcing less high risk dribble drives would be a good start there. Any three point improvement would be icing on the cake, but I don’t know if he as the natural touch to his game to project that.” – C.M.
Andre Jackson – 6’6” 205 – UConn – Junior
The knock on Jackson has been jump shot. Everything else is there—and in spades. The mechanics are clunky though summer film indicates he’s cleaned up some of the awkwardness scouts saw last season in a year where he still managed to convert 36% of his 3-point attempts. The modern NBA requisite is the ability to guard in space and switch on screens. This he can most certainly do. Jackson has the quickness to keep up with guards and the strength to square up against wings. This may be the year it all comes together for Jackson.
Jackson’s 2021-2022 Production per 40/MPG
PPG | RPG | APG | STL | BLK | FG% | 3PT% | FT% |
9.3 | 9.4 | 4.2 | 1.6 | 0.8 | .426 | .361 | .714 |
Colby Jones – 6’6” 203 – Xavier – Junior
A top-150 prospect out of Birmingham, Jones spurned southern suitors like Alabama, Clemson, and Auburn to play for Travis Steele and the Musketeers. Enter Year 3 and Jones will have a new voice in the locker room with the arrival (or rather return) of Sean Miller to the Queen City. Miller has graduated plenty of swingmen to the pro level (think Andre Iguodala, Josh Green, Solomon Hill, Stanley Johnson—just to name a few) so there’s a pathway to Jones’ becoming a functional pro wing someday who can do a little bit of everything while also offering plus-side defense.
Jones’ 2021-2022 Production per 40/MPG
PPG | RPG | APG | STL | BLK | FG% | 3PT% | FT% |
13.9 | 8.7 | 3.8 | 1.8 | 0.6 | .483 | .292 | .680 |
Scout’s Take: “Really well-rounded guard who needs to shoot it a tag more consistently form three point to be on NBA radars…really like his defense and energy level…has glue guy potential.” – A.S.
Kadary Richmond – 6’6” 182 – Seton Hall – Junior
It’s easy to dream on what Richmond could be: elite size for a point guard with rarified length to be a nuisance defender at the pro level (6th in the Big East in steals). A former top 100 prospect, Richmond looks to have the keys to rookie head coach Shaheen Holloway’s offense in 2022-2023 which should give him the bandwidth he needs to show scouts his offensive game can match what he offers defensively.
Richmond’s 2021-2022 Production per 40/MPG
PPG | RPG | APG | STL | BLK | FG% | 3PT% | FT% |
13.7 | 5.5 | 6.4 | 2.6 | 0.5 | .417 | .345 | .750 |
Scout's Take: “…he doesn’t shoot it well, but he’s proven that when he gets going he can take over a game. Really toolsy passer and can be a defensive weapon.” – A.S.
Ryan Kalkbrenner – 7’0” 225 – Creighton – Junior
You could probably feel Omaha hold their collective breath when the Blue Jay big man went down against San Diego State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament with what appeared to be a debilitating knee injury. Thankfully, Kalkbrenner’s prognosis was far brighter than originally feared and he appears on track to be anchor the Creighton defense once again this fall. It’s hard to lose track of the guy not only because of his length but because of the impact he makes on the court. The 7-footer relentlessly keeps possessions alive with his offensive rebounding prowess and the way he consistently deters interior attackers with his shot blocking acumen. These things will most certainly translate to the pro level.
Kalkbrenner’s 2021-2022 Production per 40/MPG
PPG | RPG | APG | STL | BLK | FG% | 3PT% | FT% |
17.7 | 10.4 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 5.2 | .646 | .250 | .736 |
Scout’s Take: “He toyed with being a stretch big last year, and I think adding that to his arsenal would make him a much better prospect…underrated in terms of his rim protection…he’s a sneak good college player with some room for growth in the future.” – A.S.
Andre Curbelo – 6’1” 175 – St. John’s – Junior
The talent is there though last season was a year to forget for the former Big Ten 6th Man of the Year. Following a freshman year where Curbelo contributed 2.6 Win Share (a meager 0.2 as a sophomore), year deux saw his minutes dwindle, nearly extinguishing the promise that scouts once saw. Curbelo is back home in New York and appears poised to thrive in Mike Anderson’s environment where he can orchestrate the Red Storm system or play off the ball alongside Posh Alexander.
Curbelo’s 2021-2022 Production per 40/MPG (stats while at Illinois)
PPG | RPG | APG | STL | BLK | FG% | 3PT% | FT% |
15.5 | 6.3 | 6.5 | 1.5 | 0.2 | .329 | .176 | .745 |
Scout’s Take: “Unbelievable passer with the ball in his hands but needs a system fully catered to him…can’t really shoot it off-ball, and teams can go under screens…got played off the floor in some circumstances with Illinois last year, but St. John’s is the right system for him if he can play the point.” – A.S.
Baylor Scheierman – 6’6” 205 – Creighton – Junior