6 College Basketball Stars Who Flopped in the NBA

Being a star in college doesn't guarantee that you'll find the same amount of success in the NBA. While they are guys like Michael Jordan, Tim Duncan, and Kevin Durant who dominated both the NCAA and the pros, there are guys like Evan Turner, who isn't a bad player at all but isn't anywhere near the level that Jordan or Duncan was. Then, however, they're are players who were great players in college, only to completely fizzle out and be relegated to a bench role instead of achieving the superstardom they seemed destined for. With that out of the way, here are six college basketball stars who flopped in the NBA.

Jimmer Fredette

Starting off the list is a player I've already talked about on my list of players who didn't live up to their hype. Jimmer Fredette was an absolute phenom during his four years playing at Brigham Young University, averaging 18.7 points during his college career while shooting 46% from the field and 39% from three-point range. His senior year with the BYU Cougars saw Fredette become a basketball sensation, as he led the Division I in scoring with 28.9 points per game on 45% shooting and 40% three-point shooting. Fredette's fantastic senior year led to him winning every major college basketball award, including the Naismith College Player of the Year. Following his college career, it looked like Fredette was going to make a splash in the NBA. The Sacramento Kings thought so too, as they worked out a deal with the Milwaukee Bucks to get Fredette (who the Bucks had selected with the 10th pick) in a three-team trade on draft day. Unfortunately for the Kings, the momentum & huge numbers Fredette put up in college did not follow him to the NBA.
Fredette's rookie season was mediocre, to say the least. Playing 18.6 minutes per game, Fredette averaged just 7.6 points and only 1.8 assists per game while shooting below 40% from the field (39%) and 36% from three-point range. Fredette would improve his shooting the next year, but he still struggled. After two and a half years on the Kings, averaging 7 points and 1.5 assists per game while shooting 42% from the field and 40% from three-point range, Fredette was waived midway through the 2013-14 season. After bouncing around to three different teams for another two and a half years and barely playing, Fredette left the league to go tear it up in China with the Shanghai Sharks. Whether it was an inability to adjust to his new role in the NBA or he just fizzled out, the career of Jimmer Fredette was nothing short of disappointing.

Nick Collison

I kind of feel bad putting Nick Collison on this list. For his entire professional career, Collison has stayed loyal to the Oklahoma City Thunder, spending the last 10 years of his career with the Thunder, and before that, he played his first four years with the Seattle SuperSonics. While not putting up eye-catching numbers throughout his 14-year career, he has still found himself on the roster and, with the rumors being that this season will be his last, he will likely retire as a member of the Thunder. That being said, the Sonics were probably expecting more than just another role player when they drafted Collison in 2003. People might not remember this but in 2003, Nick Collison was one of the best players in college basketball.

After graduating high school in 1999, Collison made his way to the University of Kansas, leading the Jayhawks to two consecutive Final Four appearances and a National Championship game appearance in 2003 during Collison's four years of college. Along the way, Collison averaged 14.8 points and 8 rebounds per game while shooting 56% from the field and 36% from three-point range, became (at the time) the leading scorer in the history of the Big 12 Conference, and was named Player of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. After his successful college career, Collison entered the 2003 NBA Draft. In a draft featuring the likes of LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwyane Wade, the Seattle SuperSonics used the 12th overall pick to take Collison. While he was able to carve out a solid little career for himself as a role player over the last 14 years, Collison never reached the heights he seemed set for in college. For his career so far, Collison averages 5.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game while shooting 53% from the field and only 21% from three-point range. While Collison's longevity and loyalty are commendable, he more than likely left the Sonics and Thunder wanting more.

Ed O'Bannon

Ed O'Bannon is probably better known nowadays for suing the NCAA for using his likeness in a video game without compensating him. However, O'Bannon was also one of the top college basketball players in the nation in the mid-90s. Playing for four years at UCLA, O'Bannon's freshman year was nothing short of a dud but by his senior year, he was one of the best players the NCAA had. In his senior year, O'Bannon averaged 20.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game while shooting 51% from the field and 39% from three-point range, O'Bannon would lead the Bruins to a National Championship win in 1995, winning the Final Four Most Outstanding Player along with the John R Wooden Award and the USBWA College Player of the Year award and an All-American 1st Team selection. However, for as good as his college career was, his NBA career was nothing short of terrible.
Drafted by the New Jersey Nets with the 9th overall pick in the 1995 NBA Draft, O'Bannon would struggle in the pros, being too slim to play in the post, but also too slow to guard the perimeter because of his bad knees. His rookie season saw him average 6.2 points and just 2.6 rebounds per game while shooting just 39% from the field and just 18% from three-point range. Halfway through his second season, O'Bannon was traded to the Dallas Mavericks, where he played less than 10 minutes per game. After being traded at the end of the year to the Orlando Magic, O'Bannon was cut and would play overseas for seven years. Whether O'Bannon's career didn't pan out because of confidence issues or he just wasn't given a fair shot, few would argue that O'Bannon short career was nothing short of mediocre.

Danny Ferry

Like Fredette, Danny Ferry is another player I've already talked about in another list, and he fits in perfectly for this list as well. Ferry began attending Duke in 1985 and would go on to play four years in a Blue Devils uniform and by his senior year was one of the top collegiate players in the nation. As a senior, Ferry would average 22.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.6 steals per game while shooting 52% from the field and 43% from three-point range. Along the way, Ferry earned his second ACC Player of the Year award, a spot on the 1989 All-American 1st team, and the Naismith College Player of the Year award, among others. Ferry would end his career at Duke in the top ten in career points, career rebounds, and career assists and had his jersey (#35) retired before entering the 1989 NBA Draft, looking set to make a big splash. However, Ferry's career didn't go the way people expected, not even from the start.
As I talked about in one of my lists of draft day mistakes, Danny Ferry was selected with the #2 pick in the draft by the Los Angeles Clippers. However, Ferry had zero interest in playing for the Clippers, who were coming off a third consecutive season where they lost over 60 games, so he signed with Il Messaggero in Italy. The Clippers would end up trading Ferry's rights (along with Reggie Williams) to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Ron Harper, two first round picks and a second round pick. Ferry would finally play in the NBA in 1990, and while he had a couple of decent seasons, his career was very underwhelming. Playing for 13 seasons (10 with the Cavaliers and three with the San Antonio Spurs), Ferry averaged 7 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game while shooting 45% from the field and 39% from three-point range. Ferry did win a championship with the Spurs in his last season, but by that point, he was riding the bench and averaging below 10 minutes per game. Ferry would retire after his championship win, ending a less than memorable professional career for one of Duke's greatest players.

Tyler Hansbrough

Few college players were as dominate as Tyler Hansbrough was. And not only did Hansbrough run through the NCAA, he did for all four years that he could. Attending North Carolina between 2005 and 2009, the man called Psycho T quickly became a force to be reckoned with, averaging 18.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game in his freshman year. By his junior year, Hansbrough would be the top dog in the nation, becoming the consensus National Player of the Year after averaging 22.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 54% from the field. Hansbrough capped off his college career by leading the Tar Heels to a National Championship victory. Hansbrough finished his stint in the NCAA with career averages of 20.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 54% from the field and with several accolades, including three All-American 1st Team selections, four All-ACC 1st Team selections, and the ACC Player of the Year award in 2008 before having his jersey (#50) retired. With nothing left to accomplish, Hansbrough declared for the 2009 NBA Draft and was selected by the Indiana Pacers with the 13th pick.

Hansbrough's rookie season was marred by injuries. After missing the first four game of the season due to a shin injury, Hansbrough would play just 29 games before being sidelined for the rest of the season with a concussion...or vertigo...or an inner ear infection? It was a weird time. The next year, a healthy Hansbrough would show promise, averaging 11 points and 5.2 rebounds per game while shooting 47% from the field. However, after four years the Pacers opted not to resign Hansbrough, ending his career in Indiana with averages of 8.9 points and 4.7 rebounds per game and 43% shooting from the field. Hansbrough would go on to play three more uneventful seasons, two with the Toronto Raptors and one with the Charlotte Hornets, where he struggled for minutes. Following a season in the D-League, Hansbrough left for China, ending his NBA career (as of now) with averages of 6.7 points and 4.2 rebounds and 44% shooting from the field. While an NBA return isn't completely out of the question, the now 32-year old Hansbrough looks to be done in the NBA, leaving his professional career as nothing short of disappointing.

Adam Morrison

Adam Morrison...where do I even start with this guy. Beginning his college basketball career at Gonzaga in 2003, Morrison truly broke out in his junior year, as he led the Bulldogs to one of the most successful seasons in the university's history. In a year where the Bulldogs went 29-4 on the year and a perfect 14-0 in the West Coast Conference, Morrison averaged a whopping 28.1 points (the best in the nation), 5.5 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 50% from the field and 43% from three-point range. While the season ended in heartbreak for the Bulldogs following a Sweet Sixteen loss to UCLA, Morrison was named the USBWA Player of the Year, NABC Player of the Year, the West Coast Conference Player of the Year, and a first-team All-American. Morrison opted to forgo his last season of eligibility and declared for the 2006 NBA Draft. However, the breakout star of the NCAA in 2006 would not recreate his success in the NBA. Not by a long shot.

Drafted by the Charlotte Bobcats with the 3rd pick in the draft, Morrison would have a fairly decent rookie season, averaging 11.8 points and 2.9 rebounds but shot a poor 38% from the field and 34% from three-point range. Morrison did make the All-Rookie 2nd Team, but that was the only solo accolade he would receive in the NBA. After missing the entire next season due to a torn ACL, Morrison would be traded to the Los Angeles Lakers midway through the 2008-09 season. In two years with the Lakers, Morrison would play just 39 games and average under 10 minutes per game. Morrison did, however, win titles with the Lakers in both those seasons, so he can't complain too much. Following those two years, Morrison was waived, signed by the Wizards, and waived again before playing overseas in Serbia. While he would attempt a comeback in 2012 with the Portland Trail Blazers, Morrison would be waived before the season started, and is now an assistant coach at his high school. While being a two-time NBA champion is nothing to complain about, people likely expected that Morrison would've had a bigger impact in the NBA.

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