Among dozens of elite Arizona basketball players, few have been able to resist an early jump to the NBA, no matter what draft projections suggested.
The gone-too-soon list overflows the last 25 years, from Michael Wright, Marcus Williams and Kobi Simmons, to not-ready-for-prime-time freshmen Nico Mannion, Josh Green and Zeke Nnaji, all from the same team, 2019-20.
It’s ancient history that first-team All-American Sean Elliott called a press conference at McKale Center in April 1988, a few days after returning from the Final Four, and told an overflow gathering of journalists that he would return for his senior season.
That would never happen today.
After the 2013 Sweet 16, Arizona freshman Grant Jerrett, a 6-foot, 10-inch distance-shooting specialist, surprised most by announcing his intent to enter the NBA Draft. Really? He averaged 5.2 points and 18 minutes per game.
Now comes UA freshman whiz Carter Bryant, who averaged 6.5 points and 19 minutes per game, almost exactly Jerrett’s numbers. Much like Jerrett, Bryant still has a lot of holes in his game. He’s not a good ball-handler or passer, but, wow, can shoot the 3-ball and block shots, reflecting his 40-inch vertical leap and 7-foot wingspan.
Stay or go?
Arizona forward Carter Bryant (9) grabs the defensive rebound over Duke forward Maliq Brown (6) in their Sweet 16 game in the men’s NCAA Tournament in Newark, NJ, March 27, 2025.
Jerrett, a Parade All-American, was drafted 40th overall in 2013. He played in a mere eight NBA games, but at 31 is still active, playing for Japan’s Utsunomiya Brex, the cap to a career that has included three years in the G League, and seasons in Ukraine, Turkey, Germany, Bosnia and China.
Would Bryant be the next Jerrett, or would he choose to return and learn the two-dribble-and-drive move that Tommy Lloyd taught Bennedict Mathurin, a strategy that has made him an NBA standout, averaging 16 points this season for the Indiana Pacers? If Bryant could learn to be a reliable pull-up jump shooter, improving his ball-handling and defense, it’s not a stretch to think he’d be a Top 10 draft pick in 2026.
In one more season at Arizona, Bryant might be able to add a Michael Dickerson element of burst to his game. His potential is irresistible, and the NBA scouts know it.
It might be like a pro baseball scout discovering a hot-shot teenage pitcher throwing 98 mph fastballs, even though he had little control. Most pro teams don’t pass on a 98 mph pitcher or a basketball player with Bryant’s potential.
Money? Even if Bryant is offered, let’s say, $500,000 by Arizona, that pales next to NBA money. Last year’s 14 lottery picks received four-year deals with an average value of $33.4 million.
My guess, predictably, is to follow the money.
