What if College Players stayed in school?
“I want to come back next year”, says Cooper Flagg, the nation's unanimous number one pick in the 2025 draft. Flagg’s quote posed the idea to the media that Flagg would not follow in the footsteps of many other highly recruited and talented players of recent decades, instead opting to stay at Duke for his sophomore season. Even though I don’t believe that Flagg is sincere in his pledge to continue in collegiate sports, it got me thinking. Who would have been the best teams in any given year if one or two players had returned from the previous season? I have identified three of the best teams since 2005 if some of their legendary players from last year stayed in school.
2006/2007 Texas
During the 2006-07 season, the Longhorns basketball campaign was mostly focused on freshman phenom Kevin Durant. At close to 6’11, KD was already the elite offensive player that we now know as a two-time champion and league MVP. However, if Lemarcus Alrdridge, the Texas sophomore that was the second pick in the 2006 draft, had stayed another year to teamup with Durant, this team would have been legendary.
In the 05-06 season, Aldridge was a force for Texas. His athleticism, strength and smooth post-up play garnered him attention as one of the most elite prospects in the 2006 NBA Draft. If you pair him with Durant, a player around the same height who primarily operates with mid-range shots off the dribble and efficient moves around the perimeter, you would have had one of the best tandems in the country. Although not as potent of a fully rounded team as the others on this list, matching an incredible post scorer with National Player of the Year would have made one of the more memorable Longhorn teams in history.
2017/2018 Duke
The 2017-18 Blue Devils team were already groundbreaking, being one of few teams to send their whole starting five pro in the following draft. Now add NBA champion and all-nba forward Jayson Tatum, this is one of the greatest Duke teams of all time. Tatum was the 2016-17 Duke sensation, who was drafted third overall after averaging 16.8 points and 7 rebounds during his Freshman season. If Tatum was to stay another season, he would have created one of the most electric starting linueps in Blue Devil history.
Alongside Tatum, the guards would have been freshman Gary Trent Jr. and senior Grayson Allen. Two highly recruited great scoring guards,who both now get significant minutes on NBA rosters almost six years later. The biggest plus for this backcourt is their height. Allen and Trent both sit at 6’5 and 6’6 respectively, becoming a matchup nightmare for opposing teams. In the front court we have two freshmen, Wendall Carter and Marvin Bagley. Marvin Bagley was one of the top recruits to come out of high school and, after an incredible season at Duke, was one of the top selections in the NBA Draft. Although he never panned out in the NBA, Bagley was a perfect mix of a bag of tricks for scoring in the post and raw athleticism. At 6”11, he would have been practically unstoppable with Tatum’s perimeter shooting. Wendall Carter was not as elite as Bagley, but still a very consistent rim scorer.
Combining all of this together, you add one of the best players in program history to an already great team. There is no way in my mind this squad does'nt win a national championship.
2010-2011 Kentucky
After prolific freshman seasons, point guard John Wall and center Demarcus Cousins declared for the 2010 NBA Draft, being picked 1st and 5th respectively. However, if the dynamic duo had stayed in Lexington another year, they would have brought another dimension to a Final Four team.
The backcourt of now sophomore Wall and newcomer freshman Brandon Knight would have been the perfect balance. Although they were both point guards, the mix of pure athleticism and finishing ability of Wall paired with Knight's jumpshot would have been a difficult backcourt matchup for many teams across the country. Mixing that with Demarcus Cousins’ dominance down low, Kentucky would have been an offensive power house. In his freshman year, Cousins showed incredible footwork, able to easily overpower other players on the block. His ability to get up and down the floor would have been a big bonus to the team on the break, especially with Wall as one of the most athletic guards in the game's history.
A Final Four team with two of the program's best ever players returning would easily go down as one of the best Kentucky teams ever.