Make no mistake about it, Doug McDermott has Smith-Barnied his way to the top of the NCAA player rankings the old fashion way..”With Hard Work…He earned it!”

I remember when he first came to FutureStars as a middle schooler with a thirst for how to play the game and a desire to become the best player he could be. He became the go to guy on his Martin Bros Select summer school squad as a senior, but was never more than the No.2 option on his Ames high school behind current Golden State Warriors wing man Harrison Barnes.

But the desire never waned, and his focus to be the best player he could be never strayed, as he followed his father to a new home in Omaha, at Creighton. For once Doug got some help physically as he put on 15-20 pounds of positive weight and strength and blossomed into the top player in first, the Missouri Valley, then over the past two years into the best player in all of college basketball.

McDermott is currently averaging 25.0 points and 7.1 rebounds per game despite facing numerous double-teams and specialty defensive schemes. He is shooting 50 percent from the field, 43.9 percent from 3, and 89.3 percent from the free throw line.

He recently entered the top twenty all-time NCAA scoring leaders and has lead the nation in field goals made the past two years. He is on pace to accomplish that feat once again this year, and will be the first player since Wayman Tisdale (1983-85) to accomplish that achievement. And according to the Wayback Machine..Tisdale and fellow All-American & Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing were the last players to be named first team All-Americans…something that Doug McDermott will accomplish this spring.

Then why haven’t the NBA pundits warmed up to Doug McDermott? Maybe its Adam Morrissey syndrome, as the former No.3 pick and Gonzaga All-American didn’t translate to the league as some expected, but that shouldn’t affect McDermott’s stock as he isn’t anything like Morrissey, as he plays through contact, relishes physical play inside and has a basketball I.Q. that ranks with the best players in college or beyond.

McDermott has bits and pieces of a number of former FutureStars campers like Kyle Korver, he is an excellent three point shooter. Like Ryan Bowen, he is an excellent rebounder and passer with a never ending motor. Like Nick Collison, he can adjust to what is asked of him and make a major impact for a team to win games. All three of those players played for ten years in the NBA, something I think McDermott can accomplish in the future.

But, it is the internal drive that all those players share with McDermott, that made them long-tern NBA talents. That drive is what many pundits are missing when they rated him a late lottery to mid-round one pick.

We see McDermott, who we currently have as the No.5 Prospect on our Draft Central player rankings, as a winner. Whether he goes that high is immaterial to us at this point, because the team who takes Doug McDermott will be getting a versatile forward who will help them win games for the next decade..and you can book that!