Anthony Bennett Going No. 1 Overall Is Good For UNLV Rebels

Alright, so who predicted Anthony Bennett to go No. 1 overall in the 2013 NBA Draft? Yeah, me neither. Nerlens Noel may have not deserved the No. 1 spot, but just about every mock draft had him getting picked that high in the draft. Well, five picks later, Noel finally got drafted. Anyways, Bennett going No. 1 overall is good for the UNLV Rebels.

Now that talented players know they can play for a mid-major (like UNLV), be one-and-done and still get picked really high in the draft, we may be seeing highly rated recruits going to the smaller named schools more often. However, that trend has already started.

Bennett had a great season for UNLV–can’t really say the same about the Rebels. He managed to score 16.1 points per game and grabbed 8.1 boards per game. He chose to go to UNLV. He could have chosen any team in college basketball. He did not get paid a single dime to play for the Rebels–at least that is what we are aware of. Good for him. He showed the college hoops world that a highly rated recruit doesn’t have to go to a school like Kentucky or Kansas, and can still get national recognition and can still get drafted No. 1 overall.

This is not only good for UNLV, but for all of the mid-major programs out there. Sure, mid-major conferences may not be as highly rated as the Big Ten or ACC, but there is still plenty of talent in them and Anthony Bennett proved that all season long and in the 2013 NBA Draft.

If you’re a tweeter, feel free to follow me @TheTrevorLowry.