VITALS: 6-2, 175, junior, Oregon OVERVIEW: Ridnour spent three years at Oregon, helping the Ducks to a Pac-10 tournament title this past year and a pair of NCAA Tournament berths. Last season, Ridnour was named the Pac-10 Player of the Year after averaging 19.7 points and setting a school record with 218 assists. As a sophomore, Ridnour scored 20 points when matched up with Texas' T.J. Ford in Oregon's victory in a "Sweet 16" contest. Ridnour is a career 38 percent 3-point shooter, which is considered one of the strengths of his game. He is considered to have great agility on defense, perhaps a result of his tennis background in high school. A coach's son, Ridnour shot 86 percent at the line in his career. LIKELY DRAFT POSITION: Anywhere in the first round. Teams looking for point guards in the draft include Milwaukee (8), Washington (10), Golden State (11), Seattle (12, 14), Orlando (15), Boston (16, 20), Utah (19) and the Lakers (24). COMPARATIVE UPSIDE: Steve Nash COMPARATIVE DOWNSIDE: Bryce Drew, Dan Dickau ROLE PROJECTION: Future starter. POSITIVES: Ridnour may not have the best size or athleticism in the world, but his quick release and terrific outside shooting makes it a safe bet that he will be able to get off his shot at the next level. When he is not is scoring mode, Ridnour can find shots for others as well; he has a terrific cognitive abilities in running an offense and routinely will find open men. SHORTCOMINGS: The question is not whether Ridnour will have an NBA career, the question is how good will it be. In the past, a number of successful college point guards have found themselves limited to backup roles in the NBA, largely because they could not take their man off the dribble. If Ridnour cannot find a way to get in the lane and break down a defense, he will struggle to crack the starting lineup. WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: "Luke had a great college career and people have him projected high in the draft. At Oregon, he led that team to a lot of postseason games." New York Knicks general manager Scott Layden
I think this guy will be stuck with a good team (in the future) and will be a key reserve like bobby jackson but he could start for other teams.
