VITALS: 6-6, 215, Rice OVERVIEW: The third-leading scorer in the nation (26.4 ppg), Almond was named Conference USA Player of the Year. He scored over 30 points on 10 occasions and had a pair of 40-point games, including a career-high 44 vs. Vanderbilt. Almond was outstanding from the arc with a .456 shooting percentage and a superb free-throw shooter, making 241 in his senior season and converting them at an .846 clip. Despite averaging just 4.8 and 7.2 points, respectively, in his first two seasons, he finished as the school's fourth all-time leading scorer. Almond also contributed on the boards, averaging 6.6 per game as a senior. LIKELY DRAFT POSITION: 16-23 COMPARATIVE UPSIDE: Allan Houston COMPARATIVE DOWNSIDE: Courtney Alexander ROLE PROJECTION: Zone-busting 3-point shooter; eventual starting shooting guard. POSITIVES: Almond has excellent physical characteristics - size, strength and just enough quickness - to eventually be a very successful shooting guard in the NBA. Despite playing on a mediocre team where he was targeted as the player to stop, he ranked third in the nation in scoring. He often shot the ball right in the face of a defender from long range and hit. His ability to get by his defender off the dribble and either draw a foul or finish is underrated. SHORTCOMINGS: They are hard to find. Almond's work ethic is unquestioned, as he worked his way from being a marginal recruit and role player in his first two seasons to one of the nation's leading scorers. Perhaps after being the centrifugal force of his team's offense, Almond will have an adjustment to make as he once again starts out as a role player in the NBA. He's also never faced the pressure of big games, since so little was expected at Rice.
