College basketball has changed drastically over the past decade.
Most college sports have seen large shifts with the implentation of new policies like the transfer portal as well as Name, Image and Likeness. Additionally, many NCAA athletes have received more collegiate eligibility, allowing players to particpate in sports beyond the traditional four-year experience.
With NIL money also a factor now, many athletes are electing to remain in school for longer, especially if they have a solid offer on the table. As more and more players began to stay in the NCAA for longer, many coaches have realized that the best teams are veteran-laden squads with years of experience.
For this reason, teams that are built around “one-and-done” prospects haven’t seen as much success, and many of the NCAA’s title contenders aren’t compiled with high-level NBA Draft prospects.
Of course, there are exceptions to this phenomenon; like the 2024-25 Duke Blue Devils, who relied heavily on a trio of freshman and still reached the Final 4. Aside from Duke, who was still bolstered by veterans like Tyrese Proctor and Sion James, the other Final 4 squads relied more on veteran players.
In the end, Florida won the national championship led by four-year veteran Walter Clayton Jr., who was named the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. Clayton is projected to be selected late in the first round or early in the second after averaging 18.3 points, 4.2 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game.
Clayton Jr. isn’t the only veteran prospect in the 2025 class who had success in college. Auburn’s Johni Broome led the Tigers to the No. 1 overall seed in March Madness and earned consensus All-American honors as a redshirt senior.
In his final year with the Tigers, Broome averaged 18.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.1 blocks per game. Now, the 6-foot-10 forward will likely be selected in the late first round or second round, similar to Clayton.
For both players, their college production is enough to earn them a decent draft position, but their age and limitations prevent them from being premier prospects. This is the same circumstance many veteran college prospects find themselves in, even after winning at the collegiate level.
Broome’s 3-point shooting and Clayton’s size may give some scouts concern, but each player has shown enough in college that they will almost certainly hear their names called on June 25.
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