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THE DRAFT'S BIGGEST SLEEPER IS… SCOTT MACHADO THERE IS SOMETHING special about small school point guards. They play with less talent than their peers at Big Six Confer- ences, and have to play grueling schedules to get any exposure. Despite that, some of them just plain out- perform their more highly regarded peers. One of the best point guards this year – and in NCAA history – happened to play for a school located in New Rochelle, New York that has fewer than 4,000 total students. For the past four years, Scott Machado has been dishing out assists for the Iona Gaels and making them one of the most exciting teams in the country. Machado's game translates perfectly to the NBA, but he will get overlooked anyway because he played in the MAAC. Instead of seeing that he is a terrific passer and floor general, teams will say he played inferior competition. Rather than look at his remark- able improvements as a defender and shooter, they will cite the lack of ath- leticism in the MAAC. Sure, he played in the MAAC, but he also WORDS. KRISTOFER HABBAS PHOTO. ICGAELS.COM took care of business against quality schools along the way. Against the five major non- conference opponents this season (Purdue, Maryland, Saint Joseph's, Nevada, and BYU) Machado averaged 18.6 points and 12.2 as- sists a game as Iona went 3-2 along the way. His performances in those games were slightly above the norm. Machado averaged 13.6 points and 9.9 assists per night overall. Whether the team is playing uptempo or in the half-court, Machado does a great job getting the ball to his teammates in exactly the right spots. One thing Machado does as good, if not better, than his peers is playing with a feel for the game. When needed, he can break down the defense with his lethal first step and crossover dribble. That quickness and elite speed off the bounce sepa- rates him from the typical small school point guard. Last year, Machado entered the season as a passing point guard who couldn't shoot. He worked with his coaches and practiced relentlessly. Looking back at where Machado was as a freshman – a 27 percent three-point shooter – he has now risen to become a 40 percent shooter as a senior. He went from missing most of his shots to becoming a more concise, consis- tent three-point shooter. At the end of the season he made the same amount of threes, but on 26 fewer attempts. Seniors can learn new tricks too. THE MOST INTRIGUING INTERNATIONAL PROSPECT IS…EVAN FOURNIER THE 2011 NBA DRAFT – specifically in the lottery – was an explosion of International Flavor. With four players drafted in the first seven picks and a total of six (Nikola Vucevic played with USC in college) first rounders from outside of the country, it was a pretty incredible feat. This year is an entirely different story. There is only one international player ranked in the Top 30 of the Big Board, and only five in the Top 75. That is a far cry from the norm in the NBA Draft. Teams are often looking for the next international superstar to bring from overseas, but this year there seems to be a lack of star power. Unless someone comes out of nowhere (like Bis- mack Biyombo), Evan Fournier of France will be the only first-round pick that did not play in college this season. Fournier spent this past year playing for Poitiers (French League) and the Under-20 French National Team, but his year began at the 2011 Nike Hoops Summit. All three of those experiences pitted Fournier against different, uniquely tough competition to challenge his game. What makes Fournier a potential first- round pick is his scoring ability. The 6-7, 206-pound wing is a very good penetrator and has a smooth, attacking style. He is not a great shooter, but has improved in that area over time, and with his size and strength, he can play both wing positions after adding some additional bulk. In 30 games this season for Pointers, he averaged 14 points a game on 52 percent shooting (nearly 28 percent from three). Poitiers is not the most talented team in the French League, so there was a lot of pressure on Fournier as a scorer. In an open system, Fournier will be able to show his ability to slash, score and finish on the perimeter. After Fournier, the rest of the interna- tional class consists of numerous second- round talents, but no other real first-round picks. There may be a few "stash away" players that will either stay overseas for years 42 or never come to the league at all. Nemanja Nedovic of Serbia is a tal- ented 6-3 combo guard with great athleti- cism. He is not the typical skilled, but not athletic European prospect; Nedovic can attack the basket and play a little at both guard positions. His athleticism is ideal for today's NBA. Once you get past those two, it is slim pickings for even the second-round picks. There are a few talented prospects like Tornike Shengelia of Georgia, Tomas Sa- toransky of the Czech Republic, Mindaugas Kupsas of Lithuania, Joffrey Lauvergne of France, Josep Franch of Spain, and Nihad Djedovic of Serbia. There is some talent across the pond this WORDS. KRISTOFER HABBAS year, but most of it will not be ready to play right away. It is likely the lightest talent group the draft has seen from the international scene in 15 years. It will be up to Fournier to be the torchbearer for overseas players this year, or there may not be a first-round pick for the first time since 1995.