by By ROB HERNANDEZ 608-252-6173 6/29/2009 Wisconsin State Journal , Wisconsin State Journal

During the 1992 NBA Draft, 36 of the first 40 players selected were seniors. Out of the first 40 picks during Thursday's edition of the draft, seniors nabbed only 11 selections, with the other 29 spots going to college underclassmen and international players.

But there are still qualify seniors from the NCAA Division I ranks, as indicated by the fact that 163 seniors were given all-conference honors in their respective leagues for their excellence during the 2008-09 season. It is that striking incongruity that inspired the creation of an annual All-Undrafted team.

"Every year, college basketball has to say goodbye to a class of tremendous young men, a small percentage of whom are fortunate enough to have their NBA dreams come true," said Steve Lavin, former UCLA head coach and current ABC/ESPN college basketball analyst, who led the selection process. "This year's class was certainly no exception. The 2009 All-Undrafted Team and the All-Undrafted.com Web site are intended to shine a spotlight on the nation's best seniors who didn't have their names called during Thursday's NBA Draft.

" I am proud to have a role in recognizing these players for the commitment they've demonstrated to their schools and for their achievement on the court."

The 2009 All-Undrafted first team features University of Pittsburgh guard Levance Fields, Marquette University guard Jerel McNeal, Temple University forward Dionte Christmas, University of Connecticut forward Jeff Adrien and Gonzaga University center Josh Heytvelt. Landry made the second team with Jeremy Pargo of Gonzaga, Tyrese Rice of Boston College, B.J. Raymond of Xavier University and Luke Nevill of Utah.

Rounding out the 2009 All-Undrafted team were third-teamers Dominic James of Marquette University, A.J. Abrams of University of Texas, Lee Cummard of Brigham Young University, Tony Gaffney of University of Massachusetts-Amherst and John Bryant of Santa Clara University. James' teammate and former Madison Memorial star Wesley Matthews joined Krabbenhoft on the honorable-mention list.

"As a long-time college hoops junkie, my favorite players have always been the seniors," said Mike Wranovics, founder of All-Undrafted.com. "These are the 'program guys,' the ones whom you watch develop over a four-year period. But with so few spots available in the NBA, over 98 per cent of the seniors playing at the D1 level go undrafted each year. We created All-Undrafted.com because we wanted to keep the most accomplished of these players in the national spotlight."

THE 2009 ALL-UNDRAFTED TEAM

First Team PG - Levance Fields, Pittsburgh SG - Jerel McNeal, Marquette SF - Dionte Christmas, Temple PF - Jeff Adrien, UConn C - Josh Heytvelt, Gonzaga Second Team PG - Jeremy Pargo, Gonzaga SG - Tyrese Rice, Boston College SF - B.J. Raymond, Xavier PF - Marcus Landry, Wisconsin C - Luke Nevill, Utah Third Team PG - Dominic James, Marquette SG - A.J. Abrams, Texas SF - Lee Cummard, BYU PF - Tony Gaffney, UMass C - John Bryant - Santa Clara Honorable mention: Alonzo Gee, Alabama; Brandon Brooks, Alabama State; Derrick Mercer, American; Korvotney Barber, Auburn; Drake Reed, Austin Peay; Curtis Jerrels, Baylor; Josh Akognon, Cal State Fullerton; David Holston, Chicago State; K.C. Rivers, Clemson; J'Nathan Bullock, Cleveland State; Booker Woodfox, Creighton; Aaron Jackson, Duquesne; Courtney Pigram, East Tennessee State; Mike Rose, Eastern Kentucky; Shy Ely, Evansville; Micah Downs, Gonzaga; Chester Frazier, Illinois; Champ Oguchi, Illinois State; Wesley Matthews, Marquette; Michael Bramos, Miami (OH); Travis Walton, Michigan State; Leo Lyons, Missouri; Tony Danridge, New Mexico; Brett Winkelman, North Dakota State; Ben Woodside, North Dakota State; Craig Moore, Northwestern; Kyle McAlarney, Notre Dame; Austin Johnson, Oklahoma; Byron Eaton, Oklahoma State; Jamelle Cornley, Penn State; Jeremiah Dominguez, Portland State; Jimmy Baron, Rhode Island; Diamon Simpson, Saint Mary's; Lorrenzo Wade, San Diego State; Kenny Hasbrouk, Siena; Josh Carter, Texas A&M; Paul Delaney III, UAB; Josh Shipp, UCLA; Wink Adams, UNLV; Gary Wilkinson, Utah State; Stefon Jackson, UTEP; Mike Trimboli, Vermont; A.D. Vassallo, Virginia Tech; Justin Dentmon, Washington; Taylor Rochestie, Washington State; Alex Ruoff, West Virginia; Orlando Mendez-Valdez, Western Kentucky; Joe Krabbenhoft, Wisconsin; Brandon Ewing, Wyoming.< Former Wisconsin Badgers player Marcus Landry earned second-team honors on the http://www.badgerbeat.com/news/article/id/456627

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