This time last year, Cliff Alexander was hot stuff.

He was finishing high school in Chicago, on his way to play college hoops at national powerhouse Kansas. He was ranked the third-best recruit in the class of 2014, ahead of Karl-Anthony Towns and D'Angelo Russell, the first and second picks in Thursday night's NBA Draft.

Mock drafts at the time also predicted Alexander to be a top pick on Thursday night; he was listed on ESPN.com as a 6-foot-9, 240-pound man-child who'd in all likelihood spend his required one year playing for free in college before moving on to the monied world of the NBA.

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But then Thursday night came. The lottery passed, and Alexander's name went uncalled. The entire first round passed, and Alexander's name went uncalled. The second round passed. The draft was over and the Internet was flooded with joyous tales of dreams realized. And there was Alexander, his name still uncalled and his college career forsaken, an unemployed 19-year-old just one year after he'd been hailed as a basketball prince.

How did Alexander fall so far so fast? His is a cautionary tale for all hoop-dreamers, and for all those who exhort and extoll them.

But Alexander wasn't alone in his draft night plight. Take Christian Wood, a 19-year-old who spent two years at UNLV before declaring for the NBA Draft and terminating his college eligibility.

That decision backfired on him, too. The photo below captures the heartbreaking scene when Wood realized the night he'd dreamt of for years was ending in embarrassment and disappointment.

This is about the saddest picture from an NBA Draft you'll ever see — Christian Wood realizing he's going undrafted. pic.twitter.com/be7ttxLBuT — Gary Parrish (@GaryParrishCBS) June 26, 2015

Tweets Wood posted during the draft then deleted later only hammer home the heartbreak.

"Just waiting to get my name called," he wrote in one.

"Dont be scared to draft me I'm the biggest sleeper in the draft," he posted later, a plea to the world more than any specific team.

Then came the photo of Wood suited up and slumped over in disappointment.

There were others on Thursday night, too. Robert Upshaw from Washington, Brandon Ashley from Arizona, Aaron Harrison from Kentucky, Chris Walker from Florida, Trevor Lacey from North Carolina State, Michael Qualls from Arkansas — all left college early to declare for the NBA Draft. All went unselected.

But it's Alexander's story more than any that shows just how quickly a promising basketball career can get derailed.

Back to the bottom

Alexander arrived at Kansas the nation's third-ranked recruit, but a foot injury last summer slowed him down as he tried to get up to college speed. Then he took an elbow to the chest in practice, causing another injury that slowed him down even more. Then, when he did get to play, he wasn't quite as good as hyped.

Finally came a death blow: The NCAA announced mid-season that it was investigating whether Alexander's mother had accepted impermissible benefits from a third party. In an ironic twist, that third party was likely an agent hoping to sign Alexander when he turned pro. Meanwhile, the NCAA rule that would have been broken says college stars like Alexander cannot receive compensation while generating millions of dollars for their schools, leagues and the NCAA itself before being allowed to play professionally in the NBA.

Alexander, far right, sits on the end of the Kansas bench during a Feb. 28 game while the NCAA investigates his college eligibility. Image: Orlin Wagner/Associated Press

The investigation made it unlikely that Alexander would have been able to play when the 2015-16 season began. So he turned pro, renounced his college eligibility and figured he'd get drafted on Thursday, albeit not as highly as once expected. But as scouts put his size, talent and skills under a microscope leading up to the draft, they began to find more and more holes in Alexander's game.

And so the saga ended with injury, scrutiny and scandal — and finally, Alexander going unselected just one year after being hailed as a future star. After the draft ended all he could do was post this tweet, at once tragic and inspiring.

Started from the bottom before #motivation — Cliff Alexander (@CAlexander) June 26, 2015

Heroin and hand grenades

Alexander, Wood and company are not the first underclassmen to declare for the draft and go unpicked. It's happened many times before. It will happen many times again. A touted player's career can also come unhinged in any number of ways — Robert Swift was the 12th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft out of high school, then spiraled into heroin addiction and was arrested last November with a small arsenal of weaponry including a grenade launcher.

But at least Swift had a chance. At least he played in the NBA for a few years and had a guaranteed contract for a few years before everything went to hell. By contrast, there's something particularly sad about the ones who come out early and don't get drafted at all.

Rashard Lewis was a high school phenom who found his footing after a rocky start in the NBA. Image: Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images

So what's next for Alexander and the others who were left in the cold? They'll likely all land on someone's NBA Summer League team, a chance to impress coaches and get a training camp invite. Some may end up in the NBA D-League, the basketball minors where salaries hover around $30,000. Others will sign in Europe, where the pay is better but the NBA, the ultimate goal, is a world away.

Once in a while, these sad stories even have happy endings. Who can forget high schooler Rashard Lewis in 1998, crying in the draft's green room after the first round passed and he was the only invitee left unchosen? Lewis rebounded, became a star and even signed a $118 million deal with the Orlando Magic in 2007.

But his story is the exception, far from the rule. Most of the time when someone takes a draft day tumble like Alexander, their career doesn't get back up. Let Thursday's draft night heartbreak be yet the latest reminder: The basketball hype machine eats up big numbers, savage dunks and long-limbed teenagers — but it can just as easily spit out the humans behind the stats.

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