Casper Ware, the star point guard at Long Beach State, the kid who scored a career-high 28 points in the 86-76 spanking of 10th-ranked Pitt on the Panthers’ home floor …

… is getting a shout-out from a significant website.

Ware has been talked up today at Grantland.com, the Bill Simmons star-vehicle website and deep-sports-thinker’s go-to url.

In this story, Jonathon Givony, a draft analyst, suggests that li’l Casper is coming on fast as a draftable NBA player. (Assuming the NBA comes back, of course.)

Casper’s biggest problem is that he is 5-foot-10.

Normally, you would think that a Long Beach State guy’s biggest problem would be a lack of  games against first-tier competition, but in addition to Pitt … the Beach is playing San Diego State, Louisville, Kansas, North Carolina and Xavier between now and Christmas Day, and the last four of those are ranked … and North Carolina is ranked No. 1.

Casper won’t have a shortage of tough games against top teams, and all of them away from home. (But he is still 5-foot-10.)

So. Casper Ware … greatest Long Beach State prospect since, oh, Bryon Russell? Could be.