Don’t expect any hardcore NCAA analysis from me until at least a couple more weeks, but here’s a couple of players that I noticed from some of the games I got a chance to watch so far:Ashton Gibbs, Pittsburgh: Was watching this kid play versus Binghamton and he was lighting it up from downtown. He knocked down a total of 6 threes in the game and I really like his stroke. He actually missed all 5 of his three’s in Pitt’s first game, so maybe it was just the law of averages that allowed him to shoot 6 of 10 in their second game, but I still like what I saw from him. I would bet he’s going to end up being one of the better 3-Point shooters in the Big East on a nightly basis.
Rotnei Clarke, Arkansas: This dude dropped 51 points in Arkansas’ first game against Alcorn State. He drilled 13 of 17 threes in the game and shot 15 of 17 overall from the floor. He followed up that monster performance with a respectable 16 points on 6 of 11 shooting against Louisville. He averaged 12.2 points last season as a freshman, so he could be in line for one of those classic sophomore breakout seasons.
Al-Farouq Aminu, Wake Forest: Keep a close eye on Aminu this year, because he’s probably one of the best freshmen from last season who didn’t jump to the NBA. He’s projected to be a Top 5 pick this year and is averaging 24 points and 11 rebounds through two games so far. Expect him to continue to put up numbers like that even once the ACC conference games begin.
Other sophomore’s who should be high draft picks in the NBA this year include: Willie Warren, Oklahoma; Ed Davis, UNC; Devin Ebanks, WVU; Paul George, Fresno St.; Terrico White, Mississippi; & Greg Monroe, Georgetown
Other Random Observations:
- Edgar Sosa is still at Louisville? Why do I feel like he’s been on the team for about 5 or 6 years now? Not only that, but he’s still not any better than he was freshman year.
- Cal State Fullerton’s Gerard Anderson can flat out dunk with the best of them and was wreaking havoc on UCLA in Cal State’s defeat over the Bruins. He even managed to posterize UCLA’s Nikola Dragovic.
- Remember Herbert Hill from Providence a few years back? He basically was a stiff his first 3 seasons and then ended up averaging 18.1 points and 8.8 rebounds a game during his senior year. Well, it’s still early, but it’s possible that Boston College’s Tyler Roche is this year’s Herbert Hill. Roche has done next to nothing his first three years, but is averaging 24.5 points a game right now after hitting 17 of his first 24 shots from the floor, including 9 of 11 from downtown. Will be interesting to see how well he plays once he faces some better competition.
- UConn shouldn’t be as bad as I expected them to be this season after losing the bulk of their team. They still have upper-classmen Stanley Robinson & Jerome Dyson, who should be men amongst boys this year. Add to that super-quick sophomore guard Kemba Walker, the steady if not spectacular Gavin Edwards, and freshmen big man Alex Oriakhi; and the Huskies have a starting 5 that should at least give them a chance to win every night.
More: NCAA Basketball
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