PLAYERS TO WATCH
Alaska Fairbanks - Paul Smith, PF, 1
st-Team All American
On a squad with no shortage of scoring options or skilled players, Paul Smith stands out as a guy that will affect other teams’ game plans as they prepare for Alaska Fairbanks. A converted SF to PF that sometimes starts and sometimes contributes off the bench, Smith sports an overall rating of nearly 900. With great speed for the post (54), he causes trouble for defenses by his elite LP (94) along with an unusually good PE (72) for a post player that has helped him hit nearly half of his 3-point attempts and average over 12 points a game. With exceptional athleticism (86) and a team leading defensive rating of 94, coupled with great stamina (92), he is able to be disruptive on the other side of the court as well and wear out the opposing post players.
Grand Canyon - Gary Scott, SG, 1
st-Team All American
While PF
Calvin Belt is the leading scorer and actually has a similar profile in some ways to Alaska Fairbanks’ Paul Smith (Belt has 62 spd, 87 LP, and 74 PE), it is SG Gary Smith that really has the potential to create headaches in opposing defenses. First, Scott has elite speed at 91, and of course he is always a threat from downtown where he hits 52% with a 100 rating. However, it is the other factors that make Scott a special player, namely his guard skills that would make any PG envious (92BH, 94P) and the ability to drive the lanes with an exception guard LP rating of 67, although he spends most of his time behind the arch. The one disadvantage Scott brings is mediocre defense and athleticism (52 & 54), which could cause him to leave the game early against top competition.
Florida Southern - Michael Boll, C
While there are several players that all could have been highlighted for Florida Southern given the 4 leading scorers are all within a 1.5 PPG of each other, Boll brings an added dimension to his game, reflected in his award as a junior as the conference defensive player of the year last season in the Sunshine State conf. Boll brings great athleticism (86) and defense (80) to really provide a strong foundation to his rebounding (82) and elite blocking (96) to add a strong post defensive presence to go along with his strong offensive skills (LP 89) that help him average 12 points a game. Combined with the efforts of
Huang Chu (rebounding 98), Fla Southern has established a post rebounding advantage that has resulted in nearly 40% more rebounds than their opponents and enables their scoring guards to be more effective.
St. Mary’s - Mario Vega, C, Honorable Mention
While there could certainly be a case to highlight SG
Craig Kesler and his 800+ rating, 5
th year senior Mario Vera is another strong post presence with exceptional athleticism(80), defense (84), rebounding (100), blocking (84) and LP play (93). In addition, Vega is adding over 17 points a game, getting to the line frequently and hitting at over an 80% clip from the charity line. Combined with the efforts of teammates in the post,
Albert Neagle REB (85) and
Leigh Streicher REB (90), St Mary’s has established a post rebounding advantage like Florida Southern, bringing down 43% more boards than opponents, which is particularly acute when looking at the offensive side, where they grab nearly two-third more boards than opponents.
Kentucky Wesleyan - Bradley Schatz, PG
While other KWC players, like SG
Scott Stephens or C
Christopher Whitley, or even sophomore PF
Nicholas Cavender, each make an enormous contribution, PG Bradley Schatz has thus far driven the team’s success the most so far. While at first glance, he has good but not great skills in critical areas, his total package turns him into a very effective player at the Point. For instance, his athleticism (58) and speed (69) are more pedestrian, and he has solid defense (76). Where he thrives are with a BH (86) and P (82) to go with a B+ FT rating. Coupled with the ability to drive (LP 48), and it drives the type of player that can contribute in multiple critical ways. The results, a team leading 1.3 steals a game, a team leading 4.8 assists a game, and 10.3 PPG, good for second on a strong roster. While there are better individual players on the KWC roster, no one’s role is more important than Schatz. Essentially, no one else on the roster can do what he can at perhaps the most important position.
N. Colorado - Jeffery Boldt, SF
While Boldt isn’t the sort of player that will be on pre-season awards lists, his versatility and effective use make him a dynamic player and difference maker. For example, he has excellent speed at the SF position (78) while at the same time having good enough rebounding (64) skills to move to PF if needed. He also has good enough BH (72) and P (82) to play PG if needed. The result is that you have a SF contributing across the board, with the team’s second highest PPG (13.5), the team’s second highest assists (3.0/G), and the team’s second highest rebounds (4.5/G). In addition, he has the stamina to stay on the court longer, wear the opponents down, and get to the line. In general, he makes other players around him, like SG
Billy Rogers (92PE) or C
James Zubik (85LP) just a little better.