The Most Overachieving NCAA Basketball Players So Far in 2014-15
The long offseason that college basketball has gave us a lot of time to look ahead to 2014-15, much of which was spent trying to figure out which players and teams would be expected to excel. Everyone else, well, they pretty much got pushed to the side, only noticed if they did something out of the ordinary.
Like overachieve.
The 2014-15 season has seen some overachieving teams to this point, such as Maryland, St. John's and Washington.
But there have been even more individuals whose starts to this year have far exceeded any realistic expectations. Either that, or they've performed so well they have moved from the shadows of quiet anonymity into the game's spotlight, and now their every result will get extra attention.
As we head into the final weeks of nonconference play—and the full conference slate is set to begin in January—here's a look at 10 of the most overachieving players in college basketball to this point.
Justin Anderson, Virginia
1 of 10
Position: Guard
Year: Junior
Virginia was a surprise winner of the ACC's regular-season and conference championships last season, getting to the Sweet 16 with a blend of methodical and efficient offense and suffocating defense. It's a lot more of the same this year, but with one big difference: Justin Anderson has become a star.
A year after serving as a key reserve who could provide valuable minutes (and defensive pressure) off the bench, the 6'6" junior has become the Cavaliers' go-to scorer now that he's in the starting lineup. He's nearly doubled his scoring from last season, at 15.1 points per game compared to 7.8 in 2013-14, and he's doing so with far better shot selection and accuracy.
Anderson is shooting 56.3 percent from the field and 60 percent from three-point range. The 24 threes he's made this year have almost matched his output from long range last season, when he hit 30 threes but only at a 29.4 percent clip while shooting 40.7 percent from the field.
He hasn't let his work on defense slack with his improved scoring punch, as he's still a big part of a Virginia defense holding opponents to 31.2 percent shooting and 46.2 points per game.
Quinn Cook, Duke
2 of 10
Position: Guard
Year: Senior
Do some Google searches for Duke basketball this season, and the vast majority of those hits are going to be about the three standout freshmen in the starting lineup. Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow and Tyus Jones are all doing great, and are a big part of the Blue Devils' 10-0 start, but to think they alone are responsible is not giving credit to their most improved player.
Senior Quinn Cook has seen his career go from a little-used reserve as a freshman to a player who got his minutes and points, but not much recognition for his contributions. That's because each of the past three years Duke has surrounded him with more heralded players, yet Cook has continued to contribute.
He's ramped it up this season, sitting second on the team in scoring with a career-best 13.6 points per game along with big jumps in field-goal, three-point and free throw percentage. He's also serving as a mentor to the Blue Devils' freshmen, particularly Jones, as the two are basically a tandem of point guards.
Corey Hawkins, UC Davis
3 of 10
Position: Guard
Year: Senior
The UC Davis basketball history isn't a particularly robust one, at least at the Division I level. The Aggies won a Division II title in 1998, but since moving up in 2004-05, they've yet to have a winning record.
That seems in line to change this season, and senior Corey Hawkins is making that possible.
Hawkins had 18 points in UC Davis's 73-63 win Monday at Northern Colorado, moving the team to 9-1 to match last season's win total. The Aggies have gone 4-1 on the road, including a win Saturday at Air Force, and with Big West play looming in two weeks they should contend for the conference title.
The 6'3" Hawkins, who began his career at Arizona State before transferring after one season, is averaging 20.1 points per game on 51.6 percent shooting, which includes a 50 percent clip (31 of 62) from three-point range. Hawkins has averaged at least 18 points in all three seasons with UC Davis.
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LaDontae Henton, Providence
4 of 10
Position: Forward
Year: Senior
During Providence's run to the Big East tournament title last season, as well as its first NCAA tournament appearance in a decade, all eyes were on the play of senior guard Bryce Cotton. Cotton drew so much attention—both from opponents and the media—that other Friars players were hardly noticed.
No one is ignoring LaDontae Henton this season, not with him helping Providence jump out to a 10-3 record in nonconference play that includes wins over Florida State, Notre Dame (the only team to do so) and Monday's 76-62 victory over Miami (Florida) at the Brooklyn Hoops Holiday Invitational.
Henton had 25 on Monday, upping his average to 20 points per game. His rebounding is down, from 7.9 last season to 5.2, but he's shooting more and hitting 48.8 percent from the field.
Providence had a stinker two weeks ago when it lost at home to Brown, but it should still be in the mix along with Seton Hall and St. John's to challenge Villanova for the Big East crown.
Juwan Howard Jr., Detroit
5 of 10
Position: Forward
Year: Senior
If the name sounds familiar, there's a reason for that. It also means you're old, because the son of former Michigan Fab Five star Juwan Howard has been lighting it up for Detroit all season.
The 6'5" small forward is averaging 19.8 points per game heading into Tuesday afternoon's game at Arizona State, the Titans' second game against a Pac-12 opponent and fourth against a power program. They lost at Oregon and Michigan last month, and on Dec. 13 led Wichita State at home for much of the game before falling by nine points.
In those three games, Howard averaged 22.3 points. He takes a lot of shots, attempting 23 in three different games, but he's still making a respectable 44.8 percent along with 38.6 percent from three-point range.
While Howard might not have the NBA future that his father had, he is still a strong mid-major player who could do damage in the NCAA tournament if Detroit were to win the Horizon League conference tournament in March.
Terry Rozier, Louisville
6 of 10
Position: Guard
Year: Sophomore
When Louisville learned that stud power forward Montrezl Harrell would be coming back for his junior year, the Cardinals were no longer getting looked at as a rebuilding team for 2014-15 but one that could legitimately compete for a conference title in its first year in the ACC. Harrell isn't the only reason Louisville is 10-0 and ranked fourth, though, and his ejection Saturday showed this was the case.
Harrell was booted from a win at Western Kentucky after trying to throw a punch during a first-half scuffle, resulting in his suspension for Tuesday's visit from CS-Northridge. After he was sent to the locker room, sophomore Terry Rozier stepped up to fill the scoring (and leadership) void by pouring in 26 of his 32 points in the second half of the 76-67 road win.
That kind of effort has been there all season for Rozier, who is scoring a team-high 16.8 points per game after averaging 7.0 in his freshman year. Rozier's minutes have increased by more than 63 percent, and he's responded by nearly doubling his shot attempts and improving from 40.1 to 47.1 shooting.
Shannon Scott, Ohio State
7 of 10
Position: Guard
Year: Senior
No more Aaron Craft for Ohio State? No problem, says Shannon Scott, who after three years basically serving as Craft's sidekick/understudy has taken over the Buckeyes' floor leader role and run with it.
Scott is second in the country in assists, at 7.8 per game, while also contributing 7.9 points on 43 percent shooting. All of those are career bests for the 6'1" guard, whose biggest improvement has been in cutting down on turnovers to create a 3.2-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
With his distribution numbers, Scott is helping fuel a young Ohio State team that's 10-2 (though 0-2 against ranked opponents) and features a star freshman in guard D'Angelo Russell.
Russell averages 17.2 points and has latched onto Scott's sharing mantra with 5.5 assists per game, as the Buckeyes have assisted on 216 of 375 made field goals.
Myles Turner, Texas
8 of 10
Position: Forward
Year: Freshman
It probably sounds strange to consider one of the highest-rated and most sought-after recruits of the 2014 class to be capable of overachieving, unless they're maybe averaging 30 points and 20 rebounds per game. Yet Myles Turner has managed to do this, mostly because he's doing it off the bench because of Texas' depth in the frontcourt.
Turner, who was the No. 6 overall prospect, is playing only 20.3 minutes per game, yet in that limited action he's averaging 11.9 points and 6.7 rebounds. Those are both second-best on the Longhorns, while his 2.9 blocks per game is tops on the team and among the leaders in Division I.
The 6'11" Turner has the versatility, both on offense and defense, to spell not only center Cameron Ridley, but also forwards Jonathan Holmes and Connor Lammert.
Robert Upshaw, Washington
9 of 10
Position: Center
Year: Junior
Robert Upshaw didn't fit well at Fresno State, where suspensions and benchings led him to transfer after one season. He had to sit out a year after picking Washington, but he's been worth the wait for a Huskies team in desperate need of a good season after several consecutive subpar efforts.
The 7'0", 250-pound Upshaw has been a huge addition to the Huskies, literally and figuratively. Used strictly off the bench so far, he's averaging 10.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game along with 51 blocked shots, all in less than 20 minutes per night.
Upshaw had six blocks in Monday's come-from-behind home win over Tulane, moving Washington to 11-0 for the first time since 2005-06. He leads Division I in that category, with 4.6 per game, and he's shooting 62.3 percent.
Jameel Warney, Stony Brook
10 of 10
Position: Forward
Year: Junior
Last year we fell in love with Alan Williams, the undersized but overpowering forward for UC Santa Barbara who reminded us that big men come in many shapes and sizes and aren't always at the power programs. Williams is still in college, now a senior, but this year's version of him is on the other coast.
Stony Brook junior Jameel Warner has become a double-double machine, logging 10 or more points and rebounds in 10 of 12 games for the Seawolves. He's averaging 15.3 points and 12.8 rebounds, banging around inside with his 6'8", 255-pound frame.
Warner hasn't had as many opportunities as Williams to shine against big-time competition, though he did go for 12 points and 14 rebounds in a loss at Georgia and had 14 points and 10 boards in a loss to Cincinnati. His best chance to make a name for himself is yet to come, as on Dec. 30 he and Stony Brook play at unbeaten Washington.
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