Ranking the Best Senior Leaders in College Basketball in 2014-15

When people want to knock amateur athletics on the college level, most will point to one-and-done freshman. The opposite, of course, is the journeyman senior who sticks around for his degree and gave up (in most cases) dreams of NBA splendor.

Gone are the days when the truly great and precocious players remain enrolled at university, but some do hang around for a full four years, and the game is better for it. These guys bring more than simply game, they bring leadership. 

Sometimes that comes by example, other times it's by barking out the occasional command.

There’s a level of confidence and maturity that comes with the game’s “elder statesman,” and it’s equally encouraging that one of them is on the Wooden Watch.

Read on to see just how these 10 senior leaders rank this season.

10. Treveon Graham, G, VCU

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

Season Stats: 16.6 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.8 APG

VCU undergoes Navy SEAL training, a veritable “Hell Week,” before every season. What surfaces from that is a mentally tough team capable of creating mass havoc on the court.

Leading that swarming attack of tracker jackers is Treveon Graham.

“I thought it brought out the verbal aspect of being a leader,” Graham told NBCSports.com. “My first three years I was more a lead by example. I’m more comfortable now just talking to teammates out on the floor in practice.”

Graham watched VCU plow through the tournament and into the Final Four in 2011. As an under-recruited player, he joined VCU at the start of the 2011-12 season and has since emerged as one of head coach Shaka Smart’s go-to scorers and leaders.

Graham said on NBCSports.com:

"

Last year we fell short of our goals. We were second place in the regular season. Second place in the A-10 Tournament, and then we lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament. I think we can leave a good mark on VCU. I think this is one of the more talented teams I’ve played with since I’ve been here.

"

9. Tyler Haws, G, BYU

Rick Bowmer/Associated Press

Season Stats: 21.6 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.6 APG

Tyler Haws put a scare into BYU fans when his ankle forced him to take an extended leave from the floor, but the seventh-leading scorer in college basketball is back.

Haws’ 21.6 points per game took a hit when he scored just four points against UMass*.

“It is amazing to watch Ty, though," BUY coach Dave Rose said in The Salt Lake Tribune. "That is one thing that I make sure I remind our coaches of every day, is we got a pretty good one here, and we only have a handful of games left, so we have to enjoy him while he is here."

Like Jimmer Freddette before him (though not quite as prolific a scorer), Haws is leading this Cougars team and is the best chance at beating Gonzaga in the spring. 

The Cougars turn to Haws, and more often than not, he delivers.

*Writer’s Note: Brendan O’Meara is a UMass alumnus and finds this amusing even though his team lost in overtime. Such is life.

8. Juwan Staten, G, West Virginia

Ray Thompson/Associated Press

Season Stats: 16.1 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.5 SPG

West Virginia has been one of the more surprising teams in college basketball, quietly getting off to a hot start this season. A big reason is the spark-plug play of Juwan Staten.

The senior guard makes things run for Bob Huggins’ Mountaineers. They stand at 12-1 and rank first in steals per game with 13.5.

“[T]he Mountaineers have been running wild on the competition, using their speed,” wrote Nathan Griese for Fansided.com, “agility and Staten’s leadership to be one of the best teams in the country that nobody’s talking about.”

Griese also noted that Staten could—in fact should—be a first-team All-American at the end of the season. That’s a possibility so long as he keeps up this production while leading West Virginia.

That kind of energy sets the tone on the floor. The other four on the floor fall in line as a result.

7. Joseph Young, G, Oregon

Jeffrey Phelps/Associated Press

Season Stats: 19.6 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 4.3 APG

When Joseph Young announced he’d stick around for his senior year at Oregon, nobody could have been happier than head coach Dana Altman.

Andrew Grief of The Oregonian wrote, “Young's return means coach Dana Altman won't have to replace 23 percent of Oregon's offense, a one-man attack that was keyed by Young's three-point shooting and foul-drawing drives.”

At 6'2", Young's attacks on the rim—taking hits and accordingly hitting the floor—energize his team. Also, sticking around for another year let his teammates know he was committed to winning and threatening the established order atop the Pac-12.

The Ducks are 10-3 and 9-1 (!) at home this season. Oregon’s offense ranks 23rd in college basketball with 79.4 points per game and 10th with 17.9 assists per game.

Having a leader like Young in the backcourt has only helped guards Dominic Artis and Damyean Dotson.

6. Branden Dawson, G-F, Michigan State

Al Goldis/Associated Press

Season Stats: 10.6 PPG, 8.7 RPG

Michigan State’s Branden Dawson has seen his share of injuries this season already. It’s been a pain in the wrist.

Still, he’s managed to lead his team in rebounding and will need to be the anchor while they battle and scrap for any win they can earn in the Big Ten.

Dawson has taken it upon himself to lead both by example and with his mouth. Leaders from last year’s team weren’t the vocal type.

"They were just so quiet," Dawson said on ESPN.com. "Not trying to throw those guys under the bus but this year, our communication is better. I talk a lot. Denzel [Valentine] is talking a lot and Travis [Trice] is too. ... As far as this year, we're all on the same page."

Leaders come in many forms. Dawson is both the physical and the emotional kind.

5. Delon Wright, G, Utah

Rick Bowmer/Associated Press

Season Stats: 15.4 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 5.7 APG, .581 FG%

Utah’s Delon Wright is having a spectacular season for the Utes. The thing is, he could be playing in the NBA, but he remained in college and is a key reason the Utes are 11-2. That set an example that there was unfinished business on and off the floor.

Wright’s focus has been diamond-sharp. Wright told The Salt Lake Tribune, “Win the Pac-12. Go to the [NCAA tournament], of course. Go far in the tournament. Just have a good year."

Dealing with leadership and a sense of maturity, Wright, like any smart young man, listened to his mother.

Stacy Wright said in The Salt Lake Tribune, “I told him, ‘I know it’s your life, but as your mom, I would love to see you complete your degree,’" she said. "When he told me he was going back, it was a huge burden off my shoulders."

So here he is, making a strong case for Pac-12 Player of the Year.

4. Kevin Pangos, G, Gonzaga

Lenny Ignelzi/Associated Press

Season Stats: 11.5 PPG, 5.0 APG, 2.9 RPG, .486 FG%

The numbers aren’t staggering for Kevin Pangos, but the Gonzaga guard is, without question, one of the best senior leaders in the country.

Rob Dauster of College Basketball Talk wrote, “Kevin Pangos is the star of this Gonzaga team. He’s the engine that makes their powerhouse offense operate, a sharp-shooting, turnover-free point guard that has been arguably the best player in the country through the first two weeks of the season.”

Yes, that was the early-season assessment, but Pangos has continued to live up to the hype (at one point missing only 15 shots through six games) and will be the driving force to the Bulldogs' success in the New Year.

3. Jerian Grant, G, Notre Dame

Joe Raymond/Associated Press

Season Stats: 17.4 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 6.2 APG, 1.6 SPG

To quote Mike Greenberg from Mike & Mike in the Morning, Notre Dame’s Jerian Grant is back and better than ever.

He’s leading an Irish team that’s 13-1, with its only loss—a one-point loss—coming against Providence.

Ricky O’Donnell of SB Nation wrote, “He's explosive, yet plays in control. He might not get the attention of the star freshmen around the country this season, but he's making a strong case that he's the best guard in college basketball.”

The Fighting Irish have a solid platoon of talent, and Grant creates the energy that allows the others to do what they do.

Grant missed much of last season due to academic issue and his team couldn’t be happier that he’s back. His numbers speak for themselves and with the heightened efforts of Pan Connaughton, Demetrius Jackson and Zach Auguste, Grant’s impact is immeasurable.

2. Frank Kaminsky, F, Wisconsin

Andy Manis/Associated Press

Season Stats: 16.6 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 2.1 APG, 2.0 BPG

Frank Kaminsky, the only pure forward on this list, is the seven-foot senior who can score down low and step back and shoot the three. He’s the college Dirk Nowitzki.

Sports Illustrated’s David Gardner wrote of Kaminsky:

"

An underrated aspect of Kaminsky’s game—and this is perhaps the only one left—is his ability to handle the ball in transition. Bo Ryan favors a slower pace and prefers his team to set up in a halfcourt offense, but he also doesn’t like to pass on easy scoring opportunities.

"

He’s currently the only senior on the Wooden Watch and a key reason why Wisconsin will likely play in this year’s Final Four.

Kaminsky is one of the most well-rounded players in the country. He has spent the past three years rounding into the player he is today. That speaks to his patience as a player and maturity that makes him one of Bo Ryan's go-to leaders.

1. Quinn Cook, G, Duke

Karl B DeBlaker/Associated Press

Season Stats: 14.5 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 3.3 APG, .496 FG%

“Just to be here four years, it’s a blessing,” Quinn Cook told The Duke Chronicle.

For all the acclaim and attention Duke earns for its immensely talented freshman, there’s a senior in the mix averaging a steady 14.5 points and creating a stabilizing force in Durham.

Matt Pun wrote, “With Tyus Jones coming in as the No. 1 point guard in his class, Cook knew his role on the team would be different this year, and he said before the season that he was ready for it.”

That’s a level of maturity you don’t often see. Who wants to cede minutes, attention, prestige to an upstart, especially when you've been in town for three years already? Apparently Cook was fine with it and the Blue Devils are better for it.

“He’s doing such a great job of leading. His personality is so good right now with these young guys,” Mike Krzyzewski said. “They love him and he’s given them positive stuff.”

Cook's value to this team will only grow as the season progresses.