College Basketball: 5 Players Ready To Break Out in 2010-11
Every year in college basketball, turnover plays a major part in a sport that is constantly changing. Graduation and early entry into the professional ranks mean that the names in college basketball are fluid.
Each season it seems that new names and faces come bursting onto the scene.
Names like Jacob Pullen, Malcolm Delaney and Jimmer Fredette weren't always household names to all college basketball fans. Before they busted on the scene as stars, many of them were just faces in the crowd.
Here are five players poised to have huge seasons and potentially burst onto the national scene in the 2010-11 season.
An argument can be made for dozens of players in the country to qualify for a list like this every year, so I came up with a few guidelines to determine what exactly makes a player undervalued.
To be considered, a player could not be listed as a preseason all-conference performer in one of the major BCS conferences. Also, players that were listed on the Wooden Award Watch List were left out from consideration on this list.
Now, the list.
No. 5: Kyle Weems, F, Missouri State
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The major idea of this list is to highlight players who are undervalued who appear to be on the verge of having a breakout season.
One of the problems was how I valued players in "mid-major" conferences as opposed to players that play in a BCS conference.
The distinction I made was that ultimately any player I included on this list from a "mid-major" school had to play on a team with serious bracket-busting potential.
Inevitably, players for those schools are going to receive more media attention and have a better chance of making themselves known.
I toiled between including Weems or Providence guard Marshon Brooks on this list, and I wound up choosing Weems because I think Missouri State could be very dangerous out of the Missouri Valley Conference, while Providence is likely to struggle once again in the Big East.
The 6'6", 230-pound forward from Topeka, Kansas put up nearly 14 ppg and over six rpg in 09-10. Weems presents a major matchup problem at the 3 and 4 spots because of his ability to face up and shoot it (40 percent from beyond the arc in '09-10.)
The Bears return their top six scorers from a team that beat Auburn and gave Arkansas everything it could handle on the road on their way to a 24-win season, and Weems played a major role in that success.
Look for Weems to have a huge impact on the course of the Bears' 2010-11 campaign. Tonight will be his first real opportunity to showcase his skills against the 23rd-ranked Vols of Tennessee.
No. 4: Gary Flowers, F, Southern Mississippi
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Flowers was right there on the fringe of this list with Brooks and Weems when I was putting this list together. He wound up making the cut comfortably due in large part to the words of USM head coach Larry Eustachy.
Eustachy claims that this Southern Miss squad is going to be the best squad he has ever had in Hattiesburg, and Flowers is likely the biggest piece of the puzzle as this squad aspires to go dancing this season.
Flowers led the team in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots last year (15 ppg, eight rpg and 1.8 bpg), and this year the production will have to increase for the 6'8", 215-pound power forward if he intends on leading his Golden Eagles to the field of 68 (that feels weird to say).
Flowers will have a couple of opportunities to showcase his talents: on Dec. 4th, when Southern Miss travels to Ole Miss for a game on ESPNU, and Feb. 12th on ESPN2 for a battle against conference superpower Memphis.
No. 3: Lavoy Allen, F/C, Temple
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Lavoy Allen is a player I feel more than comfortable including on this list because he is a proven post presence on a Temple team that looks primed to make yet another trip to the Big Dance.
Allen put up 13 double-doubles in the 2009-2010 season and led the team in rebounding (10.7 rpg), and the Owls secured a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament before an upset loss to Cornell.
The loss of Ryan Brooks this season may mean that Allen has to shoulder a little bit more of the scoring load this season. This gives Allen, who has already proven himself to be a defensive force in the A-10, the opportunity to show off a more well-rounded game before making the jump to the NBA.
Temple will certainly rely on the efficient Allen (55 percent career shooting percentage from the field) if they hope to make headway towards a deep postseason run.
The nation will certainly have ample opportunity to acquaint themselves with Lavoy Allen. Temple plays eight games on the ESPN family of networks this season, including a Thanksgiving tussle with Cal on ESPN2.
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No. 2: Verdell Jones, G, Indiana
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OK, I know a lot of you guys in Big Ten country may be rolling your eyes at the notion that you don't know who Verdell Jones is, but hear me out for a moment.
Ten years ago there is no doubt that Verdell Jones couldn't go unnoticed, playing as well as he has for a national power like Indiana.
However, Indiana's recent struggles have gone a long way toward masking the success Jones has had in Bloomington.
For the people who don't have a vested interest in the Big Ten Network, Jones may have gone unnoticed at IU. Tom Crean is doing a very nice job of rebuilding the mess that was Indiana basketball after the firing of habitual NCAA violator Kelvin Sampson, but the Hoosiers haven't had a lot of national spotlight in the past few years.
Jones has been a big part of Crean's rebuilding plans, and this year the Hoosiers are getting close to returning to the upper half of the league. In the end, Indiana may still be a year away from making any serious noise in the Big Ten, but look for Indiana to at least turn a few heads this year, and Jones will have a heavy hand in that.
Last year, Jones put up nearly 15 points a game, but he will have to improve on a mild 1.2/1 assist-to-turnover ratio that hampered his performance last season.
If Jones can improve his decision-making skills in 2010-11, look for Indiana to pull off a few major upsets on the year.
No. 1: Joey Rodriguez, G, VCU
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VCU has had a couple phenomenal players in the last few years. Current NBA players Eric Maynor and Larry Sanders once put on for the Commonwealth, and this year Joey Rodriguez looks to shoulder the load for another potentially dangerous VCU squad.
Rodriguez is the epitome of a playmaker at the point guard position who can beat you off the dribble, bury it from deep and orchestrate for his teammates with the best of them.
Last year he was one of the better guards in the country in the assist department (5.8 apg), yet he went largely unnoticed due in large part to VCU's absence from the NCAA Tournament and the NIT.
Make no buts about it though—VCU was very formidable last year, and even though they lost star forward Larry Sanders to the NBA, they look to be even better in 2010-11.
The main reason?
Well, to put it simply, it's Joey Rodriguez.
Last year Rodriguez was second on the team in scoring to Sanders, but with Sanders gone, look for Rodriguez to be much more assertive as a scorer. However, don't get confused about how Rodriguez views himself. He is a pass first point guard, and a good one at that.
So far in the early part of this season Rodriguez has burst out of the gates with a 22-point, 17-assist performance against UNC-Greensboro in the opener. Last night, against ACC foe Wake Forest, Rodriguez put up 18 points and six assists while committing just one turnover while leading his team to a 90-69 thumping (as predicted by yours truly in my Preseason NIT preview).
VCU's next stop will be Madison Square Garden for the NIT Season Tip-Off semifinals round, and I look for Rodriguez to shine on this national stage. Don't be surprised to see Rodriguez make a believer out of the nation if the Rams can pull off a couple upsets in New York City.
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