College Basketball: 15 Mid-Major Players Who Could Be the Next Jimmer Fredette
While Jimmer Fredette's shooting range and other unique skills will not be replicated by anyone in college basketball next season, there are many players who have the ability to captivate the nation.
There won't be any paraphernalia produced for individual players next season like the "Jimmer Mania" and "You Got Jimmered" shirts that were popular this past season because players like Jimmer only come around every so often.
On the court, however, the following players will have the ability to impact every single game just like Jimmer Fredette did. Some are big men and some are guards, but all of them could gain fame as mid-major players during the 2011-12 college basketball season.
In no particular order, here are next year's potential Jimmers.
C.J. McCollum
1 of 15
Lehigh University, Junior
I went to a Lehigh basketball game this past season and saw what C.J. McCollum was capable of in person. Let's just put it this way: He's the only player in the Patriot League who can create his own shot like a star on a big-time program.
Due to his slender 6'3", 165-pound frame, schools from larger conferences shied away from recruiting McCollum. But he has proven that he can be an incredibly effective collegiate player, and his rebounding average this past season (7.8 per game) has put away doubts about his aggressiveness.
McCollum puts up a lot of shots, and if he is able to convert on about 45 percent of them, he will have a chance to be the nation's leading scorer.
2010-11 Stats: 21.8 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 2.1 APG, 2.5 SPG, 84.5% FT
Tu Holloway
2 of 15
Xavier University, Senior
Tu Holloway made a great choice taking his name out of the NBA Draft recently. He simply wasn't going to get drafted with a high pick, and it would be a shame to see his wonderful talents warm a bench.
Xavier will be fortunate to have the multi-talented Holloway back, and with a very talented supporting cast around him, the Musketeers will likely be ranked throughout the season.
If there's a player on this list who can lead his team to similar heights as Jimmer did for Brigham Young, it's Holloway. Let's just hope an important piece to the puzzle doesn't get suspended for violating the school's conduct code.
2010-11 Stats: 19.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 5.4 APG, 1.4 SPG, 87.0% FT
Orlando Johnson
3 of 15
UC Santa Barbara, Junior
Orlando Johnson is a hidden gem for the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. He receives little national coverage playing in the Big West Conference, although he probably will end up on some late-night ESPN2 telecasts.
Johnson can do a lot of things on the basketball court, including knocking down the three-point shot, playing great on-ball defense and rebounding well for a guard. He will want to improve his assist-to-turnover ratio, which was barely over one last season.
Overall, Johnson is too good to be stuck in the Big West. I must admit, I am a bit partial to him, considering the fact that his 6'5", 205 pound stature is the same exact as that of my personal favorite, Ray Allen.
2010-11 Stats: 21.1 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 2.9 APG, 47.5% FG, 40.5% 3FG
.png?w=256 "NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Championship")
Andrew Nicholson
4 of 15
St. Bonaventure, Senior
Andrew Nicholson is a crafty power forward from a school small. He is projected as an early second-round pick in the 2012 NBA draft.
Nicholson is definitely worth the little hype that he gets, and while he may be unknown now, tons of NBA scouts will have his name on their radars in the near future. He is 6'9", can face up small defenders and is a crafty finisher around the basket.
At the next level, Nicholson will have to gain some upper-body strength and work on his back-to-the-basket game, but at St. Bonaventure, the way he currently plays will be just fine. He could average an absurd amount of points and rebounds next season.
2010-11 Stats: 20.8 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.5 BPG, 57.1% FG
Ray McCallum
5 of 15
Detroit Mercy, Sophomore
Ray McCallum has just one year of college experience under his belt, and he might only have one more. He is a definite NBA prospect, and Detroit Mercy of the Horizon League is lucky to have his talents.
The Florida Gators, UCLA Bruins and Arizona Wildcats were all under consideration by McCallum as a senior in high school, but he opted to play for his dad at UDM. He played inconsistently throughout the season but showed flashes of greatness. He plays an all-around game, scoring the rock, grabbing boards and dishing out assists almost equally as well.
The Titans of Detroit are quietly a very talented team, and they could take the Horizon League crown from the dominant Butler Bulldogs in 2011-12, much thanks to McCallum.
2010-11 Stats: 13.5 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 4.9 APG, 1.6 SPG
Trey Zeigler
6 of 15
Central Michigan, Sophomore
After Ray McCallum comes, naturally, Trey Zeigler.
Zeigler, like McCallum, opted to pass up on tempting offers from elite programs (UCLA, Michigan, Michigan State, Arizona State) to play on a small Michigan team for his father. He scored more points than Detroit's star freshman, but he did so with a very low shooting percentage.
Perhaps Zeigler underestimated the quality of play in the Mid-American Conference, but this year he will be more prepared. He is bound for superstardom, and his name has a nice ring to it. Also, like Jimmer, the name Trey can be used in catch phrases, which may help his popularity.
Never underestimate the power of the name!
2010-11 Stats: 16.3 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.4 SPG, 39.5% FG
Matthew Dellavedova
7 of 15
Saint Mary's, Junior
Out of all the players on this list, Matthew Dellavedova probably has the best chance to really light it up from deep next season. Like Jimmer, he loves the three-point shot and has connected on 142 three-pointers thus far in his collegiate career at Saint Mary's.
Key guard Mickey McConnell, who was a senior last season, will not be in the backcourt with Dellavedova, allowing the latter to score more this season. The Gaels have a solid program and could make a deep tournament run in March of 2012.
If they do, expect the nation to fall in love with Dellavedova.
2010-11 Stats: 13.4 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 5.3 APG, 1.2 SPG, 37.6% 3FG
D.J. Cooper
8 of 15
Ohio, Junior
D.J. Cooper put himself on the map after an incredible game against Georgetown in the NCAA tournament as just a freshman two seasons ago.
In the first round against the third-seeded Hoyas, Cooper scored 23 points and dished out eight assists, leading his Bobcats to a stunning 97-83 victory. The Chicago native has had a stellar start to his career, averaging at least 13.5 points per game, 5.0 rebounds per game and 5.9 assists per game in each of his first to seasons.
This season, Cooper is capable of leading the nation in assists. He could also find himself amongst the nation's leading scorers. Despite playing in the Mid-Atlantic Conference, he is one of the best dual-threat point guards in the country.
2010-11 Stats: 15.8 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 7.5 APG, 2.3 SPG
Michael Glover
9 of 15
Iona, Senior
Michael Glover, aka Optimus Prime, came to Iona via the College of Eastern Utah, where he was a JuCo All-American. His play has only improved at the highest level, where he was an elite scorer and rebounder in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
The Gaels are returning elite passer Scott Machado, who will continue feeding Glover down low and allowing him to have success. The duo could lead Iona back to the NCAA tournament, where it hasn't been since 2006 and hasn't won since 1980.
Glover's electric moves and dunks could land him on SportsCenter, and he could very possibly receive tons of national attention and coverage.
2010-11 Stats: 18.4 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 61.0% FG
Dominique Morrison
10 of 15
Oral Roberts, Senior
Lightly recruited out of high school, Dominique Morrison has sculpted a fine career thus far at Oral Roberts. He has made an impact ever since his freshman season, but last season, as a junior, he improved vastly.
Ferguson shot over 50 percent from the field last season after shooting 42.6 percent and 41.6 percent in his freshman and sophomore seasons, respectively. Building on this, he will have another fine season.
With Keith Benson (finally) gone from Oakland, Ferguson will be the odds-on favorite to win the Summit League Player of the Year award; he could also land gain some nationwide recognition along the way.
2010-11 Stats: 19.5 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 2.1 APG, 51.4% FG, 40.4% 3FG
Kent Bazemore
11 of 15
Old Dominion, Senior
Kent Bazemore's stats might not blow you away, but he is embodiment of Old Dominion's cornerstone: Defense.
Bazemore was actually named the 2011 Lefty Driessell National Defensive Player of the Year, as he was an incredible on-ball and team defender. Unlike the basis of this article, Fredette, his play on the defensive end of the court is far from a concern for NBA scouts.
Old Dominion lost to Butler in dramatic fashion in the NCAA tournament this past season, and Bazemore would love to have a chance at redemption. If he is guarding someone at the end of the game, it would be pretty safe to say that he won't be scoring.
2010-11 Stats: 12.3 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 2.9 APG, 2.2 SPG, 48.1% FG, 40.8% 3FG
Elias Harris
12 of 15
Gonzaga, Junior
As a freshman, Elias Harris gained the interest of many NBA scouts. Had he declared for the draft after the 2009-10 college season, he probably would have been a lottery pick.
Instead, he returned to Gonzaga. He had somewhat of a disappointing sophomore season but will be great as a junior. He is capable of being an elite scorer and rebounder but has to focus a bit more on his defense. Regardless, he will be a popular player next season.
After seeing how much can change in just a year, Harris will probably leave for the NBA after his junior season. Gonzaga fans hope that he will go out with a bang.
2010-11 Stats: 12.4 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 51.7% FG
Kevin Foster
13 of 15
Junior, Santa Clara
Kevin Foster, like Jimmer Fredette, knows a lot about scoring. He scored 20 or more points 16 times last season and reached 35 or more on three separate occasions. He did all of this as just a sophomore, and now as a junior he could have multiple 40-point games.
The most amazing stat from Foster's sophomore season was the number of games in which he attempted double-digit three-pointers: 22. He jacked up at least eight in each of his final 16 games and had streaks of seven games and six games in which he attempted at least 10.
As you can see, Foster is a volume-shooter. If he can make double-digit three-pointers in one or two games next season, he will certainly gain some love across the nation. I know I'll be staying up to watch late-night broadcasts of the Santa Clara Broncos on ESPNU next season.
2010-11 Stats: 20.2 PPG, 3.7 APG, 1.6 SPG, 140 Three-Pointers Made
Keith Wright
14 of 15
Senior, Harvard
Dude's a nerd, right? Actually, Keith Wright is a flat-out baller.
Wright had a breakout junior campaign, leading the Crimson in scoring, rebounding, shot-blocking and field-goal shooting. He is the preseason favorite for the Ivy League Player of the Year award and has an outside chance at All-America honors.
Harvard returns a great squad next year (no joke), and Wright could lead it to the NCAA tournament. The Crimson had zero seniors on its roster last season, so clearly nobody will be lost from a team that won a share of the Ivy League regular season title.
It doesn't take a Harvard student to figure out that he will lead them to a great season.
2010-11 Stats: 14.8 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 1.8 BPG, 58.4% FG
Keith Gabriel
15 of 15
VMI, Senior
VMI is easily the most fun team in college basketball to watch. The Keydets regularly average greater than 90 points per game over the course of a season and in 2006-07, averaged over 100.
Next season, their scoring leader will be Keith Gabriel. He has averaged at least 13 points per game in each of his three seasons at VMI, and he can be a pest on the defensive end as well.
With last season's scoring leader, Austin Kenon, graduating, some scoring responsibility will be shifted to Gabriel. Along with Stan Okoye and other capable teammates, he will lead them to another fantastic and exciting season.
Most excitingly, Gabriel will hit a boatload of three-pointers. The 63 he made last season were actually a career-worst, as he hit 89 and 84 in his freshman and sophomore seasons, respectively. This year, he could reach 100.
2010-11 Stats: 14.2 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 1.4 APG, 1.7 SPG
.png?w=480 "NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Championship")
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
