College Basketball 2011: Power Ranking the Top 10 Players for the 2011 Season
The NBA Draft is fast approaching and many are commenting on how weak the incoming crop of talent is. One reason why the talent level is considered to not be up to snuff is because some of the top prospects opted to return to the college game.
This will not make for good television on draft night, but it is music to college basketball fans ears. It is time to forecast just who the top 10 players in college basketball will be next season. As always, everyone on this list might not be familiar to the common fan as incoming “diaper dandies” must be accounted for.
Here are 10 players that will be filling up stat sheets and guiding their teams to victories galore next winter.
10. Perry Jones (Baylor)
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Perry Jones had a good freshman season at Baylor, but he was not the dominating player that some envisioned him to be.
Certainly, Jones has the physical makeup and talent to consistently score on the offensive end as well as be a dominating presence on defense. As I said, his 13.9 points and 7.2 rebounds were good, but I think he will take it to another level next season as a sophomore.
Perry Jones is not the type of prospect that will constantly look for his shot. In fact, sometimes the big man can be too unselfish on offense. Next season Jones needs to assert himself on offense even more than he did as a freshman.
The arrival of 5-star prospect Quincy Miller will prohibit defenses from solely focusing on stopping Jones.
9. Jeremy Lamb (UCONN)
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Kemba Walker was the star on Connecticut’s National Championship team last season, but without freshman Jeremy Lamb there would be no title banner to hang in Storrs.
Jeremy Lamb played well throughout his freshman campaign, but he saved his best stuff for the NCAA Tournaments. Lamb played arguably his best game of the season in UCONN’s 74-67 Elite Eight Victory over San Diego State in which he scored 24 points on 9-11 shooting.
Lamb has an all-around solid offensive game that includes great shooting range that extends outside the three-point arc. Another thing that stands out about Jeremy is his composure, he always stayed composed and never let his emotions get the best of him.
The aforementioned Kemba Walker has moved onto the NBA. This means that Lamb will step into an even bigger role with Connecticut next season as the Huskies attempt to defend their title. Jeremy Lamb definitely has the talent to accept this responsibility.
Look for his star to shine even brighter in 2011.
8. Kris Joseph (Syracuse)
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Kris Joseph’s skills and production has steadily increased throughout his three seasons at Syracuse. Now as a senior, Joseph enters the 2011 season as not only one of the top players in the Big East, but also as one of the top talents in the country.
The swingman from Montreal has always had a strong drive to the basket and open court game. It has been his improved outside shooting that has truly elevated his skill set to another level.
Joseph only shot 22 percent from three-point range during his sophomore season, but he was much more proficient from behind the arc last season connecting on 37 percent of his tries. His length at 6’7" is an invaluable asset especially in Jim Boeheim’s 2-3 zone.
Kris will be the leader of an extremely talented, but young Syracuse team next season. Boeheim’s team once again projects to finish near the top of the Big East Standings. Kris Joseph’s presence is one of the main reasons why those expectations are attached to this squad.
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7. Anthony Davis (Kentucky)
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Chicago has a long history of producing top talent, and big man Anthony Davis appears to be the Windy City’s next star. Davis is a 6’10" 220 lb. power forward that was ranked as the 2nd best overall prospect in the class of 2011 as rated by Rivals.
John Calipari has signed a highly touted big man in each of his first two seasons at Kentucky. DeMarcus Cousins was a McDonalds All-American in 2009 and averaged 15.1 points and 9.8 rebound as a freshman. Enes Kanter would have likely been a dominating force in the middle last season for Kentucky, but the Turkish big man was ruled ineligible by the NCAA.
Davis will have to prove himself on the court, but there is more than enough to like about the Chicago product to merit his inclusion on this list.
Scouts describe Anthony Davis as a prospect who runs the court well and has a nice shooting touch. These attributes will be especially useful in Calipari’s fast paced offense.
Davis will form a great inside outside duo next season in Lexington with the next player on the list.
6. Marquis Teague (Kentucky)
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John Calipari’s successive history of one and done point guards is simply staggering.
The trend began in 2007 with Derrick Rose, then in 2008 there was Tyreke Evans, in 2009 Coach Cal brought John Wall to Lexington and last year the Wildcats made it to the Final Four under freshman floor general Brandon Knight.
I am here to tell you that next season the name to remember is Marquis Teague.
Marquis is the younger brother of former Wake Forest point guard Jeff Teague. Like fellow freshman Anthony Davis, Teague is one of the top prospects in the class of 2011. Jerry Meyer of Rivals describes Teague as being a big time scorer as well as a skilled passer.
Like those that have come before him, Teague’s skill set is conducive to Calipari’s wide open style of offense.
It is always a gamble to make a prediction on prospects before they have actually played a game on the college level, but Teague has the potential to immediately be an impact player at Kentucky.
5. Tyler Zeller (North Carolina)
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Tyler Zeller’s North Carolina career began on a sour note when a broken wrist forced the big man to miss his freshman season. Injuries could only keep Tyler Zeller sidelined for so long though, and the now healthy Zeller is making his presence felt in Chapel Hill.
Tyler was one of the catalysts behind North Carolina’s Elite Eight run last season along with Harrison Barnes and Jon Henson. He averaged 15.7 points and 7.2 rebounds last season.
Tyler Zeller also has great bloodlines. His older brother Luke played at Notre Dame, and his younger brother Cody will play at Indiana next season.
At 7’0" 250 lbs., Zeller has the size and skills that make him a prime NBA prospect. Similar to Barnes, it was at one point anticipated that Zeller would bolt for the league rather than return to North Carolina for his senior season.
Nevertheless, Tyler is back and will be one of the top big men in the college game.
4. Terrence Jones (Kentucky)
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There is nothing subtle about Kentucky’s Terrence Jones. Jones plays the game with a tremendous amount of energy and intensity. His greatest qualities as a prospect are his strength, athleticism and competitiveness.
Kentucky fans worried that they might lose Jones and point guard Brandon Knight to the NBA. Knight ultimately did decide to take his game to the league, but Jones decided to polish his skill set under the tutelage of John Calipari for another season in Lexington.
This is a situation where the prospect made the right decision to return to school. Jones was already a top-tier talent at the college level as a freshman, and should separate himself even more as a sophomore next season.
With that being said, Jones can use the upcoming season to sharpen his ball handling skills and become a more proficient outside shooter.
Those two negatives pale in comparison to the many positives that come with Terrence Jones. He will be one of the leaders on a loaded Kentucky team next season, and should stand out as one of the top talents on a national level.
3. Austin Rivers (Duke)
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Some fans may scream foul at my ranking incoming freshman Austin Rivers over proven collegiate talents such as Kris Joseph and Terrence Jones. I am well aware that not everyone frequently checks recruiting websites such as Rivals and Scout to keep tabs on the top high school talent.
With that being said, there is a precedent that has been established by players such as Kevin Durant, Greg Oden, Michael Beasley and most recently Kyrie Irving (when he was healthy) that suggests that top-tier high school talents can immediately transition and dominate at the college level.
Nothing is ever certain, but Rivers has a chance to make an impact comparable to those aforementioned players.
Austin Rivers is the son of Boston Celtics Head Coach Doc Rivers, and is rated as one of the top prospects in the class of 2011 by all the major recruiting services. Rivals Jerry Meyer describes Rivers as “a big time scoring threat”, and credits the prospect with having a high basketball IQ.
At 6’3", Rivers has ideal size and should have no problem reading the floor in college. He will most likely play shooting guard next season adding firepower to a Blue Devils backcourt that will be without the services of Kyrie Irving and Nolan Smith.
Harrison Barnes (North Carolina)
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After Harrison Barnes went 0-12 from the field during an early season North Carolina loss to Minnesota in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off some questioned the tremendous buzz that had been building around the highly touted Barnes.
While Barnes did endure some early season struggles, he eventually righted the ship and played some of his best basketball toward the end of the season. He scored 16 points or more in each of the Tar Heels final 11 games of the 2010 season.
His outstanding play was one of the main reasons that North Carolina came just a few baskets short of making a Final Four appearance in Houston.
At 6’8" 210 lbs., Harrison has the length and athleticism that make him an impact player on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court. He can drive the basket and finish at the rim, but he is also a serviceable outside shooter as well.
It was widely thought that Harrison Barnes would cash in on his high draft stock and bolt for the league. He shocked everyone when he announced that he would return to Chapel Hill for his sophomore season.
Barnes’ return is a blessing for North Carolina head coach Roy Williams, and a bad omen for the rest of the ACC.
1. Jared Sullinger (Ohio State)
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I normally do not like to rely on a player’s stat line to justify their overall skill level, but in this case the numbers speak for themselves.
Jared Sullinger averaged 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game as a freshman at Ohio State last season. There were big expectations surrounding the highly touted Sullinger, but not many people predicted that the big man would dominate the way he did as a freshman.
Sullinger uses numerous post moves to score around the rim, and does an excellent job of positioning his body down low. He is strictly a low post presence. Jared will not step out along the three point line or incorporate finesse moves into his game.
It is refreshing to see a player who knows what he is and does not try to get unnecessarily complex.
Even more so than Terrence Jones, Jared surprised the masses when he announced that he would return to Ohio State.
The 6’9" 280 lb. big man enters the upcoming campaign with a major bullseye on his back. Many opposing players will want to knock Sullinger off his perch, but wanting to do it is one thing and actually stopping him is quite another.
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