College Basketball: Top 10 Players from Outside the U.S.

In college, as in the NBA, a U.S. passport is no prerequisite for basketball stardom. As the pros look for the next Dirk Nowitzki or Yao Ming, plenty of top college teams have learned the value of targeting international recruits in building a national contender.

The Golden Bears of California will look to their upperclassmen to carry them in an otherwise green Pac-12 this season. One such veteran will be Mexican senior Jorge Gutierrez, who led the team in both scoring and assists last year.

Herein, a further look at Gutierrez and the rest of the top international talents in college hoops for 2011-12.

10. Khem Birch, Pitt

One of the most heralded post players in the 2011 recruiting class, Khem Birch will face a steep learning curve against the Big East’s deep crop of big men. Even so, the 6’9” Quebec native has the length and shot-blocking skills to make an immediate impact.

With the departure of Gary McGhee, Pitt needs a big body to control the paint, and Birch will likely be thrust into that role in short order. Expect his athleticism and defense to make up for some rough edges on his shot in his freshman season.

9. Elias Harris, Gonzaga

Even after battling through a sophomore slump, Elias Harris has established himself as one of the best all-around forwards in the country.

The junior from Germany averaged 12.1 points and 5.9 rebounds a game last season, and has proven himself as a threat to score from anywhere on the floor.

At 6’7”, Harris has a well-developed inside game, but he’s also hit 40 percent of his threes for his college career. If he manages a third straight season of shooting better than 50 percent from the field, don’t be surprised if Harris’ third year in Spokane is also his last.

8. Jeffery Taylor, Vanderbilt

SEC scoring champ John Jenkins casts a long shadow at Vanderbilt, and one of the players obscured by it has been small forward Jeffery Taylor.

The Swedish import would be a leader on plenty of other teams after posting averages of 15.1 points and 5.4 rebounds a night in 2010-11.

Now a senior, Taylor will still play second fiddle to Jenkins in the Vanderbilt offense, but that’s far from a bad thing for the Commodores.

As Jenkins keeps defenses occupied, he’ll create lots of scoring opportunities for Taylor, who drained 34.5 percent of his threes last year.

7. Mouphtaou Yarou, Villanova

Players who grew up overseas often face an adjustment period as they learn the American style of basketball.

Mouphtaou Yarou, the big man from the tiny African nation of Benin, took a big step in that adjustment last season as he established himself as one of the nation’s toughest interior defenders.

Now a junior, the 6'10" Yarou is still a work in progress on the offensive end. With talented point guard Maalik Wayns helping him, though, don’t be surprised to see Yarou cross that bridge and become a force on both ends of the floor this season.

6. Robert Sacre, Gonzaga

There aren’t many 7’0”, 260-pound centers to be found outside of the power conferences, but Gonzaga isn’t complaining about having landed Robert Sacre. The British Columbia native averaged 12.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks a game last season.

With Sacre now a senior, he’ll likely step into the primary scorer role vacated by Steven Gray. In a frontcourt-heavy offense—also featuring Elias Harris—Sacre should get enough touches to put up some even gaudier stats in 2011-12.

5. Arsalan Kazemi, Rice

Playing on a sub-.500 Rice team has kept Arsalan Kazemi out of the national spotlight, but his game deserves more attention. The junior power forward, the first Iranian scholarship player in Division I history, finished seventh in the nation in 2010-11, with 11 rebounds a game.

Kazemi, who also led Rice with 15.2 points and recorded 1.2 steals per game, has an experienced team around him for this season.

He may not be able to turn around the Owls’ 5-11 conference record, but don’t be surprised to see Kazemi among the nation’s top power forwards once again.

4. Matthew Dellavedova, St. Mary's

Gaels star Mickey McConnell is gone, but his right-hand man is more than ready to step into the point guard role.

Matthew Dellavedova, another product of the Australian recruiting pipeline that brought Patty Mills to St. Mary’s, averaged 13.3 points and 5.2 assists a game last year.

With last year’s frontcourt—including fellow Australian Mitchell Young—returning largely intact, Dellavedova will have plenty of weapons to play with. Expect a big year from the Gaels, and their junior floor leader, in 2011-12.

3. Jorge Gutierrez, California

Mexico isn’t exactly a traditional basketball hotbed, but don’t tell that to Jorge Gutierrez. The Cal senior is the leader of a team with a real shot at the inaugural Pac-12 crown.

Gutierrez averaged 14.3 points and 4.5 assists a game last season, and he’s projected to hand over the point guard duties to Minnesota transfer Justin Cobbs so he can focus on scoring this season.

Already the reigning conference Defensive Player of the Year, Gutierrez looks to be set for a sensational finish to his college career.

2. Festus Ezeli, Vanderbilt

After two years on Vanderbilt’s bench, Festus Ezeli burst onto the scene last year as one of the top centers in the country. The 6’11” Nigerian averaged 13 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game (with that last figure placing him 18th in the nation).

Playing alongside sharpshooters John Jenkins and Jeffery Taylor, Ezeli may not see his scoring average increase much in his senior season. Defensively, though, he’s a safe bet to be one of the nation’s best again in 2011-12.

1. Kris Joseph, Syracuse

The Orange open the season ranked No. 5 in the nation, and one of the key players in getting (and keeping) them there will be leading scorer Kris Joseph.

The Montreal native also contributed 5.0 rebounds a game (second on the team to now-graduated Rick Jackson) to go with his 14.4 points a night.

The 6’7” Joseph unveiled a perimeter game last season, knocking down 36.6% of his three-point shots. With potential All-American Scoop Jardine at the point guard spot, expect Joseph to put up even bigger numbers in his senior season.