Big East & Big XII (Through 1/26/15)

Big East:

We are over a third of the way through the conference play and things are very exciting in the Big East. 6 of the 10 teams are within two games of first place. That doesn't even include St. John’s who was looking like a NCAA team until they started 1-4 in conference. With all of these teams bunched up the battle for player of the year and first-team all-Big East are competitive and very fluid. Expect this list to change on a weekly basis. (Conference stats listed below as of 1/26)

Player of the Year:

Kris Dunn (So. - Providence) – 16.6 ppg, 8.6 apg, 7.0 rbg

Kris Dunn is the straw that stirs the drink for the 5-2 Friars. After fighting off injuries for the first two years Dunn is finally living up to the expectations he had as a top recruit. Dunn leads the league in assists, is 5^th in scoring, 6^th in rebounding, and contributes 2.0 steals per game, which is 2^nd in Big East play. He also dominated OT, outscoring the Georgetown Hoyas by himself, in a win against the first place squad earlier in the season.

All Conference Team: 

Roosevelt Jones (Jr. – Butler) – 16.5 ppg, 6.5 rbg, 2.9 apg

Jones has done a good job returning from being red-shirt last year to lead Butler along with Kellan Dunham. He went for 28 in a last second loss to Georgetown last week. Jones is 4^th in the conference in scoring, 10^th in rebounding and 11^th in assists for the 5-3 Bulldogs.

LaDontae Henton (Sr. - Providence) – 23.4 ppg, 6.3 rbg

Henton has been on the receiving end on a lot of the Kris Dunn assists. The highly skilled wing leads the conference in scoring pouring in over 23 a game. Henton shoots the three well making 2.6 a game in conference play. LaDontae has been a workhorse in Big East play for Ed Cooley, averaging 39.6 minutes per game.

Ryan Arcidiacono (Jr. - Villanova) – 12.0 ppg, 4.6 apg

“Arch” as he’s known to fans is one of three or four guys from Villanova deserving consideration for this spot. The guard leads the top-ten Wildcats in assists and is their second leading scoring.

Sterling Gibbs (Jr. - Seton Hall) – 17.6 ppg, 3.9 apg

Gibbs is the best player on the surprisings Pirates. He leads the team in scoring that is still breaking in two big-time freshman, Isaiah Whitehead – who will be returning from injury soon, and Angel Delgado.

On the Verge –D’vauntes Smith-Rivera (Jr. - Georgetown), D’Angelo Harrison (Sr. - St. John’s), Darrun Hilliard (Sr. – Villanova)

Freshman of the Year:

Angel Delgado (Seton Hall) – 10.4 ppg, 10.6 rbg,

Delgado has been a workhorse for the Pirates, averaging a double-double in conference play. He’s been particularly tough on the offensive glass, where he leads the conference with three per game. Seton Hall is on a three game conference losing streak, but Delgado went for 19 points and 19 rebounds against DePaul last Thursday.

On the Verge – Isaac Copeland (Georgetown) – After going scoreless in an overtime loss to Providence on January 10, Copeland has been steadily improving. Eight points in a win at DePaul, followed up by a game winning three against Butler and then 17 points and 6 rebounds against both Villanova and Marquette on 12-18 shooting.  

BIG 12:

A balanced conference with 6 ranked teams and 6 teams sporting a conference record of .500 or better. As Kansas proved this weekend in Austin, the road to the regular season goes through Lawrence until proven otherwise. Iowa State staked their claim to with a win over the Jayhawks in front of a raucous crowd, but then fell in Lubbock to a winless Texas Tech squad. The conference’s strength and balance was shown when West Virginia, Texas, and Oklahoma took turns beating each other by 20.

POY: 

Buddy Heild (Jr. - Oklahoma) – 21.4 ppg, 6.1 rbg,

One of the best pure scorers in college basketball, Heild leads a potent Sooners attack and has poured in over 20 in 5 of 6 conference games. Buddy scored 27 without missing a shot from the field in a win over OSU and then followed that up with 26 points in a close loss at Kansas. The athletic wing also averages 1.4 steals per game.

All Conference Team: 

Monte Morris (So. Iowa State) – 10 ppg, 4.2 rbg, 6.3 apg

Morris has stepped right in to fill the big shoes left by the Deandre Kane, the Cyclones do everything point guard from last year. Morris leads the conference in assists with 6.3 per game while also averaging 10 points and over 4 boards per contest. He had a double-double in a big win over Kansas.

Devin Williams (West Virginia) – 13.5 ppg, 9.3 rbg

The big man who does the dirty work for Coach Huggin’s squad has really stepped his game up this year. The bruiser has his best game last week against Iowa State when he had 14 points and ripped down 15 boards for the surprising Mountaineers.

Georges Niang (Jr. - Iowa State) – 12.5 ppg, 5.2 rbg, 2.8 apg

Mr. Consistency, Niang is been very reliable and had his best game of the conference season against Kansas, leading the Cyclones with 15 points, 5 boards, and 5 assists. The stretch-4, Niang is also averaging two made 3's per game.

Myles Turner (Texas) – 10.8 ppg, 7 rpg, 3 blocks (Freshman of the Year)

The imposing freshman center with three point range just keeps getting better. He had an impressive game against Oklahoma St. with 18 points and 5 blocks while also going 4-4 from three. He struggled to get touches on the offensive end in a home loss to Kansas, but he still recorded 5 blocks before fouling out.  

On the Verge – Kelly Oubre (Fr. - Kansas), Marcus Foster (So. - Kansas State), Le’Bryan Nash (Sr. Oklahoma State) 

Follow Dan Russo on twitter at DanRusso13. 

A Surprise Decision: L.J. Peak to Georgetown

One year in Chicago was enough to send L.J. Peak, a talented 6’5” wing scurrying back to warmer weather in South Carolina in order to finish off his high school career in Gaffney. Unfortunately for South Carolina Gamecock fans, Peak’s return home will only last one year before he packs his bags again for Washington D.C. and the Georgetown Hoyas. 

L.J. Peak - Georgetown

In a surprise announcement at his high school gym, Peak chose to spend his college career as a Hoya after narrowing his choices down to Georgetown, South Carolina, and Florida State. To the delight of the crowd, Peak put on a Gamecock hat before flipping it off and replacing it with a Hoya hat. The in-state Gamecocks were rumored to be the front runner, but Peak chose the Hoyas despite recently cancelling his visit to the campus. 

Scouting Report:

Despite a recent drop in the recruiting rankings (ESPN #54, Scout #68, and Rivals #82) L.J. Peak is one of the most well rounded shooting guards in the class of 2014. He can check off all of the boxes necessary for an elite shooting guard: height, athleticism, an ability to score from all three levels, defensive intensity, and an ability to perform under the spotlight. This past season Peak scored in a variety of ways against opponents from all over the country. He attacked the basket off the dribble or on the break often finishing with powerful dunks. He hit mid-range jump shots off the catch or the bounce and also showed off a short floater at times. Peak also proved more than capable from behind the three point line as he usually knocked in shots from either wing position. On the defensive side, Peak used his height and quickness to disrupt players on the perimeter and forced steals that led to easy fast break points while also rebounding well from the guard position. 

While Peak can score in bunches as noted below there were also times where he disappeared for long stretches while watching his talented teammates takeover. In one City of Palms’ game, Peak went 0-8 from the field and in the AAU setting he had several games where he took less than five shots. Peak was a solid performer during the spring AAU setting, but given his high school success a more dominant outing was expected.

Background:

South Carolina

Peak rose to prominence during his time in Gaffney, South Carolina and started to hear from high major colleges early on in his career while receiving his first scholarship offers from South Carolina, Clemson, and Tennessee as a freshman. Although he received offers during his first year of high school, he played a part in a state championship run as an 8^th grader in 2010 before playing a lead role in another state championship as a sophomore in 2012. During his second state title run, Peak earned all-state honors while averaging 17.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game and was rated 21^st in his class by scout.com.

Illinois

While Peak won a lot of hardware in the state of South Carolina, it was this past winter where he got to test himself against national competition. After winning a South Carolina state title as a sophomore, Peak’s family packed their bags and moved to Chicago, IL as he suited up for Whitney Young.  Peak teamed up with fellow juniors Jahlil Okafor and Paul White to turn an underachieving squad into Chicago public league champions. Throughout the year, Peak got a chance to test himself against the top players in Chicago as well as the country’s top teams in tournaments held in such places as Florida, Tennessee, Massachusetts, and West Virginia. 

Playing alongside the top big man in the country in Okafor, Peak introduced himself to the Chicago hoops scene with a 17 point, 6 rebound performance against Dematha in his first game. In the City of Palms tournament in December, Peak averaged 10 points and four rebounds in three games. As the missing piece for the Dolphins, Peak helped propel his team to a top five ranking in the country heading into a game against another local power, Simeon. 

On a cold January night, Peak showed off his skills to a nationally televised audience on ESPN as Whitney Young took on Jabari Parker and Simeon, the three time defending state champions. While the game highlighted the superstars in Parker and Okafor, it was Peak who stole the show. In the third quarter Peak brought his team back from a nine point halftime deficit by scoring 14 points. His points came off dunks, deep threes, and mid-range jump shots. While his talented teammates did not rise to the occasion, Peak was aggressive throughout and attacked the seniors on Simeon while looking like the best player on the court at times despite the loss.

In a sign of things to come, Peak rose to the occasion in big games as the spotlight grew brighter. He played an integral part in an overtime win to give Whitney Young the Chicago public league championship with a win over Morgan Park and then followed that up by once again stealing the show in the Argo Sectional Semi-Finals against the Curie Condors. 

In front of a packed house that came to see Okafor battle another talented Curie big man in Cliff Alexander, it was Peak who scored 23 points in a winning effort. In a back and forth affair, Joseph Stamps made the mistake of talking trash to after a made shot. Right after the trash talking began; Peak scored 10 points in the fourth quarter and took Stamps’ soul while scoring on him possession after possession. 

One day after this win Peak’s season and time in Chicago came to an end at the hands of Simeon in the Sectional finals. Peak kept his team in the game with a hot first half, but it didn’t last as Simeon was on a mission to get back to the state finals. Despite a blowout loss, Peak finished with 20 points and 7 rebounds against the eventual four time state champion.

AAU:

With his transfer back to the southeast, Peak recently joined up with the talented CP3 All-Stars on the Nike EYBL circuit. During the four regular season sessions, CP3 went 15-3 as Peak teamed with Theo Pinson and Shelton Mitchell to form a talented and athletic backcourt. Through 18 games Peak averaged almost 12 points a game and 4.3 rebounds while shooting 52% from the field. Next week he will have a chance to add to his high school hardware with a Peach Jam championship in his native state of South Carolina.

The Future:

Overall, Peak is a perfect fit for Georgetown’s Princeton offense and he also adds another skill set to the Hoyas already talented 2014 recruiting class which includes combo forward Isaac Copeland and point guard Tre Campbell. In JTIII’s offense, there are many backdoor cuts for lay-ups and dunks in Peak’s future not to mention open jump shots from the wing and corners. The multi-dimensional scorer should thrive in this type of half court offense. 

Back in the comforts of Gaffney, SC with his college commitment out of the way, Peak will look to close out his high school career with one more state championship. After a brief pit stop in the Windy City, fans in South Carolina will get one last chance to watch their star player before he brings his diverse skill set up north to Washington D.C. and the Big East.

NBPA Top 100: Session 2

The night session of the NBPA Top 100 camp began at 7:30pm in Charlottesville, VA coming after a long day of games, drills, and speakers which led to some sloppy play and blowouts. While some players lacked the energy they showed in the morning, others improved on their initial showing or continued their strong play.

Day 1 – Session 2 Standouts:

Reid Travis, 6’8”, 2014, Howard Pulley Panthers

Travis was downright dominant in his Thursday night game and helped lead his team to an 83-55 victory on UVA’s practice court. In the course of 24 minutes, he had 16 points on 7-9 shooting. The majority of his points came down low by the basket however he did hit a three-pointer from the wing in the first half. On two occasions, Travis grabbed a defensive rebound and dribbled around defenders for coast to coast lay-ups. In most of his games, he over powers defenders with his strength and post moves, but this time he showed off other facets of his game that aren’t seen as often. 

Devin Booker, 6’5”, 2014, Alabama Challenge

In the morning session, Booker struggled with his shot but he began the night session connecting on three of his first four attempts. Two of those made shots came off drives to the right side of the hoop while adding in a three pointer from the top of the key. Even when not hitting his outside shots, Booker has an effortless jump shot with a quick release showing why he is one of the top shooters in the class of 2014. During the 3^rd quarter, Booker took on the ball-handling duties and became more of a facilitator rather than a scorer. He did go 3-4 from the line in the second half to finish with 12 points and also showed off an improved handle when pressured by the defense.

Devin Robinson, 6’8”, 2014, Richmond Squires

Kelly Kline / UA

One of the players that managed to shine in two consecutive games was the up and coming Devin Robinson. When Robinson’s squad entered the game in the second quarter he was being guarded by either UNC commit Theo Pinson or Georgetown commit Isaac Copeland. Robinson missed his first shot, a three-pointer from the wing, but then caught fire to quickly extend his team’s lead. In a matter of minutes he knocked in a three from the right corner and left wing to go along with a put-back lay-up and drive to the left side of the basket. Robinson was active in the second half as well getting a few buckets in the lane while also blocking shots on defense. Overall, Robinson was one of the top performers on Day 1.

Jaquan Newton, 6’2”, 2014, Team Final

Despite playing on the losing team, Newton was one of the few bright spots during his team’s first quarter action. He got by his defender off the dribble for baskets in the paint and also provided easy shots for his teammates. He added in a three-pointer from the top of the key for good measure. There were times when Newton got a bit out of control which one player described as “his Philly game coming out” but for the most part he pushed the pace and created opportunities for his teammates. 

Isaac Copeland, 6’8”, 2014, Garner Road

The morning session for Copeland was a dunk fest and while he did not play as well during the night game he still had some solid stretches. In the second quarter, Copeland hit a three from the left wing over Travis Reid and added in a dunk and a lay-up to finish his first stint with seven points. In the second half Copeland threw down a one-handed dunk from the right side that woke up all of the fans and bench players. Copeland showed off talent in spurts, but did not show the same energy he did in the morning session and when he did miss on his outside shots they were usually well off the mark.

PJ Dozier, 6’5”, 2015, Upward Stars

Dozier struggled big time in his first game missing nearly all of his shots, but he got loose for a few easy baskets early on which improved his confidence for the rest of the game. Dozier knocked in a three from the wing and also began attacking the rim regularly. He played point guard for the majority of his 2^nd half time and got by his defender at will. Some of his forays to the rim didn’t go in, but it was still nice to see him attack the basket with confidence after his initial showing.

James Blackmon, 6’2, 2014, Spiece Indy

In this second session, Blackmon earned himself the top shooter award with his performance. Blackmon was knocking down three’s from both wing spots all game. When he was covered he used a pump fake to free himself for an open jump-shot or got into the lane for a floater or mid-range pull-up jump shot. Blackmon had it going all game long and helped his team cruise to a blowout win. 

Jaquan Lyle, 6’4, 2014, Spiece Indy

Another top shooting performance from a kid on the Spiece Indy AAU team came towards the end of a blowout loss, but was still impressive none the less. Lyle knocked down four three’s in a row with the last one coming from well behind the NBA three point line which caused the opposing bench to just laugh and shake their heads in disbelief. To go along with his hot touch from the outside, Lyle cut his list of college suitors down to four: Louisville, Indiana, Tennessee, and Florida.

Josh Perkins, 6’2”, 2014, Colorado Miners

Perkins missed the morning session, but it didn’t take him long to show off his court vision and prove that he was the best point guard in terms of throwing a pin point three quarters court pass to an open teammate a la Kendall Marshall. While Perkins did not do a lot of scoring, it was easy to see that he has great command of the ball when he dribbles and knows how to find the open man.