Last year
the McDonald’s West team was trounced by the East team 111-96. The West team lost despite
featuring the top two ranked players in the country. While these top two
players (Anthony Davis and Austin Rivers) are on their way to the NBA, the
majority of the West team experienced growing pains and a plethora of injuries.
Rankings
coming out of high school:
Name
|
School
|
Rank
|
Anthony Davis
|
Kentucky
|
1
|
Austin Rivers
|
Duke
|
2
|
Marquis Teague
|
Kentucky
|
7
|
LeBryan Nash
|
Ok St.
|
8
|
Adonis Thomas
|
Memphis
|
9
|
Cody Zeller
|
Indiana
|
10
|
Khem Birch
|
Pitt
|
11
|
Myck Kabongo
|
Texas
|
13
|
Branden Dawson
|
Mich. St
|
17
|
Kyle Wiltjer
|
Kentucky
|
19
|
Wayne Blackshear
|
Lville
|
26
|
Amir Williams
|
Ohio St.
|
50
|
The Stars:
Anthony Davis (KY) – Ranked the consensus top ranked player in
the 2011 class, Davis did nothing to disappoint on his way to becoming the top
pick in the 2012 draft. Davis currently averages a double-double, along with a country
leading 4.6 bpg. He also possesses a soft touch on offense and changes the game
on defense.
Name
|
MIN
|
PPG
|
RBG
|
APG
|
FG%
|
ORTG
|
Anthony Davis
|
31.7
|
14.2
|
10.1
|
1.1
|
63.2%
|
135.3
|
Cody Zeller (IU) – Zeller, the Bloomington savior had one
of the most impressive freshman seasons of anyone not named Anthony Davis.
Zeller came in and put up a double-double in his first game (16 and 9) and didn’t
look back scoring in double figures his first 12 out of 13 games. Cody’s
post-game was much more of a true post game compared to his older brother Tyler’s,
however the results were pretty much the same. Zeller was named 2nd team
Big 10 and conference rookie of the year. If Zeller comes back, IU could be
looking at making a much deeper run into March than just the Sweet Sixteen.
Name
|
MIN
|
PPG
|
RBG
|
APG
|
FG%
|
ORTG
|
Cody Zeller
|
28.5
|
15.6
|
6.6
|
1.3
|
62.3%
|
126.8
|
Austin Rivers (Duke) – Rivers’ was named 1st team
All-ACC after averaging 15.5 ppg in 33 minutes. Rivers quickly became the focal point of
Duke’s offense and was usually the only player that could create his own shot.
Rivers had his best game in Chapel Hill where he scored 29 points including the
game winning three-pointer. He has deep range on his jump shots and an NBA
ready first step and athletic ability. Questions exist about his size and
strength when trying to play shooting guard in the NBA, which he will have to overcome. Ranked as the top
prospect behind Davis coming out of high school, Rivers lived up to his billing
although he was not able to win a NCAA tourney game in a Duke uniform.
Name
|
MIN
|
PPG
|
RBG
|
APG
|
FG%
|
ORTG
|
Austin Rivers
|
33.2
|
15.5
|
3.4
|
2.1
|
43.3%
|
104.7
|
The Solid, but not Spectacular:
Marquis Teague (KY) – Teague’s decision making improved
tremendously during the year in which he was constantly viewed as the weak link in
Kentucky’s armor. Teague decreased his turnovers during SEC play (although
still plagued by games of 4 turnovers every now and then) and has come on strong in the NCAA
tourney. Most recently with a 24 point, 7 assist showing against Iowa State. Teague owns the keys
to Calipari’s offense and so far he has handled the responsibility. Kentucky fans
hope Teague can handle it for 2 more games.
Name
|
MIN
|
PPG
|
RBG
|
APG
|
FG%
|
ORTG
|
Marquis Teague
|
32.6
|
10
|
2.5
|
4.9
|
41.1%
|
99.7
|
Myck Kabongo (Texas) – Helped lead Texas to a birth in the NCAA
tourney after taking over the point guard reigns for the Longhorns. Kabongo
averaged 30 minutes a game, along with almost 10 points and 5 assists. On the other hand he only shot 39% from the floor and had an offensive efficiency rating of 99.1.
Kabongo recently declared that he would be back for a sophomore year, a wise
decision. Kabongo will benefit immensely from another year of college ball.
Name
|
MIN
|
PPG
|
RBG
|
APG
|
FG%
|
ORTG
|
Myck Kabongo
|
30.6
|
9.6
|
3
|
5.2
|
39.1%
|
99.1
|
The Injured:
LeBryan Nash (Ok St.) – Nash suffered a season ending wrist injury
on February 22nd and missed the last 5 regular season Big 12 games.
After an up and down start to the season, Nash went 9 straight games
scoring in double figures. His best game came at home in an upset of Missouri in
January when he went 12-18 and finished with 27 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. Nash was
used in approximately 29% of his team’s possessions, but had an extremely low
offensive efficiency rating (89.2%). One more year in school will help Nash
with his consistency.
Name
|
MIN
|
PPG
|
RBG
|
APG
|
FG%
|
ORTG
|
LeBryan Nash
|
30.1
|
13.3
|
5
|
1.5
|
39.4%
|
89.2
|
Branden Dawsen (Mich St.) – The high flying forward had his season cut
short after playing 7 minutes in the Big 10 championship game torn ACL. Dawsen
was a key part of Michigan State’s success throughout the Big 10 regular season
and became a key contributor as the season progressed. His best game came
against Purdue on February 19th, with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Name
|
MIN
|
PPG
|
RBG
|
APG
|
FG%
|
ORTG
|
Branden Dawson
|
20.6
|
8.4
|
4.5
|
0.9
|
57.7%
|
109.8
|
Adonis Thomas (Memphis) - Regarded as one of the best athletes in the
class of 2011, Thomas was having a solid freshman season before injuring his
ankle and later having surgery. Thomas missed the majority of the C-USA regular
season before returning to play limited minutes in the C-USA tourney and 15
minutes in an opening game loss to Saint Louis. Thomas shot 48.6% from the
field and a surprising 40.5% from 3.
Name
|
MIN
|
PPG
|
RBG
|
APG
|
FG%
|
ORTG
|
Adonis Thomas
|
23.9
|
8.8
|
3.2
|
0.8
|
48.6%
|
103.3
|
Wayne Blackshear (Lville) – Blackshear injured his shoulder in the
pre-season and had surgery on November 1, 2011. He got his first taste of
college bball in a 77-74 road win at West Virginia on February 11th. While this was his first
game back, it was also his best game scoring 13 points on 5-9 shooting in 20
minutes. Blackshear only recorded double digit minutes in one other game this season and is
currently averaging a little over 5 minutes a game in the tourney. With a
healthy and productive off-season, Blackshear should be ready to show fans why
he was a 2011 McDonald’s All-American.
Name
|
MIN
|
PPG
|
RBG
|
Wayne Blackshear
|
6.5
|
2
|
1.2
|
The Reserves:
Kyle Wiltjier (KY) – Averages 12 minutes a game for the most
talented team in the country and provides a 3 point weapon off the bench.
Exactly 50% of Wiltjier’s field goal attempts have been behind the three point
line where he is shooting 43%. Wiltjier has not played much in the tourney but has been good for one 3 a game. It will be interesting to see if Wiltjier’s
role develops over the years with more athletic talent coming in year after
year.
Name
|
MIN
|
PPG
|
RBG
|
APG
|
FG%
|
ORTG
|
Kyle Wiltjer
|
12
|
5.2
|
1.9
|
0.4
|
43.6%
|
112.1
|
Amir Williams (OSU)
– Williams was the lowest rated player on the West squad last year and only
averaged 7 minutes a game for the Buckeyes this year. Williams’ gave the team
some valuable minutes during the first half of their elite 8 game against
Syracuse with Big Sully in foul trouble, but overall has had a very quiet
freshman season. There should be plenty of frontcourt time available next
winter for Williams to try and make his mark.
Name
|
MIN
|
PPG
|
RBG
|
APG
|
FG%
|
Amir Williams
|
6.7
|
1.7
|
2.2
|
0.1
|
52.8%
|
The Transfer:
Khem Birch (Pitt-UNLV) –Coming in as one of Jamie Dixon’s most
touted high school recruits, Birch only lasted 10 games before transferring to
UNLV. Birch played his last game on 12/10 vs. Oklahoma State before leaving the
team due to problems with teammates and the offensive system. Birch had his best
game came against Pennsylvania. In 28 minutes he finished with 15 points and 10
rebounds. We’ll see if Birch can follow the path of Mike Moser and redeem
himself in Vegas.
Name
|
MIN
|
PPG
|
RBG
|
APG
|
FG%
|
Khem Birch
|
15
|
4.4
|
5
|
0
|
57.1%
|
