2011 McDonald's All-American Review: West

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

*Rankings from RSCI. Click here for last year's review.

One and Done:

Anthony Davis (6’10” PF)

After a dominating freshman year at Kentucky which included a national championship and national player of the year awards, Anthony Davis was selected as the number one overall pick in the 2012 draft by the New Orleans Hornets. After getting acclimated to the speed and power of the NBA game through Olympic practices, Davis went for 21 points and 7 rebounds in the season opener against the Spurs. In November, Davis put up a career high 28 points and 11 rebounds in a loss to the Bucks but then sat the next 11 games due to an injury. Upon returning, Davis scored in double figures 10 games in a row. While most rookies hit the proverbial rookie wall, Davis is growing stronger as the season winds down. In the last month, Davis scored in double figures 13 out of 14 times including a 20 point, 18 rebound output against the Grizzlies. After a meteoric rise to the top of the high school rankings in 2010, Davis is still soaring in the NBA.

Year	Min	PPG	RBG	APG	FG%	PER
NBA	28.5	13.3	8	1	51.9%	21.6

Austin Rivers (6’4” SG)

Drafted 10^th by the New Orleans Hornets, Rivers was expected to team with Anthony Davis to create a nice 1-2 punch. Upon being drafted many scouts questioned how well Rivers would perform against shooting guards that were taller and more athletic. These concerns came true for most of Rivers’ rookie season as Kevin Pelton illustrated in an article titled “Worst season ever?” Rivers had his best scoring game in mid December when he scored 27 points on 9-14 shooting against the Timberwolves; however he only managed to reach double digits in 11 out of 61 games while struggling with shot selection. He also failed to make an impact in other key areas averaging 1.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. Despite the rookie struggles, Rivers was shooting 18-29 from the field in his last five games before a broken bone in his shooting hand ended his season.  In his sophomore campaign, Rivers will look to build on those last five games while utilizing his quick first step to create better shots and opportunities. 

Year	Min	PPG	RBG	APG	FG%	PER
NBA	23.2	6.2	1.8	2.1	37.2%	5.98

Marquis Teague (6’2” PG)

Coming off a national championship, Teague left Kentucky after one year and was drafted by the Chicago Bulls as the second to last pick in the first round of the NBA draft (#29). After starting every game for Kentucky, Teague has played in 44 games for the Bulls. Teague’s best game came in a blowout loss to the Nuggets when he played 22 minutes and scored 10 points while adding 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Despite the injury to Derrick Rose, playing time has been sparse. Athletically speaking, Teague is ready for the NBA; however an additional year at Kentucky would have been beneficial for his skill set and draft position not to mention Kentucky as well.

Year	Min	PPG	RBG	APG	FG%	PER
NBA	8.9	2.3	1	1.4	38.1%	5.5

Sophomore Star:

Cody Zeller (6’10” PF)

A fantastic freshman season turned into a stellar sophomore regular season for Cody Zeller. Last year Zeller was named Big 10 Rookie of the Year and 2^nd team All-Big 10 while leading the Hoosiers back to national relevance. As the pre-season Big 10 POY and cover boy extraordinaire, high hopes existed for Zeller and the Hoosiers. Zeller slightly increased his point total compared to his freshman campaign, but his shooting percentage and efficiency ratings decreased. Like his older brother Tyler, Cody became the best big man in the nation at running the court resulting in numerous uncontested lay-ups and dunks. There were some dominant big 10 performances such as the 25 point, 10 rebound performance at Michigan which clinched the regular season title, but there were also games where Zeller struggled against stronger and more athletic big men. With national championship aspirations, the Hoosiers ended their season in the same spot as they did last year….the Sweet Sixteen. In their final game Zeller struggled against the active Syracuse zone and shot 3-10 from the field. Despite this last performance, Zeller will be credited for bringing pride back to Hoosier Nation if he decides to go pro.

Year	Min	PPG	RBG	APG	FG%	ORTG
Freshman	28.5	15.6	6.6	1.3	62.3%	126.8 (24.3)
Sophomore	29.5	16.5	8	1.3	56.4%	119.5 (26.6)

Sophomore Production:

Le’ Bryan Nash (6’6” SF)

After suffering a season ending wrist injury last year, Nash bounced back to play all 33 games for the Cowboys. Despite having to play second fiddle with the arrival of star guard Marcus Smart, Nash still earned 3^rd team All-Big 12 and helped his team to a five seed in the NCAA tournament. Nash’s season was filled with a mixture of high’s and low’s during both the non-conference and conference season. In Puerto Rico, Nash had 23 points and 8 rebounds in an upset (at the time) win over NC State while going 13-13 from the line. He also struggled in a home loss to Gonzaga going 4-13 from the field. The beginning of Bix XII play highlighted the up and down sophomore year for Nash. In the opener against Kansas State he got off to a slow start with only 6 points and 3 rebounds in a loss but then  he bounced back to help the Cowboys to a 78-76 win over Iowa State a few weeks later (18 points on 6-12 shooting). Later, in a primetime match-up against Kansas at home, Nash struggled with 8 points and 3 rebounds in a double overtime loss. The KU game on February 20^th, happened to be the last time Nash scored under double figures as he closed the year with eight straight double digit performances including a 28 point, 6 rebound performance in a blow out of TCU. While Nash has top notch athletic ability, his 99.1 offensive efficiency rating shows that his game still needs some fine tuning. While he did increase his rating from his freshman year, Nash would be served from a junior season in Stillwater.

Year	Min	PPG	RBG	APG	FG%	ORTG
Freshman	30.1	13.3	5	1.5	39.4%	89.2 (29.0)
Sophomore	31.9	14	4.1	1.8	46.2%	99.1 (24.6)

Adonis Thomas (6’6” SF)

Thomas missed the majority of the C-USA season last year, but this year made it through all 36 games while playing 29.3 minutes per game. During his sophomore year, Thomas earned 3^rd team All-C USA and helped Memphis finish undefeated in league play in both the regular and post-season. The athletic freak had some dominant games in the C-USA going for 19 points and 9 rebounds against UAB, 23 points and 10 rebounds against Marshall, and 19 points and 8 rebounds in the C-USA championship game against Southern Miss. Despite the eye popping C-USA numbers, Thomas struggled against Louisville at the start of the year with 4 points to go along with Memphis’ last game of the year against Michigan State with 5 points and 2 rebounds. Thomas saw an increase in minutes, points, and usage during the year but also saw a decline in his shooting percentages and offensive efficiency rating. With a top notch recruiting class coming in, Josh Pastner will look to Thomas to turn into a first team all conference player and a leader for the Tigers. 

Year	Min	PPG	RBG	APG	FG%	ORTG
Freshman	23.9	8.8	3.2	0.8	48.6%	103.3 (18.7)
Sophomore	29.3	11.7	4.5	1.9	40.5%	101.9 (21.9)

Branden Dawson (6’6” SF)

After a productive freshman season, Branden Dawson spent the summer recovering from an ACL tear suffered in the Big 10 championship game. Despite the late injury, Dawson was ready for the opening tip in Germany where he had 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 steals in a loss to Connecticut. Dawson performed strongly throughout non-conference play and into the beginning of the brutal Big 10. In a low scoring upset win at Wisconsin, Dawson put up a double-double (18 pts and 13 rebounds) and followed that up with a 12 point, 8 rebound performance against Indiana. Despite the strong start, Dawson faded down the stretch and didn’t reach double figures in his last 11 games. While Dawson’s minutes increased from his freshman season his shooting percentage declined slightly as did his offensive rating and usage. While football players such as Adrian Peterson and Wes Welker have made amazing comebacks from ACL tears, the recovery process still takes time for a basketball player. Being able to perform at a high level only seven months after an ACL tear is quite an accomplishment and given his sophomore season, big things should be expected out of Dawson as a junior.

Year	Min	PPG	RBG	APG	FG%	ORTG
Freshman	20.6	8.4	4.5	0.9	57.7%	109.8 (21.8)
Sophomore	26.9	8.9	5.9	1.3	53.1%	99.0 (20.5)

Kyle Wiltjer (6’7” SF)

An NCAA champion and three point marksman as a freshman, Big Blue Nation had high hopes for Wiltjer’s sophomore campaign. Witjer doubled his minutes and points throughout the year but struggled with the weight of the Wildcats inexperience. In the first three games of the year, Wiltjer went 12-19 from the 3-point line but also had a 1-11 performance in the first home loss of John Calipari’s tenure against Baylor. In a hyped up conference battle against Ole Miss, Witjer and the Wildcats showed how dangerous they could be as he dropped 26 points on 10-19 shooting in an eight point road win.  The wheels soon fell off the Wildcats train when they lost Nerlens Noel and Witjer struggled down the stretch scoring a combined six points against Missouri and Mississippi State while also going scoreless in a home comeback win against Florida. Kentucky’s season ended in the NIT against Robert Morris as Wiltjer scored 2 points and missed the game winning three. Overall, the stellar shooting percentages shown during the freshman year dropped down as opponents were able to show more of a focus. After Kentucky’s win rumors swirled about a transfer, but with Witjer staying in Lexington he should benefit from a plethora of open looks with the star studded recruiting class coming in. 

Year	Min	PPG	RBG	APG	FG%	ORTG
Freshman	11.6	5	1.8	0.4	43.8%	112.8 (20.8)
Sophomore	23.8	10.2	4.2	1.5	42.1%	112.0 (21.5)

Myck Kabongo (6’1” PG)

Kabongo had a fantastic sophomore season as he almost doubled his minutes and points, unfortunately for Texas fans this improvement only came in the last 11 games of the season. After being suspended indefinitely by the NCAA for accepting personal benefits, his suspension was lifted after 23 games. At this point in time, the Longhorns were enduring a disappointing season at 10-13 overall and 2-8 in the Big 12. In Kabongo’s first game back he took over the reigns / horns with a 13 point, 4 rebound, and 7 assist performance in a double overtime win against Iowa State. Against rival Oklahoma, Kabongo hit a shot to force overtime and eventually recorded 31 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists in a victory. The Longhorns lost in the first round of the CBI tournament, but with a full season to look forward to, Kabongo and the Longhorns have a reason to be optimistic.  

Year	Min	PPG	RBG	APG	FG%	ORTG
Freshman	30.6	9.6	3	5.2	39.1%	99.1 (22.1)
Sophomore	37.3	14.6	5	5.5	41.8%	104.5 (24.0)

Wayne Blackshear (6’5” SG)

Wayne Blackshear was behind the eight ball from the get go last year after suffering a pre-season shoulder injury and never could get on track as a freshman. With a whole off-season to prepare, Blackshear stepped into a starting role for the pre-season favorites and produced eight points per game with a 112.7 offensive efficiency rating. Blackshear played a season high 31 minutes in a loss to Villanova and scored 17 points on 5-8 shooting from deep. Similar to other sophomore players, Blackshear entered into a late season slump and has only reached double figures one time in the past 12 games (although who needs scoring when you have Russ Smith). Despite the lack of scoring, Blackshear managed to play efficiently in tournament wins over Colorado State and Oregon (203 and 130 ORtg’s, respectively) and could play an important role in the Final Four. 

Year	Min	PPG	RBG	APG	FG%	ORTG
Freshman	6.5	2	1.2	0.1	29.3%	N/A
Sophomore	20.4	7.8	3.2	0.6	42.1%	112.7 (17.7)

Khem Birch (6’9” C)

After leaving Pittsburgh only 10 games into the season, Birch ended up in the dessert at UNLV. Joining an already crowded frontcourt, Birch stepped in and recorded 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 blocks in only his third game against Canisius. Despite playing in one of the toughest conferences in the nation (regular season), Birch acclimated himself well and helped UNLV to several key wins early on including a 12 points, 5 rebound, and 5 block performance against San Diego State. The wheels started to fall off the train at the end of the season as Birch’s minutes decreased during the last six games and he averaged less than four points per game. After taking a lot of flack for his quick transfer last year, Birch had a solid campaign and should be able to showcase his skills with the departure of Anthony Bennett.

Year	Min	PPG	RBG	APG	FG%	ORTG
Freshman	15	4.4	5	0	57.1%
Sophomore	21.8	7.2	5.7	0.6	56.3%	110.1 (17.1)

Amir Williams (6’9” C)

Amir Williams, the big man from Detroit was the lowest ranked prospect on the West squad in the McDonald’s All-American game and only received 6.7 minutes per contest backing up Jared Sullinger last year. With the departure of Sullinger, Williams’ increased his playing time to 16.7 mpg while starting 26 out of 37 contests. The best game of his season came in a close road win over Northwestern when he scored 10 points to go along with 8 rebounds on 4-7 shooting. While Williams was not asked by Thad Matta to become an offensive threat with Deshaun Thomas on the team, he did struggle down the stretch scoring a combined 20 points in his the last 13 games. Williams did make strides overall as he finished in the top 100 in offensive rebounding percentage and 33^rd in block percentage. He will need to continue to improve over the summer in order to become a meaningful contributor as a junior.

Year	Min	PPG	RBG	APG	FG%	ORTG
Freshman	6.7	1.7	2.2	0.1	52.8%	99.9 (17.1)
Sophomore	16.5	3.5	3.9	0.1	55.6%	104.7 (14.1)