All Conference Teams: 1/20/14

Now that conference play has been going on for three weeks in a row it is time to come up with Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year, and All-Conference teams for the BCS conferences. This first post highlights the PAC-12, which finally has its talent level back up after a few down years (minus USC and Washington State), the Big East, Big 12, and ACC. The Big East and Big 12 picks were compiled by Dan Russo. A Big East junkie and Hoya die-hard can be found @DanRusso13.  

PAC-12 POY and All Conference

POY:

Cobbs has led Cal to a 5-0 start

Justin Cobbs (California) – No one expected Cal to go 5-0 to start conference play, especially with three road games right off the bat. One of the primary reasons for the hot start is due to the play of senior guard Justin Cobbs. The 6’4” guard started PAC-12 play off with 18 points and 5 assists against Stanford including some clutch jump-shots down the stretch. Three weeks later he still hasn’t cooled off and recently went for 16 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds in a blowout win over Washington. So far through five games, Cobbs is averaging 17 points, 7.4 assists, and 4 rebounds per game.

First Team:

Nick Johnson (Arizona) – It was admittedly hard to give Cobbs the nod over Nick Johnson, the best player on the top team in the country. So far in conference play, the high-rising shooting guard is averaging 17.2 points per game including a 22 point performance on the road against UCLA. In the past three games, Johnson has hit three 3’s in each contest and is shooting 40.7% from behind the line. 

Kyle Anderson (UCLA) – Slo-mo is averaging 18 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 6.2 assists through five PAC-12 games, easily the best stat line in the conference. In a close loss at Utah on Saturday, the 6’9 guard / wing went for 28 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists while knocking in five three pointers. The sophomore has drastically improved his scoring and play-making abilities in his second year under Steve Alford and could easily move up the ladder in the PAC-12 rankings over the next few weeks.

Delon Wright (Utah) – The 6’5” junior guard, along with Jordan Loveridge is a main reason the Utah Utes sit 3-3 in league play. So far the versatile California native is averaging 17.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. His top game came in a two point loss at Washington when he scored almost half of his team’s points and finished with 27 on 10-17 shooting and 11 rebounds. The Utes three losses have come by a combined seven points including a two point loss to Oregon in overtime to start the season.

Chasson Randle (Stanford) and Chris Wilcox (Washington) – It was hard to choose between the two talented scorers so for now both of them sit on the PAC-12 first team. As a junior, Randle is the leading scorer in PAC-12 play with 21.4 points per game including a 30 point performance against Oregon State and a 33 point performance against Washington where he went 11-15. Meanwhile, Wilcox has led Washington to a 3-3 record including an upset win over Arizona State to start the season. The Huskies were projected to be among the worst teams in the conference but Wilcox has averaged 18.2 points and 4.2 rebounds through six games including a conference high 16 three’s. 

Freshman of the Year:

Aaron Gordon (Arizona) - While there are talented freshmen in the PAC-12 including Zach LaVine and Nigel Williams-Goss it is Aaron Gordon who has been the best through five games. The high flying forward is averaging 12.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game and has been one of the top defenders for the Wildcats. Gordon has not hit a three in conference play so far; however the future NBA lotto pick has shot over 50% from the floor in three out of five games. It will take a strong effort to unseat Gordon from this spot during the year.

Big East POY and All-Conference

POY:

Doug McDermott (Creighton) – McDermott had Creighton rolling until they got blasted by Providence. He is averaging over 25 points/game in 6 BE games and nearly 7 rebounds. He’s the engine that drives the 5-1 Bluejays and is a consensus first team All-American and favorite for national player of the year.

First Team:

Bryce Cotton (Providence) – Cotton has been arguably the best player in the Big East since conference play began. He’s led the Friars to a surprising 3-2 mark including an upset win over Creighton. Cotton had 23 and 6 assists in that win and is averaging nearly 23 points, 4.5 boards and is leading the conference with 6.4 assists per game in conference.

Semaj Christon (Xavier) – Christon has been the leader for the 3^rd place Musketeers 1/3 of the way through the conference season. He leads the team in scoring and assists in BE play, averaging 20.5 and 5 assists, including back to back 27 and 28 point outbursts against Marquette and Creighton.

JayVaughn Pinkston (Villanova) – The best team in the conference, and one of the best in the country has to be represented, right? Pinkston is the leader of a deep, talented Wildcat team. He’s led the team to a 6-0 Big East start, averaging 16 and 6 in conference play while also chipping in two assists and over a steal and a block per game.

D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera (Georgetown) – DSR has led a less talented Hoyas team to a 3-3 start, good enough for 5^th place in the conference, although they’ve blown double-digit second half leads their last two games. Smith-Rivera is averaging 18.7 points in conference play and the guard is also averaging 5.5 boards and 2.8 assists.

Freshman of the Year:

Josh Hart (Villanova) – In a somewhat down year for freshman in the Big East, Hart has provided scoring punch and tough D off the bench for the Wildcats. The freshman from the DC area has picked his game up of late, averaging over 11.5 points and 4.5 boards per game. 

Big 12 POY and All-Conference

POY:

Marcus Smart (Oklahoma St.) – Smart was the pre-season player of the year and so far has lived up to the billing. He’s averaged 19.5 points, 9 boards, 6 assists, and 2.5 steals per game in conference play. Though the Pokes are only 3-2 Smart has put up big numbers in both wins and losses, nearly totaling a triple-double in a two point loss to Kansas with 16 points 10 boards, and 9 assists. It will be a tight race all season with Smart and some of the other guys on this list for conference POY.

First Team:

Joel Embiid (Kansas) – Embiid is the best NBA prospect in the country. Coming into the year he was all prospect with limited expectations for the season. Embiid has crushed those expectations and been the most dominant big in the country. He completely dominated Oklahoma St. nearly putting up a triple double 13 points, 11 boards, and 8 blocks. Kansas is (as usual) in first in the Big 12 behind Embiid, who is averaging 11.5 points, 9 boards, and 4 blocks per game.

Deandre Kane (Iowa State) – Kane has been putting up monster numbers for the Fred Hoiberg and the Cyclones averaging over 20 points to go with 6.6 boards, 5 rebounds and 3 steals in conference play. Iowa State shot out hot out of the gate but a tweaked ankle to Kane has played a role in the teams’ three game losing streak. As Kane gets healthier expect to see ISU turn it around.

Buddy Hield (Oklahoma) – Hield has led surprising Oklahoma to a 3-2 start including wins over Baylor and Iowa State who were both top-15 teams at the time. Hield has averaged 18.5 points and over 5.5 boards to lead a strong trio of Sooners along with Ryan Spangler and Cameron Clark.

Juwan Staten (WVU) – There were very few expectations for the Mountaineers entering the season. Staten has led them to a surprising 2-3 record so far and so far in conference play is averaging nearly 20 points, 6 boards, 4.8 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. As their schedule gets more difficult it will be hard for Staten to keep his spot on this list so Mountaineer fans better enjoy it while they can.

Freshman of the Year:

Joel Embiid (Kansas) – It was teammate Andrew Wiggins who was the top recruit in the country and the pre-season All-American pick however it has been Embiid who has been improving each game. Scouts were enamored with Embiid at the Adidas Nations in August and now their General Managers have their eye on Embiid as the number one pick. 

ACC POY and All-Conference

POY:

Lamar Patterson (Pittsburgh) – Despite the loss to Syracuse, Patterson has been playing the best of anyone in the ACC with his 19.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game. The Panthers are out to a surprising 4-1 record led by Patterson’s all-around play. The physical senior guard has a 123.4 ORTG, but the ACC schedule gets tougher from here on out.

First Team:

CJ Fair (Syracuse) – The top player for the top team in the conference is averaging 15 points and 6.4 rebounds per game and is a match-up problem for all ACC foes. Neck and neck with Patterson for Player of the Year Fair can easily overtake him over the next few weeks.

K.J. McDaniels (Clemson) – The Tigers are one of the few teams to in the country to pull a monumental upset and then follow that up with a win on the road. Not much was expected from the Tigers but so far they are 4-1 in the ACC and led by McDaniels. The 6’6” junior is averaging 16.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.

Tyler Ennis (Syracuse) – In a tight game against Pittsburgh, Ennis scored back to back baskets to ice the game between undefeated ACC foes. So far the freshman is averaging 12.2 points, 5.8 assists, and 2.6 steals per game in conference play to go along with a 4.1 assist to turnover ratio. After his senior season, Ennis was considered the fifth best point guard in his class but so far he has easily been the best freshman in the country.

Rodney Hood (Duke) – The leading scorer in ACC play is averaging just a tad under 20 points a game. A deadly three point shooter from the wing started conference play with three straight 20+ point games, but has tailed off in the last two Duke wins.

Freshman of the Year:

Tyler Ennis (Syracuse) – Ennis has a stranglehold as the top freshmen in ACC play, especially with Jabari Parker’s struggles in ACC play. There is plenty of time for the pre-season freshman of the year to get out of his slump and he might have started to do just that with a 23 point performance against N.C. State, but is still shooting just 35% from the field.

Dallas EYBL: Player Review

The third Nike EYBL installment took place this past weekend in Dallas and provided a look at the premier high school talent in the US and Canada. The three day event featured overtime games, buzzer-beaters, upsets, blowouts, and highly competitive individual match-ups. Here is a review on how various players performed:

Andrew Wiggins (CIA Bounce - 2014) – As noted yesterday, Wiggins performed like the top player in the country, regardless of class. He helped CIA Bounce stay undefeated in the EYBL with his 31 point and 15 rebound performance against Indy Spiece Heat. This was the best individual performance of the weekend and Wiggins provided the viewers with several jaw dropping highlights. Among the 15 total rebounds, six of those were offensive where Wiggins showed off his explosive leaping ability. He also displayed his agility and quickness with several nicely executed spin moves on drives to the basket. While extremely gifted and a capable outside shooter, this is one area for him to improve on. Wiggins was 0-4 from the three point line in this game; however he bounced back in his next game going 3-4. His misses are either usually short or long, which is a good sign and with a lot more repetition Wiggins will be pretty much un-guardable.

Julius Randle (Texas Titans - 2013) – Randle is an absolute beast on the court and a double-double machine. Randle is definitely one of the most powerful players on the circuit, but also displays a quickness that is not usually seen in players his size. Randle had some dominant games (27 and 13) over the weekend and was probably the only player that routinely commanded constant double teams. In the Titans’ first game of the tournament, Randle found an easy way to offset the double teams he was receiving in the post. Randle would grab an offensive rebound, push the ball up the floor like he was a point guard, and then either drive and dish to an open shooter, or drive down the lane for a powerful finish. Randle was also a man amongst boys in his hometown and showed why college coaches are beating down his door.

Tyler Ennis (CIA Bounce - 2013) – Ennis is considered one of the top point guards in the class of 2013 and with the size and athletic combination he possesses it is easy to see why. Ennis is great at pushing the ball on the break and getting to the basket for a strong finish. Against the Indy Heat, there were times where Ennis was intent on getting to the basket for a lay-up and did not look to kick the ball out to the open man. This resulted in a 4-15 shooting performance and only 1 assist. Ennis learned from this game quickly and toned done his shooting on Saturday night and dished out 7 assists. While Ennis is one of the tallest point guards out there, he will need to figure out how to play a balanced offensive game going forward. 

James Young (The Family - 2013) – Young was one of the most talked about players in his first three tournaments of the spring and had his first sub-par game on Friday night in Dallas. In this game Young shot 4-10 in a 34 point blow-out loss. Despite this performance it was easy to see why Young has sky rocketed up the recruiting rankings. He is one of the tallest and most athletic wings in a country and also has a smooth looking left handed jumper. Young shook this game off and scored 20+ points in both of his Saturday games including a 27 point performance against the NJ Playaz.  Young showed that he is one of the best natural athletes in his class and was one of the most impressive players in the tournament. Young’s game is somewhat reminiscent of a certain NickSwagyPYoung (Nick Young) and will be in the league in the near future.

James Young

Kennedy Meeks (Team United -2013) – Meeks recently added a UNC scholarship offer to his list before the tournament and showed off why he is highly coveted at times, but also struggled at times in his short stint in Dallas (Meeks played 2 games before returning home for Prom). Meeks put together a solid 18 point and 15 rebound performance in a one point win Saturday morning, but also struggled on Friday night with foul trouble and finished with 5 points and 5 rebounds. In his better game, Meeks struggled in the first half routinely getting blocked while trying to figure out the zone that Alabama was playing. Meeks figured the zone out in the second half and dominated the offensive glass. The majority of his points came off offensive rebounds. While he did score 18 points primarily in the second half, Meeks had a bad habit of taking one dribble after a rebound to gather himself before going back up for the lay-up. This worked against the shorter Alabama team, but will most likely lead to a lot of shots blocked on the next level. Meeks will need to work hard on learning how to go up quicker while also looking to become more explosive. 

Sindarius Thornwell (Team United - 2013) – Thornwell was one of the best wings at attacking the basket over the weekend. Standing about 6’4, Thornwell got to the basket almost anytime he wanted which was shown by the 14 free throw attempts during his 35 point explosion on Saturday night. Besides attacking the basket, Thornwell was one of the top defenders and harassed Devin Booker (2014) into his worst game of the tournament. Despite the gaudy scoring numbers, Thornwell did not make an impact with his outside shot as he went 4-15 from the three point line over the weekend.

Devin Booker (Alabama Challenge – 2014) – Booker established himself as one of the top three point shooters on the Nike circuit in Minneapolis, and for the most part continued his display in Dallas. Booker performed well in 3 out of his 5 tournament games. In the first game on Friday night he hit 5-10 three’s for 23 points.  He shot 13-13 from the line in his third game on the way to 26 points and 8-11 from the field for 25 points in his fourth game. Booker showed off a nice looking form on his shots and also used screens like Reggie Miller to get wide open looks. Booker also displayed nice ball-handling skills, but was a little slow in one on one situations. As noted above, Thornwell harassed Booked in the second half of their game and Booker missed his last 7 shots in a one point loss. Also, in the last game of the weekend Booker went 1-9 from three. Despite these two off games, it is obvious that Booker will be an elite shooter in his class. He will need to work on his quickness in order to create shots for himself, but as of now is an advanced guard for his age.

Joel Berry (E1T1 – 2014) – Berry led his E1T1 team to a 3-2 record over the weekend and had his best game against another highly touted 2014 point guard in Jackson Parker-Cartwright from Cal Supreme. In this game, Berry used his size and strength to get to the basket on Parker-Cartwright and finished the game with 23 points. Berry showed that he could push the ball on the break, while also running an efficient half court set. At times he was a little out of control as shown by his 7 turnovers Friday night, but for the most part played calm and under control.

Roshcon Prince (ICP – 2013) – Prince’s ICP team is somewhat of a west coast after thought behind Cal Supreme and the Oakland Soldiers, and in a similar fashion, Prince was somewhat of an afterthought with the plethora of wing talent on hand in Dallas. Despite the lack of attention, Prince scored double figures in all five of his games and averaged 17.6 points throughout the tournament. Prince showed off an improved jump shot during the week, but still utilized his strength to attack the basket. In his fourth game, Prince attacked Alabama’s zone defense and got to the free throw line 25 times. Prince struggled a little bit against Jabari Parker and Sterling Brown of Mac Irvin, but still managed to produce 14 points and 6 rebounds in a game that was a back and forth battle until the final minutes. Prince will be a solid commit for any of the major schools on the west coast and one of the most enjoyable players to watch over the weekend.

Roschon - An underrated player and an underrated name

 Malik Newman (Jackson – 2015) – Newman was one of the few 2015 players in attendance over the weekend and didn’t waste much time in showing why he was recently named the top freshman in the country. Newman scored 26 points against Baltimore in his second game of the weekend on 8-12 shooting, including 4-6 from the three point line. Newman showed a nice shooting touch along with the ability to quickly get the defender on his heels. Newman played with the poise of a senior and will be a consistent scorer in the EYBL circuit for the next few years.

Thon Maker (Jackson – 2016) – This 7 foot 8^th GRADER was the talk of the tournament with little kids pointing across the court towards him and even Penny Hardaway watching from afar and all of them muttering, “that kid is in 8^th grade?” The Manute Bol look alike, ran the court with ease, blocked shots, and was even hitting outside jump shots regularly. Maker competed with kids 3-4 years older than him without a problem and will definitely be a story to follow over the years. 

8th grade?

Quick Hitters:

Duane Wilson Jr. from Wisconsin was a strong performer all weekend. Wilson hit jump shots with ease and also was one of the quickest guards around. Add Wilson with Deonte Burton, and Buzz Williams has locked up a solid combination from the class of 2013.

Kendrick Nunn plays in the shadows of Jabari Parker during the high school season and plays on a well-balanced Mean Streets AAU team. Nunn can shoot the 3 and also throw down a vicious dunk when he wants. Mean Streets is quietly one of the top Nike AAU teams, and the steady play of Nunn is a big reason why.