PAC-12 Focus

In a weekend void of upsets, Oregon came through on Sunday with a home victory over the favored Utah Utes. Meanwhile, ESPN spent the weekend in Tucson for their game of the week which featured Arizona as a 14 point favorite over the visiting UCLA Bruins. Two weeks remain in conference play as teams battle for conference tournament seeding. Arizona sits all alone at the top but they travel to the Rocky Mountains to face off against Colorado and then Utah, which sits one game back in the loss column. Oregon has won eight out of their last 10 games and sits comfortably in third place.

Player of the Year:

Joseph Young, SG, Oregon (19.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.3 apg)

Oregon Live photo - Joseph Young

Predicted to finish eighth in the conference in the pre-season, senior guard Joseph Young has led the Ducks to a 10-5 conference record and a third-place standing. Young did not have his best game of the year in the Utah upset this past weekend but he has been the toughest cover in the Pac-12. He is second in the conference in scoring at 19.3 points per game and has scored in double figures in 14 out of 15 games. To go with his scoring exploits, Young added six assists against both Colorado and UCLA. Young is tops in the league in free throw shooting at 92.9% and is ninth in three point shooting at 40.7%.

All-Conference:

Delon Wright, PG, Utah (12.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 5.5 apg)

Wright is a leader for All-American honors despite a dip in his personal statistics. Last year Wright averaged 16.9 points and 6.7 rebounds per game in conference play but with a stronger team this year his assist numbers have rose and the talented point guard comes in just behind TJ McConnell. Despite the most recent loss to Oregon, a game in which Wright scored 20 points in 40 minutes, a golden opportunity awaits this week when the Wildcats come to town. In an earlier loss, Utah hung around for the first half, but now the All-American candidate will look to improve on the 10 points he previously scored. A win here would be significant for both the Utes and Wright as well.

Stanley Johnson, SF, Arizona (13.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.14 spg)

The top freshmen in the Pac-12 had his worst shooting performance of conference play on Saturday against UCLA, but he still managed to contribute in other ways grabbing 10 boards in 32 minutes. Johnson has put up double figure games in all but four and is also averaging close to seven rebounds a game from the small forward spot. In a Thursday night blowout of USC, Johnson went for 13 points, seven rebounds, and six assists in just 25 minutes. 

T.J. McConnell, PG, Arizona (12 ppg, 5.71 apg, 56% FG)

Arizona’s point guard makes his first appearance on the All-Conference list during his Arizona tenure. McConnell’s scoring is up this year at 12 points per game and he also leads the conference in assists and is third in assist to turnover ratio. In addition, McConnell is also fifth in field goal percentage. In the Wildcats last loss, a rivalry game at Arizona State, McConnell scored a season high 25 points. His assist numbers are up and McConnell is playing at a very high rate having recorded an offensive efficiency rating of 100 or more in all but his first conference game.

Chasson Randle, SG, Stanford (20.3 ppg, 3.07 apg, 1.36 spg)

Randle is the leading scorer in conference play at 20.3 points per game and most recently scored 19 points in a rivalry win over California. He’s struggled shooting the ball over the past three games, but he has Stanford at fourth place in the conference (barely). The senior has also scored in double figures in every conference game and is also seventh in steals.

On the Verge: Anthony Brown (Stanford), Tyrone Wallace (Cal), Gary Payton II (Oregon State), Nigel Williams-Goss (Washington), Norman Powell (UCLA)

Freshman of the Year:

Stanley Johnson, SF, Arizona

Other Top Freshmen: Kevon Looney (UCLA), Dillon Brooks (Oregon), Jordan McLaughlin (USC)

Spring Riser: Brekkott Chapman

photo - Desert News

Each spring there are a few players that rapidly ascend up the high school recruiting rankings during the spring and early summer. For some of these players the jump is attributed to a spike in their performance, while for others it is attributed to increased exposure on the national circuit. For Brekkott Chapman, a 6’8” combo forward out of Roy, Utah, both of these factors played a part in his rapid ascension through the 2014 rankings.

Chapman currently sits un-ranked in Scout.com’s top 100 and at number 87 by Rivals, both of which were made prior to the spring AAU circuit.  When the new rankings are released expect to see a jump into the top 40.

As a junior, Chapman averaged 19 points and 8 rebounds a game as he lead his team to a 17-7 record and the Utah 4A state quarterfinals where they lost to Bountiful 50-44. He finished the year as a top five scorer in 4A, but was held to just two points in their season ending loss as Bountiful harassed him with physical defenders and forced him out of his comfort zone. 

In AAU and camp play, Chapman worked hard to get back into his comfort zone playing for the Utah Prospects on the Under Armour AAU circuit while also attending the Pangos All-American and NBPA Top 100 camps. 

In Charlottesville, VA for the Top 100 camp, Chapman played both forward positions on the offensive and defensive ends and looked comfortable in both spots. 

“I prefer the three, but either the three or four is fine,” Chapman said when asked about his preferred position. 

Standing at 6’8”, Chapman has ideal height for a combo forward, but it’s his jumping and shooting ability that make him a nightmare match-up on the offensive end. On the first night at the NBPA Top 100 camp, a recruiting analyst noted “I had no idea he could do that” after watching Chapman throw down another high-flying dunk. Chapman routinely caught taller defenders off guard as he blew by them on the wing for a dunk or acrobatic finish while also displaying his smooth lefty stroke when given space on the perimeter. 

During the three day Top 100 camp, Chapman showed off his dunking prowess and soft outside touch in every game he played averaging nine points per game. He played on one of the most talented teams in the camp and scored between seven and thirteen points in all seven games with a variety of shots from all over the court. He drained three’s from the wing, but also looked comfortable operating in the paint where he used fundamental post moves and soft fade away jump shots to keep his defenders off balance. 

Due to his light frame, Chapman is not as strong on the defensively as he is offensively, however he was quick to bring up his defensive efforts in Charlottesville. 

“Defensively I’ve been doing really well. I stopped my guy, played really good help defense and just tried to do what I can do,” Chapman noted

With his recent play, Chapman has drawn interest from a majority of west coast schools with Arizona and UCLA being the latest big names to show interest. While the heavy hitters in the Pac-12 are starting to pay attention it was the three local schools (BYU, Utah, and Utah State) that were on him the earliest to go along with Gonzaga and Arizona State. For now, Chapman plans to play out the summer which includes stops in LA, Milwaukee, and Vegas before deciding on what schools he wants to visit.

While Chapman is not sure about what schools to visit, he is positive that his high school team will make another state tournament run.

“I feel that we will have a better squad this year with the other juniors coming back that all work really hard and I think we can make it to the finals,” Chapman said. 

When his play over the past few months, Chapman has shown recruiting analysts and college coaches his multi-dimensional skill set. After mixing it up as a combo forward with some of the best players in the country, one can be sure that Chapman will not shy away from physical play come his senior year.