Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Top 20 Departing #7: Frank Otis

I am counting down the top 20 players that are departing the Big Sky via graduation, transfer, or any other way.

Frank Otis struggled though injury problems during his tenure at Weber State. After his junior season, where he played just 12 games and had knee issues all year, it was fair to wonder if he would be able to contribute much in his last season in Ogden. Fortunately for the Wildcats, he played all 37 games as a senior, and was one of the brightest spots in an excellent season for Randy Rahe's team.

Otis had his minutes limited a bit (he played 58.8% of the team's minutes), which was likely a function of trying to keep him fresh, and a luxury that Weber State had thanks to their excellent depth. However, in those minutes, he played excellent, efficient basketball.

Otis shot 63% from the floor during the season. If you throw out one game (February 28 against Sacramento State), that number creeps up to around 66%. Simply put, he was a guy that didn't need the ball, but when he had it, he didn't force shots, and he was extremely efficient. The 8.9 PPG that he averaged doesn't speak to how good he was on offense, because he knew how to pick his spots.

He was also a solid rebounder, and his 10.5 OR% was eighth in the Big Sky, while his 19.8 DR% was seventh in the conference. Despite playing a lot of minutes with a guy like Joel Bolomboy (who was possibly the best rebounder in the conference), he still pulled down a good amount of rebounds.

Another benefit to Otis was his maturity and leadership. For a team that was looking for leaders after Damian Lillard's departure, Otis is one guy that stepped up. He was a classy guy, which sometimes gets overlooked. In terms of pure numbers, Otis' per game stats can be replaced. But the efficiency with which he did it was what made him such a good player for Weber State last season.

Follow me on Twitter @bigskybball

No comments:

Post a Comment