Now that we are close to ten games in for each team, let's take a look at some of the stars of tomorrow in the Big Sky - some of the freshmen who have been getting a good amount of playing time so far. In no particular order, a brief look at some of them...
- Bogdan Bliznyuk (Eastern Washington) - It's not easy getting minutes for a talented EWU team, but Bliznuk is playing about a quarter of the team's minutes. He is scoring about three points per game, but that has come from 7/11 FG overall and 3/3 from behind the arc, meaning he has been efficient. Against DI opponents, he is rebounding 15.9% of his team's available offensive misses, which is great. He will continue to struggle for minutes to the talent talent up front they have, but he looks like he will be a good player.
- Hayden Hunter (Weber State) - Playing decent minutews at PG, Hunter has had his ups and downs. He hasn't shown much of a scoring ability yet, scoring just seven points on the year despite playing double digit minutes in each contest. He looks like a playmaker, with a 24.3 Assist Rate against DI teams, but is turning the ball over way too much (almost twice per game). It will be interesting to watch his development, because WSU may need his ability to create for others this season.
- Fabijan Krslovic (Montana) - The true freshman has been starting and playing pretty good minutes for the Grizzlies. As a combo forward, he has been solid offensively, making 50% of his shots. He has been above average on the offensive glass, but needs to contribute more grabbing defensive rebounds. He has shown a knack for blocking some shots so far, with seven in six games.
- Arkadiy Mrkrtchyan (Idaho) - He started five games so far for the Vandals, but has struggle a bit. If you take out the opener against Eastern Oregon (where he had 18 and 8), he has shot 33% from the floor and struggled rebounding the basketball. He has also struggled a bit with fouls, including fouling out against NIU. He has shown some offensive pop overall, including ability from the outside. I would expect his minutes and production to ebb and flow, but it's always a good sign when a true freshman is playing as many minutes early as he is so far.
- Zach Green (Montana State) - He has struggled with his outside shot, hitting just one of nine threes so far on the year. Outside of their loss to Grand Canyon, he has struggled overall offensively, as he has just two field goals in the other six games. He has shown good ability as an offensive rebounder for a guard, and we will have to see if that holds. The good news for him is that he should continue to see 15+ minutes a game, because MSU will struggle this year, and his development will be important for the future.
- Tyler Rawson (Southern Utah) - Early on in the season, Rawson has probably been the best freshman who is playing minutes, as he gotten 20+ minutes in each game and been very productive with his time. He has made 15/21 two-pointers which is not sustainable, but the good news is that he has also been very good at getting to the line (though struggled once he got there), which is a positive development for his future. He has been out of this world as a defensive rebounder, with a rate that ranks in the top 15 in the country. He is also blocking shots well. Coming off the best game of his young career in the win against UTSA, SUU could have a future building block on its hands.
Anyone else that has caught your eye? I'll try to do this every few weeks during the year, since one of my favorite things about college basketball is seeing player's growth through the year and throughout their career. Hopefully these guys will continue to get minutes, and a few more will emerge as well!
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Showing posts with label Hayden Hunter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hayden Hunter. Show all posts
Friday, December 5, 2014
Monday, November 3, 2014
Weber State Outlook
It's time to get ready for the Big Sky season again with some overviews of each team this month, and then eventually we'll get into more detailed looks at everything.
What They Lost: After falling just short the past few seasons, Weber State broke through and won the Big Sky last season. However, even though they are the preseason number one, it will be tough to repeat thanks to some big losses. The biggest loss is Davion Berry, who was the conference POY last season. He did it all for the Wildcats as their best scorer and passer. He did a little bit of everything and will be tough to replace. Kyle Tresnak was excellent inside, one of the best back to the basket scorers in the conference. He also improved defensively throughout his career and was a legitimate shot blocker by the end of his career. Also gone is guard Jordan Richardson, who was a nice four year player for them. He was a very good shooter, but could also handle the ball when needed.
They lost Royce Williams to transfer, who had been a guy I liked, but never got a ton of time. Williams was a proficient shooter but didn't do a ton of other things.
Who Returns: Down low, they bring back Joel Bolomboy, one of the best players in the conference. In his first two seasons, all Bolomboy has done is establish himself as one of the best rebounders in the nation, as well as an athletic and versatile defender. If he can improve offensively, he's the best player in the Big Sky and a future pro. James Hajek will be back up front as well, after missing much of last year with injury. He can be a rebounding and shot blocking big man for them. Kyndahl Hill could start at the four, and to me he is one of the more intriguing guys in the Big Sky. An incredible athlete, Hill just needs polish to be a unique weapon for Randy Rahe.
In the backcourt, Jeremy Senglin and Richaud Gittens got plenty of run as freshmen, and should be better served for it. Senglin will be the point guard, with an excellent outside shot (40% from downtown), and a smooth handle. We will see if he has the chops to be an above average distributor, but he will be a very good player no matter. Gittens is one of the more athletic wings in the conference, a slasher who can finish hard. He just needs to take care of the ball a bit better, but he is a dynamic playmaker.
Newcomers: Chris Golden started the last exhibition game at guard, and put up a team high 16 points, hitting two threes. The juco transfer averaged over 20 PPG last year and will hit a bunch of threes. Jaelyn Johnson-Coston is another juco guy that will contribute right away on the wing, and he is a guy that can do a bit of everything. He looks to be their top reserve as of now.
Among freshmen, Hayden Hunter could get the most minutes, and he had four assists versus no turnovers in the exhibition. He should be a nice pass-first guard off the bench for them. Jeremiah Jefferson and Ryan Richardson are both guys with bright futures that could get a lot of minutes at many schools, but we'll see how much they play as freshmen. Both are super athletic and excellent shooters (especially Richardson), but the minutes available could dictate whether at least one of them redshirts. Both have bright futures.
Zach Braxton is a freshman big man with a lot of potential, but again the first year impact will depend on minutes. He averaged 18 and 14 with four blocks per game last year, getting some interest from Mountain West teams. He is ready to play, but could be a redshirt candidate if they feel good about their current frontcourt rotation.
General Outlook: Weber State is again the preseason favorite, but this year, there are a lot more dissenting opinions. They need Senglin and Gittens to be able to create offense for themselves and others, or else they could have trouble getting baskets when they need them. Also, they'll be a young team - Hajek is the only senior, which is amazing for a team ranked preseason number one. They have done a great job recruiting, and they have more young talent and athleticism than anyone in the conference. How quickly those guys assume major roles will determine whether they can be back to back champions.
Follow me on Twitter @bigskybball
What They Lost: After falling just short the past few seasons, Weber State broke through and won the Big Sky last season. However, even though they are the preseason number one, it will be tough to repeat thanks to some big losses. The biggest loss is Davion Berry, who was the conference POY last season. He did it all for the Wildcats as their best scorer and passer. He did a little bit of everything and will be tough to replace. Kyle Tresnak was excellent inside, one of the best back to the basket scorers in the conference. He also improved defensively throughout his career and was a legitimate shot blocker by the end of his career. Also gone is guard Jordan Richardson, who was a nice four year player for them. He was a very good shooter, but could also handle the ball when needed.
They lost Royce Williams to transfer, who had been a guy I liked, but never got a ton of time. Williams was a proficient shooter but didn't do a ton of other things.
Who Returns: Down low, they bring back Joel Bolomboy, one of the best players in the conference. In his first two seasons, all Bolomboy has done is establish himself as one of the best rebounders in the nation, as well as an athletic and versatile defender. If he can improve offensively, he's the best player in the Big Sky and a future pro. James Hajek will be back up front as well, after missing much of last year with injury. He can be a rebounding and shot blocking big man for them. Kyndahl Hill could start at the four, and to me he is one of the more intriguing guys in the Big Sky. An incredible athlete, Hill just needs polish to be a unique weapon for Randy Rahe.
In the backcourt, Jeremy Senglin and Richaud Gittens got plenty of run as freshmen, and should be better served for it. Senglin will be the point guard, with an excellent outside shot (40% from downtown), and a smooth handle. We will see if he has the chops to be an above average distributor, but he will be a very good player no matter. Gittens is one of the more athletic wings in the conference, a slasher who can finish hard. He just needs to take care of the ball a bit better, but he is a dynamic playmaker.
Newcomers: Chris Golden started the last exhibition game at guard, and put up a team high 16 points, hitting two threes. The juco transfer averaged over 20 PPG last year and will hit a bunch of threes. Jaelyn Johnson-Coston is another juco guy that will contribute right away on the wing, and he is a guy that can do a bit of everything. He looks to be their top reserve as of now.
Among freshmen, Hayden Hunter could get the most minutes, and he had four assists versus no turnovers in the exhibition. He should be a nice pass-first guard off the bench for them. Jeremiah Jefferson and Ryan Richardson are both guys with bright futures that could get a lot of minutes at many schools, but we'll see how much they play as freshmen. Both are super athletic and excellent shooters (especially Richardson), but the minutes available could dictate whether at least one of them redshirts. Both have bright futures.
Zach Braxton is a freshman big man with a lot of potential, but again the first year impact will depend on minutes. He averaged 18 and 14 with four blocks per game last year, getting some interest from Mountain West teams. He is ready to play, but could be a redshirt candidate if they feel good about their current frontcourt rotation.
General Outlook: Weber State is again the preseason favorite, but this year, there are a lot more dissenting opinions. They need Senglin and Gittens to be able to create offense for themselves and others, or else they could have trouble getting baskets when they need them. Also, they'll be a young team - Hajek is the only senior, which is amazing for a team ranked preseason number one. They have done a great job recruiting, and they have more young talent and athleticism than anyone in the conference. How quickly those guys assume major roles will determine whether they can be back to back champions.
Follow me on Twitter @bigskybball
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Hayden Hunter Commits to Weber State
Weber State's Texas connection has come through again, with 5'11'' G Hayden Hunter committing to the Wildcats, per Texas Hoops.
Hunter is the second Texas guard to commit to WSU for the class of 2014, as Jeremiah Jefferson decided to come to WSU last week.
Last season, Hunter averaged 14.0 PPG and 2.2 APG, shooting 33% from downtown. He also had 1.5 steals per game. He did turn the ball over more than he had assists, which will be a key point for his development as a PG. He is from Richland Hills, near Dallas, in Texas.
While Jefferson looks like a guy that will step in right away and play big minutes, Hunter looks more likely to provide depth for a Weber State that needed more bodies at the PG spot. In addition, he adds yet another recognizable face coming from Utah to Texas, where they have nabbed guys like Jefferson, Joel Bolomboy, Jeremy Senglin, and Kyndahl Hill just within the last three years.
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Hayden Hunter (Richland HS) has committed to Weber State. #ClassOf2014
— TexasHoops/GASO (@TexasHoopsGASO) September 14, 2013
Hunter is the second Texas guard to commit to WSU for the class of 2014, as Jeremiah Jefferson decided to come to WSU last week.
Last season, Hunter averaged 14.0 PPG and 2.2 APG, shooting 33% from downtown. He also had 1.5 steals per game. He did turn the ball over more than he had assists, which will be a key point for his development as a PG. He is from Richland Hills, near Dallas, in Texas.
While Jefferson looks like a guy that will step in right away and play big minutes, Hunter looks more likely to provide depth for a Weber State that needed more bodies at the PG spot. In addition, he adds yet another recognizable face coming from Utah to Texas, where they have nabbed guys like Jefferson, Joel Bolomboy, Jeremy Senglin, and Kyndahl Hill just within the last three years.
Follow me on Twitter @bigskybball
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