Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports
With the 2014-15 college basketball season fast approaching, a preview series will be rolling out detailing who I believe the top five players in each major conference are with reasoning that hopefully helps back up those assertions. Here are the ACC, B1G, and Big 12 previews. Next up is the Pac-12.
1) Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (SF), Arizona Wildcats
Replacing the production of two star players like Nick Johnson and Aaron Gordon is no small task, but the Arizona Wildcats are in as good of a position as they could hope to do just that.
Multiple key players from last season’s team are returning, none more important than Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. I don’t like player comparisons because I feel they put kids in an unfair box among other reasons, but RHJ’s game screams Tony Allen. He wreaks havoc defensively with his physicality and length, and his usefulness on the offensive end comes on slashes to the rim and hustle plays.
Hollis-Jefferson struggles to shoot on the perimeter, and that can make him a major liability at times because his man is essentially free to dig down into the post or help elsewhere on the floor. Despite being a bit one-dimensional offensively, RHJ is far too important for the Wildcats in other ways for coach Sean Miller to even think about taking him off the floor for extended stretches. His energy and hustle are contagious, and he is able to overwhelm most everybody he faces with length, athleticism, and physicality.
Like Tony Allen, RHJ’s lack of an outside game might hinder his overall ceiling in the NBA, but at the college level, all of his natural gifts make him too much for his opponents to handle.
2) Stanley Johnson (SF), Arizona Wildcats
Johnson’s game is remarkably similar to Rondae Hollis-Jefferson’s except that he is bigger, stronger, and probably even more athletic. Johnson is the headliner for the Cats’ top incoming freshman class, yet he still probably won’t start from day one because of the depth on the roster and the number of rotation players that returned to school. His sheer skill and versatility will make him a huge part of this team from day one, though.
At 6-foot-7, 237 pounds, Johnson is big, quick, and strong enough to play several positions on either end of the floor. Offensively, he’s an able slasher who doesn’t shy away from contact at the rim. While situations where he can use his size and speed to get to the rim are still his bread and butter (i.e. transition, cuts, drives), he’s a greatly improved outside shooter, which says a lot about his work ethic.
Unlike RHJ, Johnson can’t be left alone behind the arc, because he is capable of making his man pay. It’s likely that Johnson will demonstrate his array of abilities for one season before heading to the NBA Draft as a lottery pick. He’s far too talented to stay any longer at Arizona, and the only reason RHJ got the nod over Johnson on this list is experience.
3) Delon Wright (PG), Utah Utes
The Utah Utes haven’t made an NCAA Tournament since the 2008-09 season. However, their record has improved in all three seasons under head coach Larry Krystkowiak. Last season, the Utes finished a respectable 21-12, largely because of Wright’s contributions on the floor.
In his first division one season as a junior college transfer, Wright filled up the boxscore, averaging 15.5 PPG, 6.8 RPG, and 5.3 APG. He certainly helped on the defensive end, too, averaging 2.5 SPG and 1.3 BPG. When you watch Wright play, you don’t see a quick, flashy point guard. You see a slow, crafty player who takes long strides on his way to the rim. He finishes well in traffic and at the rim by utilizing his size and craftiness, and he gets to the foul line on his drives with regularity (5.8 free throw attempts per game last season).
Wright struggles to shoot the ball from both mid-range and beyond the arc. That doesn’t hurt him at the college level because he is skilled enough to overcome the deficiency with great ball-handling, but in the NBA that will probably change — it’s not that easy to make it in today’s NBA as a guard without a jumper. He will have to carve out his own niche to keep be noticed, but for now he can be content to be able to do a little bit of everything well.
4) Norman Powell (SG), UCLA Bruins
Much like the first three players on this list, Powell is tough to stop on drives to the rim. He’s a lengthy, physical shooting guard in the mold of Jordan Adams, his UCLA teammate last season drafted in the first round by the Memphis Grizzlies. His strength and quickness allow him to get to the rim in a straight line drive, and he uses his athleticism to rise above the defense and finish once he gets to the cup.
Defensively, Powell uses his quickness and powerful body to wall off the paint so his man can’t drive on him. The Bruins will likely make the tournament, but they aren’t as deep and talented as they were last season. For them to make some noise, Powell will have to step up, expand his game, and shine.
5) Chasson Randle (PG), Stanford Cardinal
Stanford lost Josh Huestis and Dwight Powell from last year’s team, two key pieces that allowed the Cardinal to make some noise in the NCAA Tournament. That means Randle will need to carry even more of the load this season, particularly in the scoring department. He breaks his man down with ease off the dribble, and he can create a decent shot for himself in every way imaginable. His best skill, and likely the one most important to NBA scouts, is his ability to shoot the three ball. Last season, he shot 38.9% from beyond the arc, and he will need to demonstrate his sharp-shooting ability to make it at the next level due to his lack of size.
In the NBA, Randle might be able to find a role as a scorer off the bench, but for now he must do everything for the Cardinal to allow Stanford to make it to the tournament again.