Thought I would get a little talk going about who do people think will be the best player of the 2005-06 season of NCAA basketball. Please don't try to pick a player that has already declared for the NBA draft. There is a lot of possible picks such as Rudy Gay, Daniel Gibson, JJ Reddick, Adam Morrison, Sheldon Williams, LaMarcus Aldridge, Ike Diogu, Josh Boone, Shannon Brown, and Dee Brown. My pick goes to Rudy Gay or Daniel Gibson. As a freshman Gibson averaged 14 a game, shot the ball great from three point land, and as a freshman carried the Longhorns into the NCAA's. I am looking forward to Rudy though, finally getting his chance to prove himself here, he can fly above the rim and I am really looking forward for some highlight reel dunks. The question is, who do you think will be the best college player next year...
Gibson. He was just so talented last year. Also, he didn't have huge players like Villanueva and Boone like Gay did.
Well, I'm not sure of the situation that's dealt with PJ Tucker, with the whole academic elgibility ruling from this year, but if he comes back next year then I feel that we should not sleep on him. If he would have stayed with the team this whole season, he had the capabilites of edging Simies for the conference Player of the Year earning and he could have very well be an All-American. He has very soft hands and is a tough rebounder. He will definitely be a player to watch out for. But I think Ike Diogu will be there as well. His ability to not only get to the freethrow line but to knock the freethrows done is something I think is a very valuable attribute in his game. He also is a tough rebounder and scorer. Consequently, I think it will be the battle of the big men next season. PJ and Diogu I mentioned, but then there's also Sheldon and the two big men from UConn.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting shapecity:</div><div class="quote_post">I'm going with Leon Powe.</div> Interesting pick, Powe impressed me a lot in his freshman year at Cal, one of the best freshman seasons by a Goldenbear. But he did go through a pair of knee surgurys last off-season. I think Powe will use this year to get the feel back and have a very nice season in his senior year.
I think Leon Powe will put up some impressive numbers next season, because Cal is going to be better overall. They have Jordan Wilkes (6-11) coming in to play Center along with Benson. Richard Midgley played well last season and hopefully Marquise Kately can put it together to give Cal another double digit scorer. Defensively Kately has lived up to expectations, but he's been to tentative on offense.
From Kentucky watch out for Randolph Morris and Rajon Rondo. Both matured a lot during the NCAA tournament. I have a feeling this will be their last season's at Kentucky. But for my pick, I believe Rudy Gay will have a monster season. He's a complete offensive player and him and Boone will be a sick trio. I'd also watch out for the two boys from Michigan State: Maurice Ager and Shannon Brown. They have a great shot at making yet again another final four appearence with 4 of the 5 starters returning.
I wrote about 9-10 paragraphs on the matter and then my computer froze, so I don't really have the patience anymore to write a long post on this matter, but here are some of my initial thoughts - I'd say that Shannon Brown will be the most talented player in the nation next year, but there's a difference between talent and statistics. Shannon Brown may never be a player who will put up great numbers in college, because he plays in a lineup that's very shooting-guard heavy. In fact, next year, three of Michigan State's four best players are shooting guards. His statistics will likely increase with Torbert, Anderson, and Hill all gone from the backcourt, but he's not going to get 25 points per game. I think that J.J. Redick is the favorite candidate for the Player of the Year award, assuming that May, Paul, and D.Williams all stick to their commitments to the NBA. Last season, Redick was a runner-up for Player of the Year, so things can only get better this season. Being on the team that should be #1 in the nation won't hurt either. Besides, if it comes down to a player like Ike Diogu or J.J. Redick for Player of the Year, you have to think that J.J. Redick will win the award based on playing in the ACC (as old as that statement gets, it's very true). <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">From Kentucky watch out for Randolph Morris and Rajon Rondo. Both matured a lot during the NCAA tournament. I have a feeling this will be their last season's at Kentucky.</div> I don't think that any Freshmen or Sophomores will be the best players in the NCAA next season. Like I said about Brown, there's going to be a lot of players who are extremely talented, such as Rudy Gay, Josh McRoberts, LaMarcus Aldridge, Daniel Gibson, and Martell Webster (?), but that talent might not translate to statistics.
Allen Ray. If you think his subpar tourney, and the bogus traveling call aren't gonna inspire him, you're crazy. He has one of the sweetest shots in college basketball, and I get that feeling he will develop that killer instinct this year.
Jj JJ will be the number 1 player in the land next year. He was the second best last year and I dont see anyone jumping out in front of him. We saw how much he improved prior to last season and if he improves a lot again he will easily be the best player in the land.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting JWohl:</div><div class="quote_post">JJ will be the number 1 player in the land next year. He was the second best last year and I dont see anyone jumping out in front of him. We saw how much he improved prior to last season and if he improves a lot again he will easily be the best player in the land.</div> I agree. JJ Redick will be the #1 player in the land next year. He will prove all the haters wrong.
huh? <div class="quote_poster">Quoting HeadBussa:</div><div class="quote_post">I afree. JJ Redick will be the #1 player in the land next year. He will prove all the haters wrong.</div> None of the haters think he is bad they just dont like him. They hate him BECAUSE he is good.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting JWohl:</div><div class="quote_post">None of the haters think he is bad they just dont like him. They hate him BECAUSE he is good.</div> What are you talking about? There's tons of people who hate his game. There are large groups of people who think he's overrated and that ESPN is biased in covering his games. I don't know why you'd think that his "haters" hate him because they think he's good.
in no particular order, my top 10 allan ray G nova daniel gibson G texas sheldon williams F/C duke jj redick G duke alando tucker F wisconsin (i really hope he doesn't get hurt again...) adam morrison F zaga vincent grier G minnesota brandon bass F lsu jarius jackson G texas tech craig smith F boston college
I don't even think JJ Redick is the #1 player at Duke. I think that's Shelden Williams, and I think Williams is also going to be the best player in the country next year.
Shelden Williams was better than JJ this year. So I think it makes sense that he'll be better again. JJ will be scary next year, but not very much scarier than he was this year, and this year his three point percentage wasn't even near Salim's (52% to 40%), he didn't rebound or pass well, he wasn't particularly good at defense, and when he drove to the hoop, it was usually awkward and relied on getting a foul call. He wasn't particularly good in the clutch or postseason either. A classic case of a Duke player being overrated. Not to say, of course, that he isn't a spectacular shooter, he's just not good enough to be considered the nation's best player.
