2015-2016 College Basketball Season

[Jack Lambert]

Dunham has been lighting it up so far this year,he's put together quite a career as a Butler Bulldog. Definitely should be on NBA radars .

I agree. Although Dunham still isn't the best defender, he's got amazing range, and has improved his game (as well as his athleticism) drastically during his time at Butler. He's gotten real good at creating his own shot from anywhere on the court, and can play through contact and get to the line. As he's proven a couple of times this year, Dunham is capable of simply taking over games as well. With the NBA though, it's far from a sure thing.

Celtics coach Brad Stevens recruited him and his former back court teammate Alex Barlow also works with the Celtics; maybe that's where he'll get his shot in the NBA.


Also, a couple more great results for us last night:

George Washington, with a few pale faces in the rotation, beat incredibly diverse Seton Hall 72-64. Wake Forest transfer Tyler Cavanaugh has emerged as a good post player for the Colonials, leading them with 16 points and 7 boards. Patricio Garino finished with 8 points and 6 boards, while 6th man Paul Jorgensen finished with 9.

Duke absolutely demolished Indiana and their supposed all-world talents to the tune of a 94-74 thrashing. Grayson Allen had a quiet game by his standards, with just 16 points to go with 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Plumlee had 4 points and 5 boards, while Kennard came off the bench for 7 and 4.

Indiana plays with 3 white guys, but they're ignored for the most part. Which is odd, considering they play well when they actually get the ball....

Elsewhere in the ACC/Big 10 challenge, Notre Dame picked up a nice win over Illinois, 84-79. Steve Vasturia led the Irish with 21 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. He's their only white starter, but the 2 guys off the bench in the Irish's 7 man rotation who play 10-20 minutes are both white this year. Combo guard Matt Farrell had 10 points and 4 boards off the bench.

Iowa bested Florida State in OT 78-75!! The Hawkeyes still feature three white starters this year. Jarrod Uthoff led Iowa with 15 points and 8 boards. Adam Woodbury had a double double with 11 points and 10 boards. Mike Gesell has 10 points 4 boards, and 3 assists.

Marquette demolished HBCU Grambling 95-49. Henry Ellenson had 16 points and 8 boards, while Luke Fischer had 14 points and 6 boards. Wally Ellenson came off the bench for 4 points and 7 boards.

 

[FootballDad]

One particularly satisfying result from yesterday was the defeat of the Kentucky one-and-done Mercenaries by UCLA. Led by crackas Thomas Welsh and Bryce Alford, UCLA won in dominating fashion 87-77. They must have somehow cheated since we all know that this isn't possible.

 

[Jack Lambert]

One particularly satisfying result from yesterday was the defeat of the Kentucky one-and-done Mercenaries by UCLA. Led by crackas Thomas Welsh and Bryce Alford, UCLA won in dominating fashion 87-77. They must have somehow cheated since we all know that this isn't possible.

No doubt DWFs everywhere were shocked to see Alford and Welsh play so well on a huge stage. I got to watch most of this game, and oh how sweet it was watching a couple of over-achieving gym rats outplay the supposed best team in the country for 40 minutes. I don't believe the score got very close in the 2nd half, always remaining at 6-12 points or so. Welsh was particularly dominant, posting 21 points and 11 boards to go with 2 blocks against all that future NBA talent in Kentucky's front court. Alford played great as well, 2nd on the team with 15 points, and also getting 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Go Bruins!!

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

an unheralded (no surprise there) "gym rat" is one of the best players on the Left Coast. sense he's not "dynamic," you've probably never heard of him.

regardless of the media's lack of acknowledgement, Washington State junior Josh Hawkinson is, arguably, the best player in the Pac-12. he certainly fills up the stat sheet like no one else, last year finishing as the only athlete (electrifying or of the hard hat, blue collar variety) in the conference to average a double-double. the 6-foot-10 then-sophomore did so by collecting almost 15 points and nearly 11 rebounds per game.

it was his first year as a full-time starter.

and this is where the story gets interesting ... you know that old mantra, "the best players play" that we constantly hear? well, Hawkinson is an example of how that is a total load of crap. you see, it is really who the coaching staff thinks is the best player that gets to play.

before a coaching regime change, Hawkinson was buried so deep on the bench he could've been an extra in the Walking Dead. pigeon-holed by what the coaching staff thought he should be instead of seen for what he actually is, it took a new head coach to allow his obvious talents to even get an opportunity. here's a complimentary profile piece on him, complete with the following excerpt:

Kent kept looking at the skyscraping, little-used freshman on the side whom the Cougars were intent on developing into a low-post player.

Except that Hawkinson, out of Shorewood High School, kept making a bunch of 3-pointers after practice.

“I watched him shoot around and do some things, and I kept thinking to myself, ‘Wow, his skill set is really good,’ †Kent said. “He had soft hands. He could shoot it. He understood post play … but I am always one who thinks about playing to someone’s strengths rather than make them something (else).â€

Bone was fired after that season. Kent — who spent 13 seasons at Oregon — took over the job. And one of the first conversations he had with a WSU player was with Hawkinson.

“One of the first things I told him was he wasn’t a back-to-the-basket, low-post player that needed to put on 20 pounds or so,†Kent said. “He was a guy who needed to play his own game — and that was like a European ‘stretch’ (power forward).

“A big smile came across his face — and I have been smiling ever since.â€

not only has Hawkinson emerged as the best player on the team (he's once again leading the Cougars in scoring and rebounding while shooting over 50% from the floor, over 40% from 3-point range, and over 90% from the free throw line), he's become a nightmare for opposing teams to match up with.

and it was only made possible by a coach realizing that another coach hadn't given the best player the chance to play. that, and a lot of talent. and hard work. a lot of hard work. you can't ever forget he's a blue collar, hard hat kind of guy.

 

[Jack Lambert]

That's pretty cool to hear about Hawkinson, Jimmy!! I really hadn't heard of the kid until late last year, when I found out he was white. He's a double double machine!

Also, if anybody's interested, Duke is playing right now on ESPN2. They've been fun to watch this year, especially as Kennard has become more involved in the offense.

I'd like to share an interesting score I saw today. Minnesota's basketball team the last decade or so has always been overwhelmingly black. The strange thing is, the few white kids they've had have usually always been among the teams best players, and from Minnesota. This year, it's Joey King, who originally joined the team as a walk-on. Now, he averages over 17 PPG as the Gophers' leading scorer. They have a couple black players as well from Minnesota, but by and large, nearly all of their recruits are not from the area. Which is weird, since they lost today to a South Dakota team that pulls a lot of its players from Iowa and Nebraska (i.e. local kids). Maybe Minnesota should adopt a similar strategy, rather than letting these white kids become stars at other schools... Nate Wolters is one who comes to mind.

A couple more notes:

For Purdue today, Isaac Haas scored 21 points in 21 minutes, in addition to securing 6 boards.

Andrew Chrabascz and Kellen Dunham each scored 19 points today as Butler coasted by in-state rival Indiana State.

Kyle Wiltjer destroyed Arizona today, with 33 points and 9 boards. But it wasn't enough, as the Wildcats prevailed in a close one.

 

[Jack Lambert]

I mentioned Minnesota in my last post, and now they just got dominated tonight by South Dakota State 84-70 (the final score was much closer than the actual game), the whiter of the two schools (and they recruit more locally as well than the University of South Dakota). The Jackrabbits, a CF favorite, started 4 white players in the beatdown, including guard Jake Bittle, who led the team with 25 points, 5 assists, and 3 boards. Forward Reed Tellinghuisen added a double double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. You'd think after losing to both South Dakota schools, the Gophers and their DWFs would take notice. Probably not, though. After all, it's better to import your "talent" and let the actual best players in the state go elsewhere, like North and South Dakota.

This is more of a question for Jimmy, but who's Dusty Hannahs? I know he was the token whitey on Oral Roberts, and then transferred to Arkansas to become their token white player. I see he led the Razorbacks in scoring (off the bench) with 23 points. A quick stats check reveals Hannahs is the Razorbacks' leading scoring at nearly 18 PPG. He also leads the team in minutes per game at 27. I'm just curious what you know about him. Is he the next Rotnei Clarke?

 

[Jack Lambert]

Here's a bit of an update the last couple of days. Not too much in the way of big matchups for our guys, but still some nice stat lines. Also, I'll be talking about a few guys that you might've not heard of yet.

From Monday:

Ryan Spangler had a double double with 11 points and 10 boards, helping the Sooners dominate Villanova.

Butler had an easy game against a cupcake, so there wasn't too big of stat lines for anybody. Andrew Chrabascz had 13 points in the win, while Tyler Lewis had 12 to go with 5 assists, and Kellen Dunham had 11 points.

Apparently, one of Rick Barry's sons, Canyon Barry, is starring right now at the College of Charleston. He paced the Cougars with 27 points in their win over East Carolina. I might have to watch them just so I can see Barry play. Reading up on him, he even shoots free throws like his old man:

Canyon Barry

Tuesday:

Michigan might've lost to SMU, but they've had a scorer emerge for them the last few games: Duncan Robinson. Robinson transferred from Division III last year, and has made an immediate impact for the Wolverines. He's an amazing 3-point shooter; teams simply can't cover him. He was the leading scorer for the Wolverines tonight with 15 points. Thus far, Robinson is 2nd on the team in scoring with nearly 12 PPG. The thing is, Robinson only got this chance because the head coach at Williams (the school he transferred from) is a former Beilien assistant. Imagine how many other whites are relegated to playing at lower levels when they should be at a D1 school...

Duncan Robinson

Gonzaga may have the most dominant front line college basketball in Kyle Wiltjer, Domantas Sabonis, and Przemek Karnowski. Karnowski was out tonight, but Wiltjer and Sabonis held down the fort against Montana as the Zags won a close won. The two combined for 32 points and 19 boards in the 61-58 win.

Virginia transfer Paul Jesperson paced Northern Iowa in their road win at George Mason. He had 19 points and 12 boards.

George Washington's Tyler Cavanaugh continued his hot streak against Penn State. He had a double double with 18 points and 10 boards, leading the Colonials in both categories in the win.

Marquette's Henry Ellenson dominated San Jose State to the tune of 20 points and 8 rebounds.

Evansville may have lost to Arkansas tonight, but one player for the Purple Aces stood out. That would be their Lithuanian senior center Egidijus Mockevicius. The most under-rated player in the country this year, Mockevicius is simply a beast for Evansville. He's averaging a double double on the year at nearly 18 PPG and 14 rebounds per game!! Those are some amazing numbers. True to form, he dominated Arkansas in the paint, scoring 22 points on 9/11 shooting to go with 12 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 3 steals!! I'm definitely going to need to watch this kid. He should have an NBA future with those numbers. I really hope Evansville (who has 2 other white starters) is able to make the Big Dance this year; America deserves to see this guy play on a national stage.

 

[TwentyTwo]

*Buckle your Seatbelts* the next Star...Iowa's Jarrod Uthoff has 30 points in the 1st half vs 4th Ranked Iowa State....11 of 13 from the field (5/6 from three pt line)...6'-9" Senior has total offensive game; outside shooting...mid range shots...driving slam dunks; etc....coming off career high 27 in his last game...

 

[celticdb15]

Thanks for the updates guys. It's much appreciated!

 

[Jack Lambert]

*Buckle your Seatbelts* the next Star...Iowa's Jarrod Uthoff has 30 points in the 1st half vs 4th Ranked Iowa State....11 of 13 from the field (5/6 from three pt line)...6'-9" Senior has total offensive game; outside shooting...mid range shots...driving slam dunks; etc....coming off career high 27 in his last game...

Uthoff finished with 32 points, as Iowa State's lone white player, Matt Thomas, absolutely stiffled him in the 2nd half.

Oh and Iowa State came back to win, all on the back of Thomas, who had around 20 points (easily a career high). It's a wonder how this kid doesn't start.

I'd like to give ESPN color man Fran Fraschilla credit where it's long overdue. He's one of the most fair commentators out there. He was giving Uthoff praise the entire game. He said NBA scouts are looking at him for how well he can defend, he also said, "Some may say Uthoff is deceptively quick, but I say no, he's just quick." Fraschilla said how the Cyclones needed to put Thomas on Uthoff because Niang (the Cyclones best player) can't guard him. He also said the same thing about Iowa's point guard, Mike Gesell. I believe he's also one of the guys who is a proponent of Euro players in general.

There's a TON of games on today. For starters, Wisconsin and Marquette play on ESPN2 at 1:30 Eastern.

Butler and Tennessee play on Fox Sports 1 at 2:30 Eastern

Jakob Poeltl and Utah play at Wichita State at 3:30
St. Mary's plays at all-black Cal at 3:30 as well.

White friendly UCLA plays at Gonzaga tonight at 10 Eastern.

Good games all around today!

 

[TwentyTwo]

LSU's leader Keith Hornsby will be making his 1st appearance of the season(after recovering from sports hernia surgey in early Nov.)...on Sunday vs. Houston....freshman star Ben Simmons can get Hornsby back quick enough...he is a difference maker! Should be full speed come conference play...

Thanks for the nice write up's/previews

 

[Freethinker]

Today Boise State upset #24 ranked Oregon. Boise State's best player is Anthony Drmic who is a 5th year senior after receiving a medical redshirt last year. Anthony led the way with 19 points and is the team's leading scorer on the season. The other White starter, who is also an Australian by the way, is Nick Duncan. He is the team's 3rd leading scorer. The Broncos are a fairly good team to support.

Live on espn2 right now, the Oregon State Beavers are trying to upset #2 Kansas in Kansas. The Beavers only start 1 White, the Dutchman Olaf Schaftenaar, but bring top 100 recruit Tres Tinkle off the bench. Tinkle has been red hot today as the game's leading scorer with 16 points. It's also worth noting that Tinkle is the coaches son.

EDIT: Correction. Oregon State starts another White player, the 6-10 freshman Drew Eubanks. Overall they are another good team to support.

 

[TwentyTwo]

LSU guard Keith Hornsby, making his season debut after returning from hernia surgery, led all scorers with 32 points(career high), hitting 6-of-10 3-point shots. in a OT loss to Houston

 

[Jack Lambert]

For those who have some time, Duke is starting 3 white guys, and is playing Ga. Southern right now on ESPN2!! Amile Jefferson is injured, so Luke Kennard is starting in his place.

 

[Jack Lambert]

Wisconsin Head Coach Bo Ryan is retiring, effective immediately. It's very sad to see, as Ryan was one of the very few coaches that actually recruited based on talent. It's going to be weird watching a Wisconsin game without Ryan coaching them. I loved his "old school" approach in actually developing his players, rather then recruiting a bunch of one-and-done players. Thanks for everything, Coach!! One of the few good guys that are left in the sport.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...retirement-as-wisconsin-mens-basketball-coach

 

[celticdb15]

Wisconsin Head Coach Bo Ryan is retiring, effective immediately. It's very sad to see, as Ryan was one of the very few coaches that actually recruited based on talent. It's going to be weird watching a Wisconsin game without Ryan coaching them. I loved his "old school" approach in actually developing his players, rather then recruiting a bunch of one-and-done players. Thanks for everything, Coach!! One of the few good guys that are left in the sport.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...retirement-as-wisconsin-mens-basketball-coach

This comes out of the blue as I just watched their game tonight against Texas A&M commerce.. Had no idea that would be my last time seeing him coach! His longtime assistant will take over. New Chapter in Wisconsin Basketball.

 

[celticdb15]

-Northwestern Guard Bryant McIntosh dropped 32 points a couple nights ago and was dishing out assists today. NU is 9-1 to start season. Big man A. Olah had 21 and 10 for Wildcats!

-Duncan Robinson hit 6 3s tonight!

 

[Jack Lambert]

-Northwestern Guard Bryant McIntosh dropped 32 points a couple nights ago and was dishing out assists today. NU is 9-1 to start season. Big man A. Olah had 21 and 10 for Wildcats!

-Duncan Robinson hit 6 3s tonight!

Robinson has really come into his own this year; he's now earned a starting spot for the Wolverines. Here's hoping to his continued success. Robinson is now 2nd on the team in scoring at over 12 PPG. Robinson is shooting an absurd 61% from 3 this year!!! That's unheard of! Michigan found a real gem with this guy. As this photo shows, he can also get up too!!

Saint Mary's continued their hot start to the year be demolishing Southern Utah 92-36. With Gonzaga looking shaky this year thus far (due to their affletic backcourt), could this be the year that their WCC reign ends? The Gaels are now 8-1 (with their only loss coming on the road to a good Cal team) and have looked good this year.

Bryce Alford continued his great start to the year against Louisiana on Tuesday; he had 27 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds!! UCLA is rapidly looking like a great team to support this year. They'll also have forward Gyorgy Goloman returning from injury at some point. Next year, they have 5-star forward TJ Leaf coming in, so they should get even better.

Keith Hornsby had another good game for LSU last night, leading the team with 14 points, while pulling down 6 boards. Besides Ben Simmons, Hornsby is easily LSU's best player.

 

[Jack Lambert]

In the past, I remember Freethinker posting about St. John's and how black they've become. Well, this year, they have a couple of guys to cheer for. One is freshman point guard Federico Mussini. Mussini, who's from Italy, has come in and seized the starting point guard spot for the Red Storm. He's young, but new coach Chris Mullin is letting him playing through his growing pains and actually develop. The result? Mussini is leading St. John's in scoring at over 14 PPG. He's still developing as a passer, but it's nice to see his offensive game already looking good. The other guy is Bosnian forward Amar Alibegovic. Alibegovic isn't as polished as Mussini, but he seems to be getting better. He may have had his "breakout" against Syracuse, where he tied for 2nd on the team in scoring at 15 points while pulling down 9 boards and getting 3 assists in 27 minutes, his highest total of the season. (In that game, Mussini led the team with 17 points. Here's to hoping Mullin continues recruiting fairly.

Federico Mussini

Mussini and Amer Alibegovic celebrating the win against Syracuse.

 

[Jack Lambert]

Duke may have lost in OT today, but freshman Luke Kennard put on a show today!! He finished with 24 points and 8 rebounds, including a huge 4-point play that gave Duke a chance at the end of the game.

Jakob Poeltl had a huge game for the Utes as well, with 19 points and 14 rebounds. He'll be in the NBA next year as a high lottery pick if he keeps it up!

 

[Riggins44]

I had no idea Mullin is now the coach at St. John's. Great to see it. Hopefully he gives more white players the chance that Lou Carnaseca gave him.

 

[TwentyTwo]

Gonzaga's Domantas Sabonis had a monster game w 36 pts / 16 reb in a win over Tennessee...Kyle Wiltjer chipped in w 24

Here is LSU's Keith Hornsby's (6'-4") explosive base-line slam-dunk today...(his twin bro runs track at Oregon)

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:14399756

Nice work Jack Lambert...was going to mention both of them...Grayson Allen had an off game due to Flu/high fever...tough dude tried to play thru it!

 

[Jack Lambert]

Thanks 22!! I actually wasn't aware (but not surprised) that Hornsby is more than the 3 point shooter that ESPN thinks he is.

Sabonis was a beast last night!! I got to watch a good part of that game. Once again, Sabonis and Wiltjer carried the Zags to victory. Their "super-athletes" at guard are absolutely horrible, and the Zags almost lost due to lack of any production from those spots.

Also, #18 Butler defeated #8 Purdue yesterday at the Crossroads Classic!! Led by Tyler Lewis, Andrew Chrabascz, and Roosevelt Jones, the Bulldogs were able to win despite a VERY off night by their star Kellen Dunham, who shot 0-12 from the field (ouch!). Lewis played easily his best game in a Butler uniform, finishing 2nd on the team in scoring with 17 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals while just turning the ball over once! Andrew Chrabascz finished with 16 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks.

 

[Deceptive Speed]

Gonzaga's Domantas Sabonis had a monster game w 36 pts / 16 reb in a win over Tennessee...Kyle Wiltjer chipped in w 24

Here is LSU's Keith Hornsby's (6'-4") explosive base-line slam-dunk today...(his twin bro runs track at Oregon)

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:14399756

Nice work Jack Lambert...was going to mention both of them...Grayson Allen had an off game due to Flu/high fever...tough dude tried to play thru it!

Keith Hornsby next Shannon Brown??

 

[Jack Lambert]

For those who care, two probably NBA 1st round draft picks in Gonzaga's Kyle Wiltjer and Domantas Sabonis will be playing on ESPN2 in a couple of minutes.