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(Fernandez leads the Owls to the 'Big Dance', AP/M. Evans)
Temple/Cornell: (Juan Fernandez, Ryan Wittman, Jeff Foote)
Fernandez, only a sophomore, has led the Owls all constant and steady guard play all season long. He’s been on fire as of late and has a keen ability to find the open man when it looks like no one is open. The crafty scorer has a stark resemblance to that of Portland Trailblazers first year player, Rudy Fernandez. Whenever he decides he’s done with school, he’ll likely be selected in the NBA Draft.
Cornell boasts an excellent inside/outside duo of Wittman and Foote. While not highly regarded from an NBA scout’s point of view, it’s hard to deny the fact that these two can flat out play. Wittman, who has a solid frame—6’7” and 216 lbs.—shoots 42% from beyond the arc.
Foote, at 7’0” and 260 lbs. is a rare breed. The big man shoots an astounding 62% from the field and hits double-digits in scoring on a regular basis. It’ll be hard for an NBA team not to give either of these guys a look at the next level.
Wisconsin: (Trevon Hughes)
Hughes is the prototypical Wisconsin guard; a heady leader who can score in bunches and defend on the other side of the ball. He can shoot it from outside—almost 40% from beyond the arc—while rebounding at an alarming rate for a 6’0” point guard. He doesn’t look for teammates all that often, only averaging 2.7 assists a game, but that isn’t part of the Badgers game. No one on the team averages over 4 assists a game, so it’s ‘assist by committee’ for Wisconsin. Hughes could find his way onto an NBA roster as a free agent if he’s not selected in the first two rounds of this year’s NBA Draft.
Marquette/Washington: (Lazar Hayward, Jimmy Butler, Qunicy Pondexter, Isaiah Thomas)
Marquette has two quality players in Hayward and Butler who pace the Golden Eagles night in and night out. Hayward is a bit undersized at 6’6” but uses his 225 lb. frame to become bigger than he actually is. He scores and rebounds at an impressive rate, 18.1 points and 7.7 rebounds a game, while being the de facto leader of a team who lost three starters from last year’s team.
Butler has stepped right in for head coach Buzz Williams and has disappointed. Butler averages about 16 a game and shoots a whopping 50% from downtown, scary for any opponent who can’t defend the perimeter. He’s only a junior, so another season in college will round out his game even more.
Pondexter seems to be playing his 10th season of college basketball—a senior in actuality—while leading the Huskies to a Pac-10 Tournament title. He averages 19.8 points and 7.5 rebounds a game with the ability to score in waves. Pondexter lit up Oregon for 34 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists, indication of his ability to play an ‘all-around’ game. He’ll be key to any tournament success Washington hopes to have.
The miniature Thomas leads Washington at point standing only 5’9” and 185 lbs. He’s quick and aggressive despite a lack of size and can get into the lane at will, but also shoot it from 19 ft. and beyond. Thomas is only a sophomore, so we probably won’t see him at the next level for another year or so.
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East regional filled with future NBA stars, UK's Wall and Cousins top list, pt. 1
East regional filled with future NBA stars, UK's Wall and Cousins top list, pt. 3
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